Attention high school seniors! The 2007-08 college application season begins September 1. Pull out your playbook now and start your pre-season planning!

Planning? What? Yes! Planning. You didn't think you were going to take that preliminary list of 30 colleges/universities you thought were interesting and apply to all of them did you? No way!

Your objective now, should you choose to accept this assignment, is to narrow your preliminary list of institutions down to a solid list of 3 to 5 colleges/universities that you honestly think you want to apply to. How do you do this? Keep reading.

If you're still working on the final list of colleges/universities for this fall's applications, here are some free resources that will help you narrow down your choices.

• The Princeton Review - The Princeton Review is one of the guides for those "in the know".
  
• Peterson's - The "most heavily trafficked" resource on the web.
  
• U.S. News & World Report - the number one source for college ranking information.
  
• College Prowler - Student centered resource.


• College guides for Gifted Students - information for parents/families seeking higher ed. placements for the gifted student.

As you look for more information on the colleges/universities you are interested in, keep in mind that you need to find those 3 to 5 institutions that (a) offer the degree/program you are interested in, (b) fit the profile you've put together (right size, right location, right number of students, etc.), (c) have good reputations and are accredited, and (d) mesh well with your academic qualifications. If you do all this as you work through your final search, you'll easily be able to narrow down your list.

Oh... and make sure you do apply to that one dream school--even if you don't think you have a snowball's chance in... well, you get the idea. It doesn't hurt to dream; and you may just be the one unique student that college/university is looking for.

Until next time!

Lynn Byrne

Preparing for college admissions? Trying to find direction? Need a little help with the planning? Check out my college planning series:

• College Planning Made Easy--the planning and preparation workbook for the take charge, college-bound student,
  
• Paying for College Made Easy--a college financing guide designed to assist students and families in preparing and planning for higher education expenses; and
  
• The Great Scholarship Search--my guide for students and parents researching and applying for scholarship funding.