Choosing a College

College Searches

Use these links to search for colleges that offer the major(s) you are considering and are within the geographic area in which you are interested.

College Board College Search	Use College Matchmaker to specify criteria to find colleges
SUNY Search	Find the SUNY schools that offer the program you are interested in.  Search over 5000 undergraduate program offerings through State University of NY
NY Private College Search	CIcu's (Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities) allows you to search for Private NY State schools based upon academic programs
Career Connections  from Guidance Direct.  Login using LCS's ID and password- see me for this information	Search for colleges based upon a wide variety of criteria
Peterson's College Search	Search for colleges by programs offered, geographic region, selection criteria or cost
College View College Search	View profiles of thousands of colleges and search by geographic criteria
College Navigator from the US Department of Education's College.gov	Seach for colleges based upon geographic or academic criteria
US News & World Reports College Rankings,	Find top ranked schools 2011 for based upon a variety of criteria to choose from
Kiplinger's College Rankings	View rankings for top 50 private liberal arts colleges and top 50 private universities
Princeton Review College Rankings	View rankings for the best 373colleges for 2011 - search by categories such as academics, politics, extracurricular or social.

Trade, Technical, Vocational Schools and Career Colleges

Trade Schools	Guide to several online and traditional trade colleges
Peterson's Career Colleges Search	Browse a network of accredited Career Colleges located throughout the United States that provide career specific educational programs.  Certificate programs and vocational/ technical training.
ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools & Colleges)	Directory of occupational trade and technical schools throughout the United States

Map of New York State SUNY and Private College Locations

• Private College and University Map
• SUNY College and University Map

Take a Virtual Campus Tours

September, 2008 Edition of the Commission on Independent Colleges and University's monthly newsletter (cIcu) College Connections Nwsletter, vol 2, no 1,   featuring links for virtual tours for many NY Private Colleges

eCampus Tours -  Great site offering virtual tours with 360 degree viewing capability for over 1200 college campuses. Login, create an account and search by state for colleges.

Choosing a College

Some things to Consider:

Accreditation. Is the school accredited? An accredited school meets certain educational standards set by an independent agency. Accreditation helps ensure the training and education you receive will meet the standards of employers in a specific field. You can use the U.S. Department of Education's Institution Accreditation Search Page to check a particular school's accreditation or to find an accredited school in a particular field or location.

A Guide to College Visitations

The most important consideration when deciding what college to attend is:  whether you feel like the college environment is a "fit" or not.  The only way to determine this is to visit.  I recommend that all initial visits be done during the junior year.  Please click here to learn more about planning a college visit.

I recommend that all applications be submitted any time after September 1 and before Thanksgiving vacation of the senior year.  Most seniors spend the month of October of their senior year revising essays and requesting letters of recommendation, to ensure that all materials have been submitted to the Guidance Office to be sent in November.  We try to get all packets submitted prior to the college admissions rush that occurs right after Thanksgiving break.  Note:  Often later applicants are held to higher admissions standards, so it is best to apply early.

Which Type of Admissions Should I Apply for? 

Click here to view a comparison chart of Rolling vs Early Action vs Early Decision Admissions Plans from National Association for College Admissions Counselor's web site  Click here for more detailed explanation of Early Decision

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