Colleges are all different, and the rumors and TV-news you hear about them usually cover only football teams, basketball finals, homecoming queens, and fascinating research projects that make up the high profile news. The Best College for You is a magazine published by The Princeton Review (not related to Princeton University) and Time Inc. The book lists costs, admission standards, location, and other particulars of 1,220 colleges. Another good reference is the Princeton Review's The Student Access Guide to the Best Colleges by Tom Meltzer, Zachary Knover, and John Katzman, Villard Books, New York. Be sure to get the latest editions of these and other sources in your library.

Next, bring up the Internet information on colleges. One address to visit is http://www.collegenet.com. This web site includes the chance to create an "Applyweb" account at the site to store your information for applications.

(see College Keys: Getting In, Doing Well and Avoiding the 4 Big Mistakes for more tips).