<p>I have a rising junior as well. We started with local college visits just to gauge what type of college D preferred: big or small; rural, suburban or urban; with Greek or without; level of sports (as a spectator) and general feel for the academics and education style.</p>
<p>To focus the search, the following come into play: cost of attendance, current grades, test scores and possible majors. Location isn’t an issue for us.</p>
<p>I also talked to friends and relatives who have been through this process or are going through this process. If they know my child, I get suggestions (eh, some good, some off the wall) but these discussions clarified what was important to D and my family.</p>