More Financial Aid Resources

Yesterday, I described the U.S. Department of Education's excellent Student Guide to Financial Aid 2005-2006. Today, let's take a look at some of the other excellent information resources available on the internet to help students and their families understand financial aid options.

If you are just getting your feet wet in terms of learning about financial aid, I recommend you read two excellent overview articles about financial aid to get an overview of terms and the application process. The College Board's How Financial Aid Works and How Stuff Works' Financial Aid Overview are both good places to start for a broad perspective.

Next, for the nitty gritty details, go to the FinAid site. This comprehensive all-in-one information site is worth bookmarking for its detailed information on financial aid options and topics. I particularly like FinAid's checklist of common errors to avoid when filling out financial aid forms such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FinAid's free financial aid calculators are also very useful for getting an idea of how much you might be eligible for, student loan repayment rates, and various college savings plans. Similar information and calculators can be found on the College Board site.

Another site worth checking out is the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Portal where you'll find not just information on applying for financial aid, but some excellent tips on identifying the right college as well.

Finally, if financial aid terminology starts making your head spin, the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators has a very thorough Glossary of financial aid terms available on its site, as well as additional useful information for parents and students.

Free Student Guide to Federal Financial Aid

If you or your child will be applying to college in the next year or two, now is the time to get educated about financial aid options. Applying for financial aid, and comparing offers from various colleges, can be time consuming and confusing. By learning all you can now, before you begin the process, you’ll have a better chance of avoiding potential costly errors.

Make your first stop the U.S. Department of Education's free Student Guide to Financial Aid 2005-2006. This excellent and comprehensive 40-page guide will walk you through every form of Federal financial aid available to college students. The Guide does an excellent job of explaining how eligibility for Federal Student Aid programs is determined, what you need to do to apply, and the details of everything from Pell Grants to Stafford Loans. All of the information is up-to-date and presented in a clear, easy-to-understand format. It's an invaluable resource that every family should download and study carefully.

NPR report on how to pay for college

Wondering how to pay for college? National Public Radio (NPR) has been running an excellent series of programs discussing just this issue. The shows are available online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4663318. Enjoy!

Does the new SAT writing test matter?

How will colleges use the new SAT writing test for next year's seniors? The answer is: they're not sure. Only 429 colleges have said that they will look at the writing portion next fall, but, even among those schools, it's not clear how it will be used.
Even the College Board, the organization that runs SAT testing, has warned colleges and universities not to rely on the results of a the new test until several years of data confirm its reliability. The most likely scenario? Most schools will be interested to see the overall results of the writing scores for their applicant pool, but won't weight the SAT writing section heavily in admissions, if at all. Exceptions will be schools that have required the SAT II writing test in the past, such as the University of California system. Want to know more? The American Association of Collegiate Registers and Admissions Officers has an article on this topic.

What can I do with a major in...?

If you're looking for information about career opportunities for various college majors, have I got a site for you! Bob Turba, a high school guidance counselor located in Florida, has created a fabulous website with links to thousands of college related web sites. One of the best parts of the site: links to detailed information sheets about job possibilities for graduates with various college majors. These information sheets tell you not only which jobs and careers a particular major might lead to, they also make excellent suggestions about the types of courses and experiences you should focus on in order to boost your employment chances. To access them, go to Bob Turba's Cyber Guidance Office and then scroll to the bottom of the page. You'll see the sheets listed under "What can I do with a career in?" While you're on the page, have fun looking through the wealth of other links and resources as well!

