How to Use College Confidential the Right Way
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Every worried student has checked in to College Confidential at some point in their high school career at some point- and there’s no shame in that! I will admit, in my college search I’ve often browsed the endless forums, searching for other people’s opinions about colleges that I’m interested in, classes that I’m taking, etc. On the downside, College Confidential is notorious for being an unhealthy place where people tend to get sucked in to outside opinions and forget their own. However, College Confidential can be very helpful if you know how to use it. So here’s a guide on how to utilize the infamous College Confidential the right way.
SuperMatchTM College Search
College Confidential is not limited to forums. One of the most helpful tools on this site is a college search tool that can help you complete your school list as you discover schools that align with your interests. Basically how the tool works is you can enter your SAT or ACT scores, ideal location, majors, etc. and adjust their varying degrees of importance to you. The site then matches you to colleges that fit your preferences. From there, you can begin to the schools that spark your interest. This can be very helpful in jump-starting your college search! http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/
CampusVibe
This is a useful tool that allows you to get a more personal feel for a college you’re interested in. Through CampusVibe on College Confidential, you can view pictures and videos that you may not necessarily find on a perfectly polished college website. It can be very useful if it is not possible for you to visit all of the colleges you would like to. Although it doesn’t necessarily replace a college visit, if you browse the CampusVibe, you can get an idea of which colleges you feel you would be most interested in, and visit only those to save time and money.
Visit the link here: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/vibe/report_browse_letter.html
Forums
Obviously forums are a huge part of College Confidential. However, it is important to be careful when using these forums. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by too many opinions. That is why I would advise avoiding forums that are experience or opinion-based. For example, it may not be in your best interest to check out a forum that is along the lines of “What Are My Chances of Getting Into…” This is because many people will have varying opinions that might confuse or dissuade you from your own opinions. I would also not advise reading forums such as, “Should I Take This Class” as the people responding to your post do not personally know you, and therefore can not provide adequate advice on whether or not you would be successful in that class. Forums that can be helpful though are ones that are along the lines of “What Are Overused Essay Topics” or “Alumni Network Questions”. These are better topics to look up on the forums, as they can be fact checked using other resources. College Confidential should be a stepping stool to further research. Your research should not end with College Confidential, but instead it should be the beginning of it.
Overall, take everything you read on College Confidential with a grain of salt. Not everything that you read on the forums will be true, and it may not be the best source to gather all of your advice from. However, it can be a great tool to prompt your research for colleges and get the ball rolling. Best of luck on your college search and browse wisely!
