It is important to know what you are planning on going to school for before looking for colleges to attend.
Are you looking to obtain your Bachelor's degree or do you just want an accounting certificate? Knowing your goals will help to narrow down your choices for school.
It doesn't make sense to look at Yale Law School when you just want a LVN certificate that you can earn at a local community college.
Once you have narrowed down your goal, consider your timeline for achieving your goal.
Are you going to give yourself a year to obtain a certificate for two years to obtain an associate's degree? Or will you have four years to finish your undergraduate degree?
Knowing your timeline will give you an idea of when to start really looking for colleges to attend and when you should apply.
Now consider your budget.
Will you be living at home with your parents? Living on your own? Living in the dorms on campus? Do you have a budget or is someone helping you pay for school? Can you apply for financial aid? Will you be working part-time?
Finances are important when you look for colleges to attend. It's important that you know how your are going to pay for college once you are there.
Armed with all of that information, you can start to look for colleges to attend that fit your criteria.
For certificate programs, look to local community colleges or adult schools nearby. If you are planning on earning a Bachelor's degree in architecture, then consider which schools are known for their architecture degree programs.
It's important that when you look for colleges to attend that you have a goal in mind so that the right colleges will be easier to find.
Once you have a healthy list of 4-5 schools that you would consider attending, go onto their website and request brochures. Most schools will send you pretty full-color brochures of their education programs.
If time is of the essence, then go to their website and print out all the information you need. This would include application deadlines, tuition, fees, program requirements, and any other information that will help you to make the right decision.
If you can, apply for all of the colleges on your list. The application for most programs takes anywhere from a few week to a few months.
Applying to several colleges will keep your options open in case something changes in the next few months.