Scholarships for Community Service

If you've dedicated a lot of time to community service in high school and plan to continue in college, check out the 25 colleges and universities that participate in the Bonner Scholars Program. The Bonner Scholars Program was created to support and encourage college students at colleges and universities that have made community service participation a priority. Each Bonner Scholar receives financial assistance to help them persue both their educational and community service goals. You must be accepted to and plan to attend one of the schools participating in the program. Even if you aren't chosen for a Bonner Scholarship, these schools are worth looking at for anyone with an interest and dedication to community service. Participating colleges and universities are:

Antioch (OH)
Berea (KY)
Berry College (GA)
Carson-Newman College (TN)
College of the Ozarks (MO)
Concord University (WV)
Davidson University (NC)
DePauw University (IN)
Earlham College (IN)
Emory & Henry College (VA)
Ferrum College(VA)
Guilford College (NC)
Hood College(VA)
Mars Hill College (NC)
Maryville College (TN)
Morehouse College (GA)
Oberlin College (OH)
Rhodes College (TN)
Spelman College(GA)
Union College (KY)
University of Richmond (VA)
Warren Wilson College (NC)
Waynesburg Collge (PA)
West Virginia Wesleyan (WV)
Wofford College (SC)

Princeton Review's New "Review Map"

Princeton Review has just unveiled a new function on its college review site that is worth checking out. Called "Review Map," it let's you uncover and compare overlapping colleges and universities in a very visual format. The system identifies "overlap colleges" using two different methods. First, the Princeton Review asks colleges and universities which schools their applicants also apply to most often. Second, the site tracks where visitors go after viewing a particular college profile and includes the most common ones as overlaps.

Here's how it works: You do a search for a particular college or university, say Stanford, at the Princeton Review site. Up pops the profile for Stanford. Click on the "Review Map" icon, and up pops a graphic with Stanford in the middle with the names of overlapping schools radiating outwards. Next, you can compare how all the schools compare on characteristics such as size, selectivity, diversity, percentage fo out of state students, and financial aid. Each time you click on a new characteristic, the map automatically reconfigures, breaking out into new information.

The results can be interesting. For example, as you might expect, overlap schools for Stanford include Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton as well as UCLA and UC Berkeley. But Stanford's overlap schools also include Boston College, NYU, Duke, Northwestern and Syracuse University, perhaps surprising some.

The program has a few minor glitches (i.e., Northwestern is grouped as being in a "rural" area), but it's a fun tool, and good help identify some schools you hadn't thought of as safeties and matches.

4-Year Graduation Rates, Part II

Yesterday, I listed the public and private schools with the highest four year graduation rates. Today, I'll look at graduation rates based on median SAT scores. First, however, a few comments. Some have suggested to me that I use six year graduation rates, instead of four year. I disagree: most people want to graduate in four years, they go in expecting to do so, and failing to do so is often seen as a negative. Second, I have sorted out the graduation rates by public and private schools for a reason: it is unfair to compare public and private institutions directly because public insitutions overall tend to have lower graduation rates for a variety of reasons.

I decided to look at graduation rates as sorted by median institutional SAT scores for several reasons. First, most would say that higher SAT scores are an indication of being better prepared for college, and thus having better chances of graduating in the first place. The results clearly show that as median SAT scores rise, so does the four year grad rate. But, perhaps more importantly, I wanted to let you look at the group of schools closest to your SAT so that you could get an idea of which schools would be best bets for boosting your chances of graduating in four years. Although some might argue with me on this, I believe that 4-year graduation rates are a good measure of the school's support for its students. A very interesting article about what to look for in a college in terms of this type of support is Choosing to Improve.

Colleges with a median SAT below 1,000

Top publics: University of Toledo (42.3% graduation rate), Troy State U, AL (38.7), Radford U (34), University of Maryland-University College (32.5), Missippi University for Women (32)

Top privates: Gwynedd Mercy, PA (65), Regis College, MA(61.4), College of Mount St. Joseph, Ohio (59.2), Holy Family U,TN(59%), St. Joseph's College, ME(57.4)

Colleges with a median SAT between 1000-1100

Top publics: Longwood U, VA(41.6), Westerfield State, MA(39), Millersville U of PA (38.4), University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (37.8), SUNY Plattsburgh (37.5)

