Here are some tips to make the job easier. They come from 32 years of college teaching, advising, and working with troubled students in the dean's office. 1. Don't make a quick decision. Even your dream school has drawbacks. And some schools you want to quickly eliminate will have pleasant surprises for you when you investigate. This is true of every school your parents, siblings, and friends think is good (or not good) for you.

The same applies to yourself. You could be too pessimistic about yourself and your chances for those dream schools. Or you could be too optimistic about your chances for those middle-range schools, so take your shot at the good schools but don't eliminate all your back-ups on the lower end either. Also, as every admissions office will tell you, there are good years and bad years in the college admissions business. A slow year for a top school can be good news for a student just at their cutoff point. But a very competitive year can reduce your chances and make you glad you had your options spread out.

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