INTRODUCTION 
You may have some idea by now what subjects interest you, which subjects you are good at, which subjects you would like to major in college for your undergraduate studies, and where in the USA you would like to pursue your studies. You can use our comprehensive searches to narrow down your choices and select colleges that fit your needs and suit your interests.  see Search  

COLLEGES IN USA 
At our web site, we have listed most of the colleges in USA that offer undergraduate studies.  An alphabetical list of all the US colleges are provided at List of Colleges in USA .  A list of Community Colleges alone are shown at List of Community Colleges in USA .  A list of all the colleges by each state in the USA are shown at List of Colleges by States in USA .  Visiting these sites will help you to find out about some of the colleges and their locations across the USA. 

COLLEGE FRESHMEN ADMISSION POLICIES 
You should visit BestSchoolsUSA.com's Internet web site College Survey   to gather information on the colleges that interest you.  We have provided a great deal of information at this site.  Here the various colleges have provided indepth information on their 'Freshmen College Admission Policies' unique to each institution. You may also use our comprehensive searches to narrow down your choices and select colleges that fit your needs and suit your interests.  see Search  

THE COLLEGE SURVEY 
Those colleges, which answered our survey, have given a wealth of information on their "College Freshmen Admission Policies" such as: 

• where and when to obtain the application forms, application fees, tuition fees, 
• financial aid and scholarships, athletic scholarships, and whether or not they follow need-blind admission policies, 
• various application requirements, 
• if college interviews are necessary or advisable and who conducts such interviews, and where, 
• various types of admission - regular admission, early action, early decision, early decision II, rolling admissions, application deadlines in each case, and when selections will be announced in each case, 
• subject majors and fields of studies, degree majors and types, 
• whether they have graduate schools, 
• graduation rates and drop out rates, what graduates do after graduation, 
• admission criteria, the weight they allot to high school grades, standardized tests, extracurricular activities, etc. for evaluating applications, 
• who evaluates the applications, 
• alumni's influence on the selection of freshmen, 
• seats allotted for the relatives and beneficiaries of the alumni, 
• seats allotted for athletes, 
• campus location and atmosphere, college facilities and clubs, co-ed ratios, student population,.... 
• campus crime rates, crime rates for the town where the college is located, 
• tuition fees, dormitory and boarding availability and fees, are dorms co-ed, are freshmen required to live on campus?, 
• who teaches undergraduates - professors or graduate students/teaching assistants, student to professor ratios,...... 
• how the colleges rate themselves, 
• student transportation facilities on campus and their availability, 
• and even whether freshmen are allowed to keep cars on campus, ...... 
• plus much much more information...

TYPES OF ADMISSION OPTIONS & DEADLINES 

There are several types of admission procedures or 'Admission Decisions' for applying to colleges. They are - 'Regular Admission/Action/Decision', 'Early Action', 'Early Decision', 'Early Decision II', and 'Rolling Admission'. Some colleges DEMAND that if you apply to them under certain of these types of Admission/Decision options, you are prohibited from even applying to any other colleges while your application is pending at that institution!!! See our comprehensive Search. 

Each College uses one or more of these types of Admission/decision options, and that too with variations. Please check what each college offers and what their requirements are for the colleges of your choice at College Survey at Question # 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 57, 58, 59, and 60. See Search 

Colleges also have different application deadlines for each of these types of admissions/decisions and also whether any decisions they make are binding on you, etc. Check these at College Survey at Question # 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 57, 58, 59, and 60.  Please note that for some colleges, the completed applications MUST BE RECEIVED AT THOSE COLLEGES by the application deadline; while for others it MUST BE POSTMARKED BY the application deadline!!  

For 'REGULAR ADMISSION/DECISION', the colleges review most of the applications prior to notifying a majority of the applicants their decision on admission.  The applicants who have been accepted under such a process have to notify the colleges of their commitments to attend usually before May 1st. 