Top privates: Randolph Macon College, VA(78.4), Simmons College, MA (71.4), Rosemont College, PA (68.4), Mount Saint Mary's College, MD (68), College Misericordia, PA (67.5), Hood College, MD(67.3)

Colleges with a median SAT between 1100-1200

Public: James Madison U, VA (60.6), University of Delaware (57.3), University of New Hampshire (54.3), SUNY Albany (53.5), University of Vermont (53)

Private: Simmons Rock College of Bard (82,4), Stone Hill College, Mass. (80.9), Susquehanna U, PA (75.8), St. Mary's College, Indiana (75.8), St. John's University, MN (74.4), Fairfield U, CT (74.1), Fordham, NY (73.7)

Colleges with a median SAT between 1200 and 1300

Public: SUNY Binghamton (69.9), University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill(69.5), St. Mary's College of Maryland (67.2), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (65.4), Miami U Ohio (64.5), SUNY Geneseo (64.2)

Private: College of the Holy Cross, Mass. (87.5), Bucknell, PA (83.7), Babson, Mass(83.5), Providence College, RI(82.2), Connecticut College (82.1), Lafayette College (82.1)

Colleges with a median SAT between 1300 and 1400

Public: University of Virginia (83.1), College of William & Mary (80.1), UC Berkeley (51.8)

Private: Georgetown (89.5), Davidson, NC(88.7), Haverford (88.6), Boston College (88), Wellesley (86.4)

Will You Graduate in Four Years?

Right now, you're probably more focused on getting in to college. But, four years from now, getting out is what will matter. When it comes to your chances of graduating in four years, not all colleges are created equal.

An excellent online resource, College Results, is the best way to track down the graduation rates for the colleges and universities on your list. Plug in the name of a college or university and the site, which is run by a non-profit organization, tells you not only what the graduation rate is, but how the school compares to up to 15 schools that have similar characteristics. One caveat if you're going to do a search: the system automatically defaults to 6-year graduation rates. If you want to see 4-year graduation rates, make sure to set your search correctly.

You can also do broader searchers, based not on a specific college or university, but on general characteristics. I've just completed a series of these broader searches and will be showing the results over the next few days. Today: Top 4-year graduation rates at private colleges and universities and public universities. Tommorrow, I'll look at various other factors, such as size, SAT scores, and transfer rates.

Top 4-Year Graduation Rates at Private Colleges and Universities

1. Williams College (percent graduating in 4 years: 91.7%)
2. Princeton University(91.5)
3. Georgetown and Yale tied (both 89.5)
4. Amherst College (88.9)
5. Davidson College (88.7)
6. Haverford College (88.6)
7. Duke (88)
8. College of Holy Cross and Harvard tied (both 87.5)
9. Boston College (87)
10. Wellesley College (86.4)


Top 4-Year Graduation Rates at Public Colleges and Universities
(Note: Not including U.S. Service Academies)

1. University of Virginia (83%)
2. William & Mary (80)
3. SUNY Binghamton (69.9)
4. UNC Chapel Hill (69.5)
5. St. Mary's College of Maryland (67.2)
6. U of Michigan-Ann Arbor (65.4)
7. Miami U of Ohio (64.5)
8. SUNY Geneseo (64.2)
9. College of New Jersey (62%)
10. James Madison U (60.6)

Best "Free" College Guide on the Web

There's alot of information out there on the Internet, but recently I stumbled across what I think is probably one of the best "free" guide to college admissions. It was prepared by the Counseling staff at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, California. Inside, there's a wealth of information and links to help you decide which type of college is best for you, evaluate your admissions strengths and weaknesses, draw up a list of possibilities, and boost your admissions chances. Although there's a particular focus on colleges and universities in California, there's enough here to make it useful for anyone starting the college search. And, it's all free. Ultimate College Connection. You will need a .pdf reader to open the file.

