College admissions is competitive,

College rankings are often a good place to start a search, but usually horrible for making final choices. The biggest problem is that most tend to consider just "hard" information like admission rates, average SAT scores, and graduation rates, but don't consider equally important factors like students' political views, tendency to join fraternities or sororities, or the academic focus of the university (for instance, business, liberal arts, or engineering). These can all affect the student experience. For that reason, I like Princeton Review’s 373 Best Colleges: It starts with a good group of schools, but adds important descriptions about campus climates. Of course, you should read this book with the same amount of skepticism you’d use with any ranking system: Don’t take anything at face value, and always research broadly

By far, the biggest mistake is the belief the “perfect” college exists.  Let’s be clear: No place is perfect, but fortunately, there are almost certainly lots of places where any particular student will get a great education in a setting where she feels comfortable. The second mistake is ruling out a college based on costs: apply without regard to cost. The third mistake is choosing a college for a fairly minor reason: it rained during my campus visit; I didn’t like the tour guide; our cab driver said people in town don’t like the college.  Make sure you consider the whole of the institution, not small parts of it.

Avoid thinking about “maximizing aid” and instead of “minimizing costs,” because not all aid is created equal.  You may know that some aid is gift aid, which is naturally preferable to loans or work. Sometimes grant aid from universities comes with strings attached, like minimum GPA for renewal (or no renewal), or enrollment in a specific major. Most important, figure out how long it takes the average student at each college to graduate. Divide four-year graduation rate by six-year graduation rate.  The higher the number, the greater the chance you’ll graduate in four years, which not only saves you tuition dollars, but also gets you earning your first post-college paycheck faster.

The hardest thing for well-educated, successful parents to do these days, it seems, is to allow students the freedom to be themselves, to discover their own strengths and interests, and to learn from their mistakes.

In short: Never, ever, ever, say “we” are applying to college, or “our applications.” Never, ever, ever, tell your student that choosing a college is the most important decision she’s ever had to make. You know it’s not true. Never, ever, ever tell your son he needs to find “his passion.” It will come, but maybe not at 17 or 18.

And, most important, tell your child that getting into a college is just the first step: The real value in education is how you take advantage of the opportunities that await you, regardless of the university you attend.

Sound familiar? It’s probably because that’s how your parents treated you. And look how great you turned out!