Graduation Rates – Page 9 – Do It Yourself College Rankings

Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines: Does College Size Matter?

07/26/201604/29/2014 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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(This is part 5 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines)

The fourth element for our fictional high school student’s college search is school size. Without ever having attended college, many high school students have some very definitive ideas about what size school they want to attend. “Big” is associated with endless academic options, social opportunities, and alumni networking. “Small” is about personalized attention, small classes, dinners with professors, and tight-knit social groups.

10 Things You Should Know About the US News Best College Rankings

07/26/201610/08/2013 by Michelle Kretzschmar

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The US News and World Report Best College Rankings is considered by many high school students and their parents to be the final word on a college’s desirability. Not surprisingly, many others believe that the rankings represent everything that is wrong with college admissions today. The reality is that the rankings are made up of numbers and it is up to individuals to decide how to use those numbers. For those considering using the rankings, you should be aware of the following.

College Search Websites: Princeton Review and US News

06/27/201910/09/2012 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Plastic numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in green and orange colors are leaning against each other on a white background, reminiscent of how us news college rankings often line up universities in a tidy sequence.

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The last two college search websites, The Princeton Review and US News College Rankings, take a different approach than the previously reviewed sites. Rather than provide different factors for you to rank and search on, they essentially rank the schools for you. The user is expected to use the rankings to select colleges for consideration and then take a look at location, school size, graduation rates etc. Both sites have multiple rankings to choose from but do allow for a basic search with US News being much functional than the Princeton Review’s.

College Search Websites: College View

06/27/201909/25/2012 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Three directional arrows on a pole, labeled "Good" in green pointing left, "Better" in red pointing right, and "Best" in blue pointing upward—perfect for comparing college search websites.

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The College View website is a comprehensive search website along the lines of Big Future and College Data in that it includes more than just the search function. The site includes information on Financial Aid and the Application Process. It also has sections on Campus Life and Careers & Majors. The Student Lounge is basically a selection of posts and other resources from College Confidential which is done by the same company.

College Search Websites: College Results Online

06/20/201909/18/2012 by Michelle Kretzschmar

A rolled diploma tied with a red ribbon rests on top of various official documents, beside the screen displaying college results online.

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The Education Trust’s College Results Online website is based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) which is the same data used by the College Navigator reviewed last week. Obviously the differences between the two sites will be presentation, access, and selection of the data available.

College Search Websites: College Data

10/09/202009/04/2012 by Michelle Kretzschmar

Family using College Data to search for colleges

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The College Data Your Online College Advisor website has a variety of interesting features besides its College Match service. Registered users can track college admission results based on test scores and GPA entered by other website users. They can also calculate their chances for admissions at different colleges and estimate net cost.

College Search Websites Reviews: Big Future by the College Board

05/03/202208/28/2012 by Michelle Kretzschmar

A young boy in a striped shirt stands in tall grass, looking through binoculars, dreaming of a big future.

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(You can see an updated review of Big Future here.) Big Future is the college search website by the College Board. Since the College Board is the source of all things SAT, you would expect it have a pretty good college search function. It is also a member of the Common Data Set consortium which means it has access to data that isn’t readily available to other websites.