Improve your chances of getting into college,

AP classes are great! These are highly rigorous courses taught at the high school that students can receive college credit for! Imagine starting college with 3 AP classes under your belt, and not having to take those courses in college. You could, for example, take an AP English class and skip your Freshman Composition class. Not only is this a source of bragging rights, but you can save time and money by lowering the number of general education courses you have to take at college.

However, there is one big asterisk to this awesome opportunity. You have to pass the test!! Students must, I repeat MUST!, take the AP exam to have any chance of qualifying for college level credit. Students should consult with their advisor about what qualifying score on the test will be accepted at the college they have chosen so they can receive the maximum amount of credit. For example, if you take the AP English exam (of which there are 2), most schools require you to score a 4 on the AP test to receive credit for English – 101. (AP scores range from 1-5, with 5 being the best.) Other schools may require a score of a 3 or a 5, so it is important that students consult with their college catalog or academic advisor to see if their scores qualify them to receive college credit. So while AP classes by themselves are great, if students want to receive college credit for this work, they must take the test.

(I should also note, that there is no penalty in the admissions process if you take AP courses and do not take the test. However, your interviewer may ask why you decided to do this, as most students do take the test, and in your first meeting with your college advisor you should discuss this choice. Also, doing poorly in your AP test is less important than doing poorly in your AP class itself. So make sure you are not just studying for the test, but working very hard in class too. Plus, if you’re doing well in class you’ll more than likely do just fine on the test!)

While visiting a campus is probably the best way to get a true sense of whether you see yourself at a school, there are plenty of other ways to get to know a campus beyond the visit.

First of all, check the school’s website. This is probably the single best tool for students after an actual campus visit. The school’s admissions pages have much of the same information you would get on a student-led tour, and many schools feature a virtual tour of the campus, giving you a glimpse at what the campus looks like. (Bonus if they have a chat w/ an admissions counselor feature where you can ask individualized questions.) Beyond the admissions pages you can delve deeply into the areas of a school that will mean the most to you. If you know you are dying to be a biochemistry major – check out that major’s website and see not only the academic requirements a student must complete, but what other students in that field have done in the past, what opportunities for research and internships you can find, and what kind of facilities you’d be using. If you’re planning on getting very involved in student life and clubs while on campus, check out the student life page. Find out what kinds of clubs and organizations the school has, the types of activities that keep students entertained on weekends, and how easy it is to join or start something. You should also check the school’s homepage and see what highlights are going on at the school. Usually the school showcases the coolest things on their front page so you’ll get an idea of the amazing things you could potentially get involved with or accomplish by checking out the news features. And lastly, don’t forget to check out the financial aid pages where you can find valuable resources on how to pay for school.

Second, request information from the school. Yes, the amount of paper products you receive from schools trying to recruit you can be over-whelming, But, this information is actually very helpful, especially if you can’t get to a campus. You can receive a wealth of information about a school by reading its viewbook and perusing the course catalog. Find out what the housing will look like, read student stories, and use the course catalog to figure out what your classes will be like. Plus, you can figure out all the academic requirements you’ll need to complete for the degree you’re interested in, and whether you can use high school test scores to exempt you from anything. And while it is important to remember that the viewbooks will show the college in the best light possible, it will amaze you how much you can tell about a college’s atmosphere by the styling and coloring of the viewbooks.

Lastly, use your high school resources. This means going to college fairs and information sessions that bring college admissions counselors directly to your school. Meeting with admissions reps is great, because students can ask individual questions and hear an abbreviated version of an admissions speech that they would get if they were visiting campus. Attending these sessions is very important, as this is also a great chance to network with admissions reps who may be deciding your fate on getting accepted or not. You can also talk to your high school guidance or college counselor. The counselors at your high school are trained to know about the different schools their students want to attend. They may not know everything – after all, they are very busy – but they will have an idea of what a college’s campus rep might have said if they were on campus, or be able to provide you contact information for someone at your school of interest for you to get more information from.

Hopefully you can get on a college campus to visit. But, if you can’t, you still have a ton of resources available to help give you all the information you need to make that decision on which school is right for you.

The best time to visit a college campus is when it’s the busiest. This means going when classes are in session, students are cramming the walkways and there are lots of extracurricular activities going on. You need to get a sense of what campus life is really like, and the best way to do this is to see campus when it’s bristling with student learning and living.

