As the school year passes its halfway mark, most juniors are well into the process of deciding which college they will attend after high school is over. Most of the people I know, myself included, have already decided what college they want to attend, or have at least narrowed down their list of preferred schools.

Of course, not everyone will go on to college. Some students don’t wish to spend another four to six years in school, some jobs do not need a college degree, and some students simply may not have the money for it. Whatever the reason, college is just not the next step for everyone.

For those who do plan on attending college, there are so many schools to choose from and so many fields of study that things may seem overwhelming. Those boring presentations that juniors and seniors have had to sit through should have helped ease the confusion, but only the students themselves can use the information they’ve been given.

Students at Metea Valley are urged to use a service by the name of College Board which is supposed to help guide us in the right direction. It aims to provide the user with universities that fit the requirements he or she gives the website, such as location, price range, population, classes provided, etc.

“I used it a couple times for SAT stuff, but I guess I like it because it tells you the specific categories of questions you get wrong so you can work on them more,” junior Anthony Bertuca said.

Despite some positive feedback, most people that I have talked to about College Board have either never tried using it or have expressed a distaste for the website. I join the crowd that feels that the college finding service that College Board offers just isn’t a useful tool.

I, as well as others, have had an easier time researching on our own rather than using College Board’s services. To take advantage of everything that College Board offers, the website requires you to log into an account and fill in various information from a checklist. Students who already have an idea of where they want to attend can accomplish the same goal that College Board can in a few Google searches. For students who have no idea about what college they may attend, I can see the service being helpful. For everyone else, that just does not seem to be the case.

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Not everything that College Board offers is unhelpful though, as there is more to the website than just just checklists to fill out. The main website itself offers advice about how to deal with student debt and tips for first year college students, among other things. The company really does aim to aid students in finding what college is the right one for them. I recommend at least taking a look at the site if you haven’t already, as you may actually learn something about your progress towards college.