This article does not address online-only universities. Its subject matter relates to the online classes which most 4-year universities have started offering in addition to normal classes.

Online classes generally cost a bit more per credit hour than you would expect. Community colleges will be cheaper, but expect to only use online classes as a supplement to your regular coursework unless you have a big piggy bank

Outside of e-mail, there is little to no actual student-professor interaction. If you live close enough to campus, I strongly advise that you try and meet with your professor …

Did you get your letter? That’s awesome! Don’t start relaxing just yet, though. You have a lot to take care of in the next few months.

If you are still in high school you need to make sure that you keep your grades up. Many students think that just because they have been accepted they can slack off the rest of the year. I can tell you right now, this simply is not the case. Take a look at your letter of acceptance one more time. See if you can find the word “tentative” anywhere …

Everything is going to be OK! When you finish swearing and get done burning that sickening letter, begin reading.

Done? Good. Let’s try to get back to reality.

For better or worse, some students simply have to be cut. Colleges are forced to reject hundreds or even thousands of well-qualified candidates. Most of the time this is simply because there are not enough spots for everybody. If you are first in your class with …

Every year millions of high school grads ship off to college without asking themselves if they should even be going. Before any of your time is wasted reading any other articles, let’s take a moment to see if college is right for you. Because people come from so many different situations and walks of life this article is organized topically. Find the sections which apply to you then go from there.

College is more difficult …

It’s time to tackle college applications! After requesting information by mail from your first choice school, I recommend that you see if it has a website. It can become quite tedious, especially if you are applying to 3 or more schools, to take care of repetitive paper forms. If at all possible, use an online application in conjunction with an Auto-Fill program.

Most colleges and universities follow a similar format: The earlier you apply, the better. …

Just because you have scheduled a big day at the university you want to attend does not mean you are going to get the most of your time. To make sure you do, you need to do the following:

Bring a parent/guardian

Unless you are completely on your own, your parents or somebody in your family is going to be helping you. For their peace of mind you need to bring them with you. Knowing where …

Choosing your classes for your freshman year isn’t really that difficult, but your choices now affect your class selection in the future.

If you have not already, take a look at all of the courses the degree you want requires. Draw up a four year plan that allocates a slot for each course. (Many schools already have this taken care of on their websites with a few ambiguous sections you fill in.) Pay close attention …