Build Your Perfect College List: Module 4
Data Sources
Welcome to Module 4 of Build Your Perfect College List!
In Module 4, we will discuss how to take your foundation to the next level.
You have had the family discussions necessary to outline the characteristics that each college must have to put your student in the best position for a happy and successful college journey.
So, how do you actually conduct the research that will help you validate your assumptions?
It isn’t always possible to visit every college your student is considering. Therefore knowing which data sources to use and how to interpret what is presented to you is key.
It can be incredibly time consuming to sift through all the potential data sources that are out there.
To ensure you are efficient with your time, effort, and money, we will be sharing our suggestions for the best sources to use directly in your research that will get you the information and confidence you need going forward.
In Module 4 you will learn:
- How to decide which sources to use.
- What to look for vs. what to ignore in each source.
- How to know you can trust the data you find.
- The best ways to cross-reference sources and information.
- How to use your findings to validate your criteria.
Your Homework For Module 5:
- Create your own spreadsheet, list the factors important to you and your student, and then start researching the sources to measure each college against your criteria.
- Check out some of the data sources listed in the worksheet and fill in your spreadsheet. It is important to use multiple sources to confirm your criteria.
- While you don’t necessarily need to validate 10 separate data sources, using at least 2 to 3 different sources to confirm your findings will greatly help to further validate your results.
