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College Search Tips & Tricks from 3 Experts

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College Search Tips & Tricks from 3 Experts

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College Search Tips & Tricks from 3 Experts an Expert Guest Blog SmartSocial.com

If you’re a parent or educator of a college-bound teen then you understand the importance of the college search and making sure your teen has found the right school for them. The first step in the process is encouraging your teen to examine their own interests, goals and plans for the future.

But with more than 3,500 degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States, what’s the next step? We reached out to 3 college experts and advisors and asked them how families with college-bound teens can be effective with their college search. Here are their best tips for researching colleges online.

1. Find where students write honest reviews

    Sarah Lisovich, CIA Medical
If the college has a YouTube channel, this is an even better way to see what the students are like. -- Sarah Lisovich
    Exploring a college's website is a great place to start, as it should be a virtual representation of the college itself. As a former member of my college's communications and marketing department, I know well just how much time goes into creating and reflecting a college's values, aesthetic, and student body into its online presence. Another great place to look into is ratemyprofessors.com, where students are able to write reviews about their professors honestly and anonymously. This will give a better understanding for the way students and professors interact, and further insight into the voice of the student body. If the college has a YouTube channel, this is an even better way to see what the students are like, what they are most involved in, and some of the college's major documented events.

2. Don't use only the school's website for your college search

    Robert Schwartz, YourBestCollegeEssay.com
Online information is a great start but there is no substitute for the school visit. -- Robert Schwartz
    Don't use only the school website for research. What you will find there is really only information they want you to have.  Their site should be your first stop into discovering what that school has to offer. There are many other resources online. CollegeConfidential.com is really helpful.  You'll learn even more at unigo.com. There you'll find testimonials from students who attend school there, their thoughts on academics, and student life. And while online information is a great start, remember, there is no substitute for the school visit.

3. Take a “virtual tour” of colleges

    Sarah Seitz, The Enrichery
One of the toughest stages of the college search is when you’re trying to narrow down a long list of schools. -- Sarah Seitz
    One of the toughest stages of the college search is when you’re trying to narrow down a long list of schools. This becomes increasingly difficult when you’re looking at schools all over the country and don’t have the time or money to visit them all. Here's where YouVisit.com comes in. You can take a “virtual tour” of over 1,000 colleges, and get a decent feel of the campus. While it doesn’t totally replace a physical visit, it is probably the closest you can get.  

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Quotation marks

This is great info, thanks for giving me some ideas on how to start a dialogue with my teen!

StarStarStarStarStar

Sharon M.

Parent VIP Member

Quotation marks

Josh's presentation about social media was unbelievably fantastic. Our students learned so much about what kids should and shouldn't be doing. The fact that it is such a thoughtful process made it all worthwhile.

StarStarStarStarStar

Director of College Advising

Educator Webinar Attendee

Quotation marks

This webinar is a very helpful eye-opener on the apps that are popular with my students.

StarStarStarStarStar

Irene C.

Educator Webinar Attendee

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