Here’s how visiting campus during this time can help you make a college choice:

Walking around an empty campus can give you a great look at facilities and allow you a chance to get more individual time with tour guides and campus officials. But it’s hard to tell if you feel like you “fit” at a school when there’s nothing but empty hallways and green space to look at.

Most students don’t want to go to college and not do anything while they’re there, and if you take a look at a campus while students are on break, it may give the wrong impression that there is nothing to do at that campus. You don’t want to make a decision about a campus and its student life without actually seeing any students.

When school’s in session you can peek in to classrooms and see what the class sizes are like, see examples of teaching styles and get a feel for what it would be like sitting with your fellow classmates in lecture halls.

When visiting a school at such a busy time you may get the chance to talk to students who aren’t tour guides or ambassadors and get an unbiased view of what the school is like. Find them in lines at the bookstore, after you’ve asked them directions to the nearest gas station or working the cash register at the school’s coffee shop.

If you can, spend some extra time on campus during these visits, like eating in the dining halls, taking in a sporting event or visiting the campus library. Take a look around at all these places and see if you can imagine yourself on the campus doing all the same things for the next four years. See how you feel doing normal college things with other college students and figure out if this is a place that makes you feel at home.

Someone who you trust to be there for you. Picking a college is a big decision, and the campus visit is going to be one of the factors you use to make that decision. While going to a campus visit with your best friends might be fun, you might miss out on a great opportunity to learn about the campus if you're busy chatting about the latest gossip, or focusing more on each other than the tour and information being provided. However, if your friends are just as interested in the campus as you are and will be there to help you make an un-biased assessment of what you've seen (acting more like a sounding board) than they would be great to have with you. Parents are probably a good choice to bring with you, especially if they are paying for the school since they will then have a personal investment in where you choose to go. But, if having your parents will make you unfocused or distract you from making the most use of your time, try to schedule separate tours (often schools have parent sessions that run concurrently with student sessions). Most importantly, you need to bring someone with you who you trust to gather additional information for you and to be a good sounding board for you after the visit.

College rankings can't be ignored, but they should not weigh heavily in your decision. Beyond the upper-eschelon of rankings (we're talking your Ivy leagues, or top-10 ranked schools), the schools start to run together. This is especially true of academic -only lists. Many lists also only take in to account graduate programs and the research and scholarly production of an institution. Often these lists leave out the "teaching" ability of colleges, which can be a huge factor in whether a student finds success or not in college. Some rankings done by US News and World Report offer "Best Values," which are probably the best lists to review if you are going to consider rankings in your decision. Also, many rankings miss the "fit" of an institution that can only be determined by an individual student's experience with that campus. So if and when you look at rankings, make sure you evaluate the criteria the ranking list is based off of, who the list is being put out by, and whether the schools highly ranked are even available to you based on cost and admissions requirements.

There are several different options for students who can't visit the campuses they're interested in.

- The Website - This is probably a student's best resource for information. Not only does this list the facts about a campus, but this will provide you information on what courses of study you can pursue at a college, what options are available for financial aid/scholarships, campus life, and the biggest highlights from the academic and non-academic worlds going on at the campus at that moment. Think of the website as an extended viewbook. Almost any question you could ask can be answered through the campus' website. (Or should be answerable - some websites prove more valuable than others.) Look at pictures, read testimonials, figure out the curriculum, do whatever you can on the website to get an overall picture of the campus in your mind.

- The Virtual Tour - Many schools now offer a virtual tour for students who can't make it to campus. This allows you to see what various buildings look like, and to get a pre-taped recording of what a typical tour guide might say while showing you around campus. Through this tour you get to see the highlights of the campus and get a furhter glimpse into the buildings that would be your home.

- Getting on Contact Lists - This includes mailing lists, but often schools have phone lists as well. Often schools have current students make phone calls to prospective students, and this is a perfect opportunity to get the "student's perspective" on the campus. Ask questions you normally would ask a tour guide, and get to the nitty-gritty of a campus. (Beyond the glamourized photos and stump speeches you get from the viewbooks.)

- Going Virtual - Many campuses now offer virtual opportunities to talk with admissions counselors, student ambassadors, orientation leaders and more. These can be chat sessions that take place at various times throughout the day that work around your busy schedule. Also, make sure to check out the social media outlets of the campus as they will have additional information about events and campus highlights.

There are several tips to getting the most out of campus tours:

- Come prepared! Don't waste time quizzing the tour guide or counselor on statistics and other data available in the college's viewbook. This is your time to ask in-depth, beyond the-glossy-print type questions and really get a feel for the college.

