Improve your chances of getting into college,

Be sure to go online and read about campus visits before showing up on campus. Most colleges have scheduled tours and information sessions. Be sure to check dates, hours, and find out if a reservation is necessary.

Sometimes it's helpful to ask the admissions office if it's possible for you to talk who can tell you about areas of special interest to you, such as atheltics, the arts or an academic major. Meeting with someone who is a specialist - beyond that of the admissions counselor - can help you differentiate between colleges, and better make a match. Keep in mind that doing this type of in-depth visiting takes time. However, it may be worth doing so, particularly if you're traveling to get to the college.

I encourage my students to talk to me before scheduling visits, especially if travel is required, because I'm able to suggest travel time between campuses. I recommend that you talk to your college counselors about suggestions for scheduling travel.

I think that guidebooks are one tool students should use in researching colleges. However, I hope that students don't overly rely on the opinions of others. Personal research is important if a student is to find a college that is a good match.

I'm not a fan of rankings because they are subjective. Rankings offer a shortcut that may cause students to overlook learning about colleges that might be good for them. Also, rankings build the myth that there are winners and losers in the college admission process, which is certainly not true.

Finding the right college is about match.

Some colleges want lots of contacts, while others - usually the most highly selective - might interpret frequent contact as annoying. The rule of thumb is that contact with a college should have a purpose. In other words, if you contact a college - especially an admission officer - you should have a reason for being in touch and not just to keep up friendly banter.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

1) Respond to communications initiated by the college, if invited to do so. For example, if you receive a postcard that requests a reply, do so.

2) Open e-mail messages and follow the links. Colleges that are interested in assessing your interest will track if you open their e-mails, when you open the e-mail, and if you follow the embedded links.

3) If you initiate contact with a college admission office, keep in mind that this is a professional relationship. This means that you should address the admission officer professionally, using a title: "Dear Dean Smith," or "Dear Ms. Jones." You should never use a first name, regardless of how friendly you feel with the admission officer.

Some colleges fail to include the most important piece of information on their financial aid offers. That is, the cost of attendance. It’s impossible to compare financial aid offers without knowing the cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, books, room, board and personal expenses. If that’s the case with any of your financial aid offers, call the college’s financial aid office to verify what it will cost to attend the college for the upcoming academic year. Once you have the cost of attendance, it’s possible to make an “apples to apples” comparison of financial aid offers from various colleges.

Some students skilled in the arts apply their skill to therapeutic settings, particularly in schools and rehabilitation settings. While finding employment in this area requires some legwork, doing so is a great way to combine artistic talent with personal compassion in a way that can improve someone's life.

Parents should be partners with their child's college counselor in the college application process. However, it's important for parents to support, rather than drive the college process. One tip is for parents to agree to one time each week to talk about college and stick to that schedule. I recommend Sunday nights.