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Not to scare you, but as a junior, you've got lots to accomplish this year. Maintaining stellar grades, gearing up for the SAT, juggling your extra curriculars with your other responsibilities, not to mention your at-home stuff. Perhaps the biggest task, however, is thinking hard about college. Step one: Write down the following:

Goal: To choose 25 colleges and universities that I'm interested in learning more about.

Next, spend the rest of the academic year putting your goal into action. "Trim your list to a number that's workable so that you can start to communicate with colleges without giving up time for important things, like an A in chemistry," says Pat Ordovensky in College Planning for Dummies (IDG Books Worldwide, 1999).

Well, what are you waiting for? Here's a 'stay organized' guide to help you along with your college research...

Taming the Paper Monster

You've got (mega) mail!
Without knowing how or when it started, suddenly you're the most popular person in the daily mail pile -- and it's all from colleges you never heard of. What should you keep? Rip up? And, where can you keep the pile-up? Yikes!

"Sort the mail as it comes through the door," advises Jill VonGruben, author of College Countdown (McGraw Hill, 2000). "Tame that Paper Monster now while he is still small." And, trust us -- he will grow very quickly!

One other thing about the mail: You may see a few offers tout guarantees of college admissions and other promises. Beware! Although hiring college counseling services is a growing trend among college-bounders, like yourself, watch out for less than legit' scam artists who'll take your dollars and run.

Meet, greet, and get more papers
Keep watch near your school's college-planning or guidance office for announcements of local college fairs. These events allow you to talk with college representatives, ask questions, and yes, gather more school materials.

While some students see these as an opportunity to get out of class or just a great way to meet boys/girls, college fairs can be beneficial if you take advantage of them. For instance, bring along a notebook to jot down any interesting programs a school may offer (you'll forget by the end of the night, otherwise). Think about questions you have beforehand and bring them with you on a piece of paper.

The fall is also prime time to conduct college research on their turf, specifically during open house days. You'll get to go on a guided tour and have a brief Q&A period, but remember that this is how a college makes its sales pitch.

"Visiting campuses can be a large component for figuring out which schools to apply to; it's like shopping," says Todd Hoffman, president of Campus Visit, an organization offering college tour/vacation planning assistance in Philadelphia and Boston. After you're accepted, you should then go on a second visit, says Hoffman, but change your purpose from 'shopping' to 'purchasing.'

Need 4-1-1? Ask...
No matter how much mail you get, there will always be a few schools that you hear nothing from. As luck will have it, these are the schools in which you are actually interested. What to do?

Send letters of request to college admissions officers for their catalogues, viewbooks, and application via regular mail, phone, or email. Whichever way, be sure your request is done properly. Spelling, grammar, and politeness counts, even at this early stage of the game. And, here's something you might not know: Initial letters requesting information may be filed for future reference should you decide to apply, says Ordovensky, so be professional.

To Consider or Not To Consider?
Remember, this is probably your first really in-depth look at what you want from your college experience, so don't over-analyze every last detail. Instead, narrow down your college choices by considering the following:

Selectivity. Can you get in? Sure, you're an above-average student or talented athlete but are you Ivy League or Division I caliber? Will you be able to handle the workload once you're there? Do you meet the school's admissions criteria?

Personal preferences. Think about factors like size and location, to begin with. You don't have to be entirely sure of where you want to go, but knowing that a 20,000 member student body is too huge for you is a good start at weeding out some possibilities. As for the where, try to at least narrow your college selections down to a region, like the Northeast, for example, or think about whether you want to school in your home state.

When it comes time to make your final decision, you should consider all opinions and factors, but here are a couple you can put off for now:

What have they done for you lately? Don't let colleges cloud your judgement with fancy promotions. Some schools have big budgets just to gain your interest so they'll send you high-tech toys, keychains, T-shirts, or other cool stuff. If you don't think a school has anything to offer you, accept your freebies, and move on, regardless of their generosity.

"You want to go there?!" Your parents, family, and friends all genuinely care about your future and will go to great lengths to put their two cents in. Let them, but not at the expense of your own needs. For instance, if you've done your research and found that a particular school is a 'maybe,' don't rule it out just because you find out your cousin dropped out five years ago.

The dollars. Okay, this will be a super-huge factor in your college decision... but not yet. Remember, a school's tuition isn't necessarily how much you'll pay for it. There are many different financial aid opportunities available that may counter a school's astronomical price-tag, so don't disregard expensive schools just yet.

There you have it, juniors -- a goal and a game plan. Best wishes for a stress-free college-bound year!


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Dawn Papandrea is the Managing Editor of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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