<p>after all the heated discussions about students not becoming involved on the AU threads for the sake of helping the newcomers, and the hs students’ and parents’ apparent frustrations, i’ve decided to start a new thread. i’m receiving PMs from others in this regard, so i’ll start, with the hopes others will contribute with sources that helped them through this college entrance process.</p>
<p>so,ok, i'll start..... a PM i recently received shared the following: go to admission chances.com.( they said to Google it if can't find) the person said it offers quality feedback, and essay edits for free. they said they had "lived" on it! in addition ( now that i can remember the name :p ) another good student-based resource is "the insider's guide to colleges ". add this to college pr-----. * just remember, these are ALL SUBJECTIVE, based on the student sample polled. great basic sources remain the Princeton Review ( with some student input) and Edward Fiske. good luck to all! carry on.....</p>
<p>Ahh, the ever popular "Will I Get In?" websites. </p>
<p>Perhaps this is just my experience, but I feel that websites such as these, (CC included) seemed to just increase the stress and pressure of college admissions completely. One website says you are in, others say you are aiming too high...I think it is clear now that college admissions really are unpredictable (to a degree). Of course being in the target range for scores and GPAs will help, but as do the essays, and extracurriculars, and how you are able to sell yourself on paper.</p>
<p>I found my biggest help in narrowing down "The List" was to do an overnight at every school. Stay with a friend/connection if the college does not have an overnight program (most do), and make sure to go during a time when you can see the campus in full swing (not finals or the beginning of any semester). Talk to other people on the floor, hang out at the campus coffee shop, and see if you feel comfortable, welcomed, etc. Even sit in on a class...</p>
<p>It is a lot of work, but it makes the decision so much easier, and you won't have many nasty surprises when you show up to campus...</p>
<p>If you're looking for plain ol' facts and figures, here are two sites for you:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For AU specific data, refer to AU's Academic Data Reference Book. This is full of AU stats and is published each spring by the university's Office of Institutional Research. You can find it here: <a href="http://www.american.edu/academic.depts/provost/oir/%5B/url%5D">http://www.american.edu/academic.depts/provost/oir/</a></p></li>
<li><p>For data to use in comparing universities check out The Education Trust at <a href="http://www.collegeresults.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeresults.org/</a>. You can select which colleges you want to include, search for similar colleges based on statistics, etc.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Finally, for opinions from a 1995 AU grad, contact me directly.</p>