myUsearch blog

Some people choose to follow in the footsteps of their parents and apply for the same university that their parents (or another relative) went to. Some students have known what university they have wanted to go to since they were in junior high. Most, however, spend time in their senior year of high school looking online at college websites – and when part-time jobs and extra curricular activities are involved, that free time is a precious commodity.

Every college website looks better than the last. The welcoming images that greet the visitor usually includes a group of students (usually appearing to be from all different backgrounds), all smiling wide like Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. Naturally, it is the goal of the website to attract as many students as possible.

To make the college search more neutral and unbiased, they look at websites that match them with their perfect school. A lot of the time, unfortunately, these college sites aren’t so neutral and unbiased at all. Some sites have the student take an extensive quiz about themselves to match them with a career that suits their interests and skills and then shows a list of schools that offer that program. The schools that this site brings up are always in alphabetical order. Some other college sites are paid a lot of money by college and universities to place their school at the top of this list. Those are the colleges a student would have to be wary of. Also, avoid college websites that ask for your personal information before you start the search. It often means the questions to follow will not offer a lot of value.  

Check out some of these links for more information:

myUsearch (American colleges & universities) (I am obviously a little biased since I write for their site, but honestly, its a good resource)

Peterson’s Planner (colleges, universities & online degrees)

School Finder (primarily a Canadian website but offers info on American colleges too)

And read a previous post, How to Choose a College Search Website.