Several web sites, including our own, offer searchable databases that allow students to put in their preferences and produce a list of matching colleges. Students are discovering colleges they've never heard of before, and they need your help in narrowing down their choices and making a decision. With guidance, students can find colleges that truly fit their needs.

University web sites offer the chance to look closely at academic programs, faculty credentials and research, and student life. This new technology is a great step forward -- as long as students realize that the Web is no substitute for visiting campuses and talking to faculty, staff, and, especially, current students.

Financial aid

The guidance counselor's role in the college search process has increasingly become all about discovering sources of financial aid and deciphering the financial aid application process.

The increase in financial need for college-bound students is a continuing trend. No longer are colleges filled primarily with white, affluent, 18- to 22-year-olds. Students of color, older students, and people from lower-income households are determined to get an education. The task of educating these families about the various forms of financial aid often falls to the guidance counselor.

Hand in hand with the increase in need is an increase in loans, which is troubling to counselors concerned about their students' futures. As you know, financial aid once meant scholarships and grants, but now, the main source of financial aid is education loans. Many graduates will be paying off their debts for years to come. Students should be encouraged to fully explore other sources of financial aid, such as working part-time or during the summer months. Fortunately, the value of a college degree -- in terms of potential income -- more than makes up for the expense of a loan.