Accreditation Databases Online

Want to find out if the college you're interested in is accredited in the field you hope you major in? Or, maybe you have a major in mind, but have no idea how to find colleges and universities that are accredited for it. Two easy-to-use online databases are the place to start. The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education Database lets you search either by college or by major to find accreditation information. Included in the database are accreditation information for a wide variety of majors and programs, including engineering, pharmacy, art and design, teacher education, theater programs, physical therapy, and many others. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation has a similar searchable database, but has slightly different accreditation programs included. A search of both databases takes a few seconds, and can give you a head start on finding accredited colleges and universities with your program interest.

College Data Unleashed

If you're a college research junkie like I am, you will love the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS website. The site gathers reams of statistics about every college and university in one easy to use searchable database. Want to find out how many history majors Stanford graduated last year? Look under degrees granted for a breakdown. How safe is Harvard's campus? The site provides crime statistics for all campuses. How many students at Earlham received institutional scholarships last year? Each school's financial aid section breaks the money issues down. How hard is it for a male student to get into Kenyon? Unlike most data sources that only list the overall acceptance rate, the NCES IPEDS site tells you the exact break down for various types of colleges. What was the four year graduation rate at NYU? The site not only tells you the four year rate, but the five and six year rate...and breaks graduation rates out by race and sex.

Getting the inside scoop

It's easy to find out about the academics at a particular college. But, how do you find out where students at Harvard hang out? Or whether there's a jazz band at University of California-Berkeley? That takes more digging...but some online sources can help you uncover the inside scoop about what daily life is really like at the colleges on your list.

Start with online student reviews. Several sites are designed to let students applaud or dis their schools --- however keep in mind that these reviews may or may not be a representative sample of what the majority of the student body thinks. So, consider this information a data point and compare the reviews on more than one site. StudentsReview.com is a good place to start. The site lets students rate their experiences for things like academics, social life, and even what they think of their fellow students. A nice plus with StudentsReview is that the site tells you exactly how many people are included in the results and it also lets individuals make short personal comments.

CampusDirt.com is similar to StudentsReview but goes into a bit more depth on its categories. One drawback: the site does not tell you how many students participated in the survey, so you have no idea if the results are based on one person's comments or one thousand people's comments. The site also doesn't tell you when people participated in the survey. Still, it's a good overview.

I also like to look at the reviews at Eopinions.com. Here you'll find detailed personal reviews written by students and alumni. Some of these reviews bring up subjects you can't learn about elsewhere, but, again, these are individual reviews, not statistical surveys. Another drawback: many of the reviews are several years old, so may not reflect what's going on on campus today. Still, some of the issues these reviews bring up can be great questions to ask when you visit.

Student newspapers are also a good way to see what's going on on-campus. Read the archives, do some keyword searches (good ones: dorms, party, class registration), and make sure to read the editorials to see what students care about. You can find links to most campus newspapers at News Link. If a link is broken, try going to the school's website and doing a search for "student newspaper.

Next, swing over to Live Journal. Do an
"interest search" for the college name. Many colleges have active Live Journal communities, others just have individual students who post about their daily lives. Both are great ways to find out what campus life is like. Reading back several months of the discussions in the community discussion gives you some insight into the issues on campus, what students are complaining about, even the general sense of humor of the campus body. Don't be shy: most communities welcome questions from prospective students! If you can't find a community for the college you're investigating on Live Journal, try Xanga.

It takes a little digging, but it an hour or two cruising the sites above can give you some solid insight into campus culture and daily life.

P.S.: Have a question about a particular college? Want some advice on which colleges are best for the major you have in mind? Feel free to ask your questions in the comments section and I'll tell you what I know.

College Tours

A few hours on a campus can tell you more than a library of guidebooks about whether a college or university is right for you. But, college tours can also be fraught with tension and uncertainty about what exactly you should be looking for when you visit. If you're heading out on a college tour this summer, be sure to read Surviving the College Tour.

