Don’t Fall Victim to the College Marketing Machine

Materials a college sends directly to you should be just one of the things you consider while searching for colleges.

Basically, a college is going to send you information that makes the school look good, even if that means stretching the truth a bit or concealing some of the more unpleasant aspects that plague the school. While everything you read in a college pamphlet may be technically true, you will likely have a better chance of finding out the whole truth from a source not connected to the public relations department of a university.

How to Find the Truth:

• While on a college visit, you can observe things for yourself and talk to students and community members.
• You can use the Fiske Guide to Colleges and Fiske Interactive for overviews of more than 300 great schools, including descriptions of the social atmosphere and quotes from current students.
• You can browse a college’s website to see what information it provides for current and potential students.