- Come with a buddy. It's hard to remember everything you hear and often times you can miss valuable information if you're busy taking notes or trying to make sure you get your questions answered. Your buddy can serve as a great resource to jot down important info, serve as a second set of ears, or just simply remind you about the questions you wanted to get answered.

- Go to the front of the line. I know it's cheesy to be that person close to the tour guide, and I'm not saying you have to walk side by side with them, but often tour guides answer questions raised by tour participants directly to that participant and you can pick up on that valuable information by staying close so you can hear everything. (Besides, someone else might ask a great questions you haven't thought of!) This is especially true in large crowds or visit days. Tour guides do their best to make sure everyone gets the same information, but it's often hard to keep track of everyone and with so much information to get out, they may forget to repeat valuable information to the larger group.

- Get a second opinion. If possible, you should try to visit a campus for two tours. This allows you to gain two students perspectives, and to get a broader view of what campus, and campus life, is really like. Also, you may gain more pertinent information from a different tour guide. For instance, if you're really in to theater and want to know more about the theater program, your first tour guide may only know the basics, whereas your second tour guide may have been in a show or two! If you don't have time for a second tour, just hang around campus a bit and scope out the student unions and libraries to get a more natural feel of the campus.

The more information you have the better when it comes to choosing a school, so all of these tools are useful resources. The more you know about a school, the more likely you’ll have a complete picture that you can use to determine if that school’s right for you. However, make sure that you evaluate where your information is coming from so you can use it properly.

Guidebooks (or viewbooks) are great, but they are going to present the glossiest and most appealing side of a school. They will provide important information about the programs a school offers, scholarship and tuition information, and what services are available on campus. Viewbooks also give you a great overview of what the campus is like and what values the campus highlights can give you great insight into whether you’ll fit in or not. For example, a viewbook that stresses service opportunities and civic leadership is probably going to have a campus culture that is reflective of these ideals. One that highlights the arts and culture of a school would tend to value creativity and have a more artistic campus vibe. (These are generalizations and a campus visit is the best way to figure out for sure what the atmosphere is like, but this gives you a sense of what you can expect.) And viewbooks give you great statistics about study and play on campus. But just remember that everyone on campus won’t be smiling, sometimes the quad will actually be deserted, and those pretty dorm rooms they show don’t clean themselves. Viewbooks are a great way to narrow down your school list, but shouldn’t be the only source of information you use to make your choice.

Relatives are again a great resource of information – especially if they attended the school you’re looking at. After all – they went there! They’ve lived the campus life! Who better to tell you what a campus is like than someone who’s lived it? However, again I caution you to remember that these are people you are related to, people who have some investment in your future and your well-being. This can affect what they tell you about their experiences, both positively and negatively. If they loved their alma mater and had a blast there they may talk up the school for its “coolness” factor, or just pump up their school because they’d love you to be a fellow alum. Conversely, if they had a negative experience, they may try to taint your view regardless of whether they have that killer academic research program you’re dying to try out. But relatives can also work to your advantage. Your relatives usually know you best. So they can gauge if the school is a bit too much of a party school for you if you’re more of a book worm, or if everyone goes home on the weekends on the campus when you’re dying for a hopping social scene. So take what they say and use it – but don’t let it be the only reason you choose a school.

Rankings. Ah rankings. The zenith for marketing departments at schools everywhere. Rankings hold value, don’t get me wrong. But, for most high school students looking for colleges, the rankings won’t really apply to them. Many ranking charts are based off a school’s graduate level programs (thus making them almost irrelevant for undergrads) and often times, school’s with bigger alumni donors receive a boost in rankings. However, not all rankings are bad. You should look at rankings for things like “Best Value” and best academic program if there’s one you’re interested in. Rankings are often a small part of a big picture, as many students are as successful after a University of Maryland Baltimore County stint as they are after Harvard, though Harvard outranks UMBC on every list (except for best value, because let’s face it Harvard’s expensive!) Sure, the Harvard name could get you farther, but you will still get a great education at countless other schools and just because you didn’t go to the highest ranked school on a list determined by people you’ve never met, doesn’t mean you won’t have a successful collegiate or professional experience.

So gather all the information you can – from guidebooks, relatives, rankings, visits, websites, social media, and any other place you can – and compile all your research into an opinion on whether you could see yourself on a campus. Can you see yourself studying, socializing, working and just living at this place? This is a big decision and you want to make sure you have all the information you need to make the one that is the best for you.