It's not always possible for parents and their children to coordinate time to do a college tour together. One solution: sign up for a professionally-led college tour that will take you to several campuses in a single trip. If you go this route, look for a tour that is run by someone with college admissions office or college admissions consulting experience. Take a close look at how much time you will actually spend on each campus and, of course, which schools the tour will include. It's also a good idea to investigate how many students will actually be on the tour: smaller is better. Parents should make sure their will be adequate supervision. There are many college tour companies out there, with a wide range of price ranges. Three possibilities: Collegevisits.com, Campustours.com, and East Coast College Tours.

If you can't visit a college that's on your list, a good alternative is to order one of the college admissions tour videos from Collegiate Choice. The videos were made by two college admissions consultants who traveled around the country videotaping the actual admissions tour at 850 colleges and universities. While the quality of recording isn't professional, these videos are a good alternative to the fancy marketing videos put out by many colleges themselves.

How to find and evaluate Journalism programs

As a working journalist, I'm often asked "Which colleges are best for journalism?" The truth is, there are many fine schools if you're interested in becomming a journalist. The secret, of course, if figuring out which school is the right one for you, your interests and your needs.

Let's start by discussing some of the different options. What type of job do you picture yourself in after graduation? Would you like to work as a reporter or editor for a newspaper or a magazine? Maybe you'd like to be in front of the camera as a news broadcaster? Or, if sports are your passion, perhaps you'd like to become a sports journalist. Other related careers include: public relations, advertising, and business writing. If you have no idea what type of journalism you're interested in, that's OK, but if you have a specific goal, it's important to look for programs that offer specialized training in that particular type of journalism or related field.

What's the difference between majoring in journalism or majoring in communications?
It depends on the school. Sometimes, there can be very little difference. Generally, however, a major in communication tends to focus more on the theories behind how people and societies communicate, rather than on "hands on" skills such as writing, interviewing, and editing. It is important to take a close look at the classes offered and the focus of the program when looking at a commmunications major. Some communications programs are focused more on preparing students to do graduate level work in communications theory than they are on preparing students to find jobs as journalists. Finally, keep in mind that it is not absolutely necessary to major in either journalism or communicatons if you want to work in journalism. Other majors - when combined with work in campus media or journalism-related internships - can also be a foundation for a career in journalism.

When looking at any journalism or communications program, there are a few important questions to ask to help you evaluate the program's quality and how well it will prepare you to find a job after graduation:

• Is the curriculum emphasis on actual "real world" journalism skills or on communications theory (i.e., "mass communications")
  
  
• What percentage of the faculty has "real world" experience, i.e., they've actually been journalists or in communications? (You want a program where a higher percentage have experience and working knowledge, not just theoretical knowledge)
  
  
• What opportunities are there to work in on campus media? (At some schools, getting a reporter or editor position at the student newspaper or radio station can be very competitive)
  
  
• How up to date is the equipment in the program? (Esp. important if you are interested in broadcast journalism) Are the facilities adequate for the number of majors? (If you never get into use the facilities because they're tied up for grad students, they won't help you)
  
  
• How many opportunities are there for internships? How many students actually do internships? Is it realistic to combine an internship with the level of academic effort required? How do you get internships?
  
  
• What size are the classes? How much writing and editing do you actually do in the classes? How good are the professors at giving you feedback about your writing and editing?
  
  
• What is the career placement office like? Does the journalism program have its own career placement/advising program or do you go through the school's "general" career office? Where did last year's graduates end up working immediately after graduation? Where do alumni work?
  

So, how do you track down good schools for journalism? Start by looking over the 140 colleges and universities that have programs accredited by The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications

I promised a list of what I consider the best undergraduate journalism programs in the country. Here it is, in no particular order: University of Missouri-Columbia, Syracuse University, Northwestern University, University of Southern California, Boston University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, New York University,
University of Oregon, Indiana University, U of Maryland-College Park, Ithaca College, Emerson College, Washington and Lee University, U of Wisconsin-Madison, Pepperdine University, the University of South Dakota, the University of Georgia, the University of Florida, and the University of Texas-Austin. Other excellent journalism and communications programs include: Susquehanna University, Muhlenberg College, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara University, Loyola University (Maryland), Simmons College, San Diego State University, Temple, American University, the University of Pennsylvania, Creighton University, Marquette University, Villanova University, and Ohio University. Please note: this list is not all inclusive; there are many, many other excellent programs out there as well!

