Bowing to the opinions of others is the easy way, but is it always the smartest way to make such a personal decision? By no coincidence, the most desirable colleges are also the most competitive for admission. The more competitive they are, the more popular they become, thus perpetuating the misconceptions that they have acquired a monopoly on teaching and learning or that students at less selective colleges are receiving an inferior education.

Is selectivity related to quality? I have yet to uncover any evidence that one single college or group of institutions has the ability to generate a superior outcome for all students. In fact, the world is full of successful people who attended colleges that you might not have considered. For example, Lewis Jackson, director of the famed Tuskegee Airmen of WWII, is an alumnus of Indiana Wesleyan; Dr. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State, is a graduate of the University of Denver; author Nelson Demille graduated from Hofstra University in New York; documentary film producer Ken Burns went to Hampshire College in Massachusetts; and author Sally Quinn is an alumna of Smith College, also in Massachusetts.

Recent winners of the prestigious Nobel Prize were graduates of colleges such as Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, Union College in Kentucky, Manchester College in Indiana, Hope College in Michigan, Rollins College in Florida, and Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota.

A roster of current state governors listed graduates of The George Washington University, Ouachita Baptist University, and Hamilton College as well as Furman University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Villanova University.

Big decisions require simple steps. So how do you get your arms around this important decision, and how do you narrow a seemingly endless list of possibilities down to a manageable size? You might begin by getting in touch with your inner self and by asking yourself a few basic questions. Imagine that you have been given the task of building your own college. How large would it be? Where would it be located? In a city or a suburb or in the country? How far from home? Who would you recruit to be its students? What academic majors and extracurricular programs would you wish to offer? What other comforts would it have? After all, being comfortable is important to your academic success.

Next, set a time to sit down and talk seriously with your parents. Iron out any areas of disagreement before the search process gets too far along. It's important that your parents support your college choices, so make sure you are all on the same page. This makes the college search process go much more smoothly. One good way to start is to have everyone concerned read the article "Getting Into College Without Going Crazy". It has excellent advice for both parents and teenagers.

An important resource Many students underestimate the value of their school counselor, who can identify reliable sources of information and help weed out information that is designed strictly for entertainment value or to sell more books. Here are two helpful websites:

• To clarify your interests and preferences go to www.fcps.edu/ss/CareerConnections/index.htm. This is the website for the Fairfax County (VA) public schools. Under "Students," click on "Decision Making Process," then the "Self-Assessment" part (step 2) of that text to access a variety of interactive self-assessments that are both interesting and fun.
• To preview lots of colleges go to www.privatecolleges.com--the website of this magazine--which includes a searchable database of hundreds of colleges, plenty of information about the admissions process, and many other helpful features, articles, and links.

Then what? If you have a strong leaning toward a particular field--such as engineering, the health professions, teaching, or accounting--screen your choices with this in mind. However, it is wise to keep your options open, realizing that most students will not yet have a clear idea what their major will be. My experience has shown that only one student in five will actually graduate from college in the department he or she planned to major in coming out of high school. In fact, many of the students who were most certain of their major were the first to change their minds once they had a chance to sample the many offerings in a typical college catalogue.

Majors and careers With a few exceptions (such as engineering, nursing, and accounting), most majors are not necessarily connected to career options since skill sets are more important than course content within the workplace environment. Recently, I studied a list of occupations of recent graduates of Lafayette College in Pennsylvania to see if there was a direct connection between major and career. What do you think I found?

• biology majors working as attorneys, financial analysts, and sales managers
• economics majors serving as technical writers, clinical psychologists, and pastors
• sociology majors in the role of hospital administrators, systems engineers, and editors
• philosophy majors pursuing careers as bankers, physicians, and English professors

How could this be? Your major will only account for about one-fourth of the courses you take in college, while every course you take will enable you to acquire the skills necessary to do hundreds of jobs. Such skills include working with different groups of people, solving problems, making decisions, and maintaining the flexibility to adapt to the constantly changing demands of the workplace.

So keep your choice of a major in perspective: it is important to have a focus, but there is a good chance that your eventual career choice will be only indirectly related to your undergraduate course of study. However, the skills you gain in all your classes--as well as outside of class--will last a lifetime.

Final thought The secret of an effective college search process is that it is more about you than it is about the colleges. With so many excellent colleges and universities from which to choose, your goal is to find a good match and a place to live, learn, and grow during those four years in which you be-come a self-reliant young adult. If you are comfortable with your choice of a college, the task of learning more about yourself while getting a great education will be much more satisfying and enjoyable.

Best wishes on your journey!

Article by G. Gary Ripple, Ph.D., and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com