Under 'EARLY ACTION' applicants have to apply much earlier usually before November 1st, and they are notified by mid-December of the colleges' decision.  However, the accepted applicants have until end of April to notify the college of their commitment to attend. 

For 'EARLY DECISION', colleges DEMAND that if you apply to them under of this type of Admission/Decision option, you are prohibited from applying to any other colleges under "Early Decision" while your application is pending at that institution!!  So be careful.  Further, they demand that if they accept you under this type of admission, the decision is binding; i.e., you have to enroll in that college only and you have no other choice, and you cannot apply to any other college.  You have to apply early, around October, the decision on your application is made sometime in mid-December, and you are notified usually around that time.  If you are accepted, the decision is binding, however, you will know by December where you are going to college next year and you don't have to worry about any more applications. 

'EARLY DECISION II' is similar to 'Early Decision' above, except the application deadline is a little later and the decision on acceptance is also made a little later.  However, all other conditions are essentially the same. 

For 'ROLLING ADMISSIONS', the colleges review the completed applications as they arrive and decisions on admissions are rendered soon thereafter and the applicant is notified.  Applicants who are accepted can still apply to other colleges, but they have to notify the college of their commitment decision by a fixed deadline. 

A SUGGESTION 
Most colleges and your high school guidance counselors would advise you not to apply for 'Early Admissions' to colleges that are your "reach Schools" arguing that colleges only select those students who completely fit their profile for 'Early Admissions' and it is difficult to get accepted under 'Early Admission'.  They would say it is only for the best students. 

HOWEVER, in reality, many colleges that are your "reach schools", may select you under 'Early Admission' but will refuse you under 'Regular Admission' !  Therefore, you may have a better chance to get accepted under 'Early Admission' than under the 'Regular Admission'. 

COLLEGE TUITION 
Please visit the College Survey at Question # 34, to find out the college tuition for the colleges you are interested in. 

DORMITORY AND BOARDING FACILITIES & FEES 
Please review the College Survey at Question # 16, 17, 18, and 19 to find out about the dormitory and residency facilities and requirements for the colleges you are interested in.   Please also visit College Survey at Question # 35, to find out about the boarding facilities and fees for the colleges you are interested in. 

FINANCIAL AID 
We have provided comprehensive information on Financial Aid and Scholarships as well as numerous useful links at  Financial Aid & Scholarships. There are separate application forms for applying for financial aid.   Additionally, there are deadlines for applying for various kinds of financial aids and scholarships, and it is best to check with the respective colleges' admission and financial aid offices to get the correct information and the forms.  See College Survey at Question # 36, 37, 38, and 49 about the availability of financial aid and scholarships at the colleges you are choosing to apply and also whether they follow a need-blind admission policy. Using our search you can find Colleges which award Scholarships, Assistantships, and Financial Aid; Colleges which offer scholarship and financial aid applications on the Internet;  and Colleges where you can Apply Online for Scholarships and Financial Aid. see Search  

COMMENTS 
After you have narrowed down the list of colleges you would like to apply for admission, visit the following sites and gather a wealth of information to prepare you for applying to those colleges. 

Tips on Filling out the College Application, Tips on Filling out the College Application. 

Writing the College Essays, Writing the College Essays. 

Getting Recommendation Letters,Getting Recommendation Letters. 

Points on Interviews, Tips on Interviews. 

PLEASE NOTE:  This information is presented here for Freshmen College Applicants to avail themselves of this material when they are preparing to apply for freshmen admission to various colleges in the USA.  The information is displayed at this web site: BestSchoolsUSA.com accessible and FREE to any individual interested in applying to colleges in USA for said individual's personal use.  No other use - for commercial or any other purpose - is permitted without the express written consent of BestSchoolsUSA.com. 

We hope that these suggestions have helped you choose the colleges and universities that you wish to apply for admission.  We at BestSchoolsUSA.com wish you the Best.   GOOD LUCK!!! 

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