Admissions Insanity

At least one high school teacher has had enough of what she calls
"admissions insanity." Writing in the Balitmore Sun, Nancy Schnog says "As a 12th-grade English teacher...Each year I witness the same boom-and-bust cycle: kids' intense investments in high-status schools and the dejection that follows the 'no thank you letter'; kids' certainty that a rejection says something dark and determining about their minds and chances for success; kids' belief, at least for some, that a think envelope signifies overwhelming personal failure. Given what feels like a gut-wrenching repetition complex, I wonder whether it's possible to rethink the strategies we use to play this game." Among her suggestions: Parents, counselors, and teachers should coax students away from "hot campus infatuations" too early in senior year and frequently remind students that "great education can be acquired all over this country." Click Here to read Schnog's full essay.

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match

Common wisdom is that a college list needs to include safeties, matches, and reaches.
But how do you determine which category a particular college falls into?

Most people compare their stats (GPA, test scores) to the average reported stats of individual colleges. That's a start, but it's a limited and somewhat unreliable approach to determining if a school is a safety, match, or reach. Here's why: the stats reported by colleges and used by guidebooks are for enrolled freshmen not accepted students. It's safe to assume that the stats for accepted students may be slightly - or even greatly - higher because, of course, most colleges accept many more applicants than actually attend. Also, keep in mind that the numbers listed in guidebooks are frequently at least a year out of date, because it takes that long for colleges to report their new freshmen stats and publishers to get the presses rolling. In today's hyper-admissions environment, a year can make a big difference.

To get the best idea of whether a college is a safety, match, or reach, you need to also consider it's acceptance rate. Even if your stats put you in the top 10% of a school's stats, if the school accepts less than 30% of applicants, it's probably not a match, but a realistic reach. Any school that turns away 70% of applicants is a reach for everyone. However, if your stats put you towards the top of the college's stats, and it has an acceptance rate of 40 and 50%, it's safe to call it a match. Above 50% and its a safety if your stats fall towards the top. If your stats fall smack in the middle of a school that accepts under 50% of students, consider it a reach. In the middle of a school that accepts over 50%, probably can call it a match. A safety would be a school where your stats are in the middle but the school's admit rate hovers around 65% or higher.

Of course, other factors come into play as well. Compare your high school curriculum to the school's suggested curriculum. If you've taken more math, science, foreign language and history than the minimum, that may push a reach into the match category.
Look for other "tipping points" as well - factors that help you stand out in the admissions crowd. If you're from applying from the other side of the country to a school that typically gets most of its students from surrounding states, that's a possible tipping point. If you're an under-represented minority applying to a school trying to build its diversity, that's another. If you're a male applying to a school with a wildly skewed male-female ratio, that's a possible tipping point. Special talents can also be a tipping point but only if they are something the school wants or needs AND they truly are special. The most selective schools, for instance, get hundreds of applications from people who've played violin since they were 10 or edited their school newspaper, or placed in the state science fair. So, use a clear eye when evaluating whether what you offer is really a tipping point, or just an ordinary achievement within the type of school you're considering.

How to read a college web site

Every college and university now has its own web site. Sign on, enter "www.nameofcollege.edu" and you're there. Your first instinct is probably to click on "Prospective Students" or "Admissions." That's fine --- but if you only look at the admissions site, you're missing out on a Gold mine of information. Let's face it, the admissions link is no different than a marketing brochure: it's designed to sell you on the school. What you really want and need is the full story of the pluses and minuses you can expect if you end up there. So, dig deeper!

Here are five ways to get more than the standard "marketing story" from a college web site.

