Gather information, such as college location, courses and extracurricular activities, on schools you are considering. You will require a good deal of data on each school to create a concept map design.
Create a separate map for each college. Write out criteria that are important to you and organize them into themes. Assign one or two words to the different themes, such as campus convenience and course selection. Organize the themes of each college in order of importance to you, with the most important ones at the top.
Analyze the data you have compiled in your maps. Note the similarities and differences among the colleges. Examine the concept map for each college to figure out which ones meet your requirements.
Make your decision based on the college that emphasizes the main themes that were most important to you, such as course offerings or activities.
Visit the top three colleges you are considering to get a feel for each campus.