What process do you employ to help students narrow down their list of schools where they will apply?

We suggest that students do research online, meet with college representatives, attend college fairs and attend virtual college events to get a better understanding of the campus and programs.  Then, visit the school personally, if possible, to get a feel of the environment. They can walk around the campus grounds, and talk to the professors and students. They may also want to explore the classrooms and buildings. It’s good to find out if it’s a place where they will have an enjoyable learning experience. Once we get down to the final options, we create a Decision Tree, which is a list of things that we like the most about each school, as well as those things we like the least. We assign value points to every item, and compare the lists. Finally, we select the highest ranking colleges and discuss the academic, geographic, and financial options.