Getting ready for college can be exhilarating and petrifying at the same time. Whether you're 18 or 80, pinpointing the perfect school for you will take some diligent research. From location and cost to academic offerings and campus life, there are many things to consider.
As with any project, having a clear plan is key. When it comes to scrutinizing the colleges, narrowing your choices, and making final preparations, Microsoft Office System can help you get organized.
Making the most of your research
You'll probably want to know that you did all you could to research your final choice. The various programs in Office can enable you to see, at a glance, which school best suits your needs, who your contacts are, and what the important dates are to keep in mind. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
| Office Program |
Ideas |
| Microsoft Office Excel 2003 |
- List of possible schools Create a worksheet listing the schools you've applied to, what they offer, and what they require of you.
We've taken the liberty of creating one that you can adapt to your particular needs. For more information, see the Getting Started section of this article.
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| Microsoft Office FrontPage® 2003 |
- Personal Web site Create a Web site that can act as your spokesperson online. Post a resume, lists of honors and extracurricular activities, and even a photo gallery of your travels and community volunteer projects.
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| Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003 |
- Communicate through e-mail E-mail is a great way to stay in touch with advisors, people you've spoken to about a school, and financial institutions.
- Calendar Use the calendar to keep track of important dates such as deadlines for applications and financial documents, dates of campus visits, the orientation schedule, and the first day of classes.
- Contacts list Use the Contacts list to organize contact information for the schools you're researching: names, admissions mailing addresses, and telephone numbers of important contacts such as freshman advisors, campus tour guides, and alumni.
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| Microsoft Office Word 2003 |
- Resumes, letters, and essays Create a professional-looking resume, letter of introduction, and admissions essay. Use one of the templates offered in the Microsoft Office Online Templates Web site or create your own. For more information, see the Getting Started section of this article.
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| Microsoft Office System |
- Faxing From your Office program, you can connect directly to a fax service provider that will send the fax for you. You can use fax services with Excel 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003, Word 2003, Outlook 2003, and the Microsoft Office Document Imaging Program (MODI). You must have Outlook and Word installed on your computer to use fax services.
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Getting started
The Templates Web site is a great place to find tools and ideas for organizing your research. You can use these ready-made templates just as they are or personalize them a bit to suit your needs. In either case, the templates listed here (or others you find) can give you an idea of the things you may want to think about as you start your big adventure.
Organizing your college research
Letters
For more ideas and templates, visit Microsoft Office Online Templates.
You're off and running
Staying focused and keeping track of the research you do about colleges is a great start to a successful academic career. Work hard, have fun...and don't forget to write.