1. Do a search for "graduation requirements" and "general education requirements."
What does the college require of its students? Do all students have to take a standard group of required classes (core requirement)? What are those core classes? Or, does the school have distribution requirements that mean you'll be taking a certain number of classes in say science, the arts, and social sciences. What types of classes will meet those requirements? For example, if you hate math, does a "quantitative analysis" requirement mean another year of calculus, or can it be fulfilled by taking a more generalized class in say the social sciences that uses math but isn't actually a math class?

2. Click on "academics" and go to the web sites of several departments. Sure, check out the departments you might be interested in majoring in, but also look at a few web pages of the departments you'll probably have to take classes in. At each department site, look first for overview information: What is the general approach or philosophy of the department to study in this area? What type of resources does the department have available (i.e., research facilities, department libraries, etc.)
Next, read through some of the course descriptions. How are the courses described? Do they sound pretty straight forward and traditional or are there unusual courses with titles like "Poetry for Physicists" and "The Art of the Tea Pot"? (Both by the way are two actual courses at real colleges.) Are there any interdisciplinary courses that cut across departmental or subject lines? Next, check out the faculty of several departments. Where did they do their doctoral work? What are their special interests? What have they published or accomplished professionally? Finally, look to see if the department web page in your potential major(s) has any information about what its graduates have done after graduation.

3. Do a search for "registration" or "course schedule." Many schools now have online registration and list details about which courses are offered in a typical semester.
If you can find the online course list, look at the information for several semesters and several departments to see how many classes are actually offered in a typical semester, how large they are, and whether they keep a wait list. For example, a search of Carleton College's online course list, shows that in the Spring 2005 semester, the biology department's largest class had 101 students in the lecture with smaller labs of between 15 and 25 students. The same search revealed that upper level biology classes typically were designed for 20 to 30 students, but several of the classes had larger enrollments, and others had wait lists of students that were not able to get in. Often, online course schedules will be available for several past semesters so you can get an even better sense of how available classes are.
While you're looking at registration information, look for details about how registration is handled. For instance, Carleton's web site shows that students are placed in a "registration lottery" by class and the results of the lottery determine when you get to register.

4. Do a search for "common data set," the standard information form that all colleges complete that lists details about admissions, graduation rates, faculty education, etc. If a search for "common data set" comes up empty, do a search for "institutional research office" --- This is the common name for the college office that conducts student surveys, tracks graduation rates, and handles other measurements of institutional efficiency. Not all schools have a link to their institutional research office, but if you find one, it's a good bet that you'll find a wealth of "behind the scenes" information.

5. Click on the "current students" link. Sure, it's nice to know about what the school wants prospective students to know -- but if all goes well, someday you'll be a current student and you want to know what life will be like. First thing to check out: residential life. The residential life web page usually gives a description of each dorm or school-run housing unit, often with pictures and floor plans. The residential life section is also a good place to find out just how the school assigns housing: is it by lottery? By seniority? Do freshman and sophomores get first dibs on housing or is it available for all four years?

The "current students" link also brings you to information about student organizations on campus. Here's where you can find out how many fraternities and sororities there are, what type of clubs may interest you, and on-campus events. Some college web sites are quite informative when it comes to clubs. For example, the Carleton site provides links to all of the active clubs and organizations so you can really get a sense of what they're like and what they do. (Carleton is the only school I've come across so far that has an active chapter of the "Reformed Druids of America") Even if detailed information isn't available, many schools will list the name and email of the contact person for the club --- get in touch with them and ask them about the club's activities!

However, perhaps the most important student organization to look for is the student newspaper. (If you don't see a link on the organizations page, do a search for "student newspaper"). Read the current and several back issues of the student newspaper online and you'll soon get a sense of what the big issues are on campus for students, what students do for fun, and how you may fit in to the campus culture. Another fun thing to look for is a student-run radio station --- many of college radio stations now run streaming media on the 'net so you can listen in and find out what type of music is popular on campus!