Your College Hunt Starts Here

Take a deep breath and try to relax. This won't be as bad as you think. That goes for parents as well as students. Finding the college that's best for you is an education in itself. It's a journey—physical, intellectual, and emotional—that will help you learn about yourself and your family, as well as that scary but necessary American subculture we call higher education. Like any great trip, half the experience is in getting to your destination. The key is to start with the right attitude and a few of the right resources.

You're reading one of those resources right now.

We've been in the business of helping people through the college search for three decades, and our Best Colleges guide—both online and in print—has long been viewed as an essential starting point. We give you a detailed overview of the nation's traditional colleges and universities, with facts and figures to help you decide which ones might be a good fit. We give you a feel for the culture at a cross-section of schools. We ask a variety of students to share their application experiences. And we help you get organized for what can seem like an overwhelming series of requirements and deadlines. We also take you through how to pay the bill, which has become increasingly complicated.

We also hope to bring some perspective to what can be a demoralizing experience. We're known as the college ranking experts, but I'll be the first to tell you that there is no one best college. The point is to find the college that matches your personality and abilities. To do that, you have to do some homework on websites like this—there are a few others that are pretty good as well—then get out and explore. Take it slow and enjoy the process. Read our "road trips" section and think about some schools you might like to go see. The more campuses you've visited, the better you can compare (starting early doesn't hurt). By the time you come down to a short list of schools, there's no substitute for walking the grounds and talking to students and professors.

We can also help with more information. This site has thousands of pages of sortable data, school profiles, photos, videos, comments, and a personalized tool called College Compass. Its new My Fit feature can help you narrow your choices. Plug in certain factors you want in a school—such as size, distance from home, and tuition—and My Fit will highlight those that match your criteria.

The process isn't as daunting as it may sound. The short list will soon emerge if you take your time—and keep your sense of humor.

Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of Best Colleges.