Clearly there was something wrong me, that was the only possible explanation. I was a loser; I was going to end up on the streets; it was all downhill from there. I was the only kid who hadn’t received one of those nifty college propaganda letters (it turns out I didn’t check the box on the PLAN test).

For any of you who don’t know, junior year is a crucial year for colleges. Mailers, e-mails, that clever “are you tired of learning out of books?” mantra, colleges will stop at nothing to woo you into their hallowed halls.

Of course any reasonable person would tell you to not check the tame-looking little box on the PSAT that will sell your information to every college in the country. But you know what? Check the box.

Does that box mean you will get spammed by every college from the least to most prestigious? Yes. Will it get annoying? You bet. But I can assure you, it is absolutely worth it. {sidebar id=65}

If you are as uninformed as me, you’re not aware of about half the fabulous colleges out there. And there is no better way to learn about them than having them essentially knock on your door to introduce themselves. How is that for an “easy button?” All of a sudden the world of higher education is waiting for you when you turn on your computer (as long as you don’t mind roughly four extra e-mails every day). Think about it, your perfect college may be a school that you haven’t even heard of. When you see the e-mail, it could be love at first sight. Now doesn’t that make the extra e-mails worth it?

I haven’t even mentioned the terrific ego boost that getting half a dozen emails saying “you are an exceptional student and we think you are a perfect match for our school” brings. It helps give you just enough confidence to survive the ever grueling finals week (Amex, anyone?). All of the sudden your future is a little less nerve racking, because if enough colleges want you one is certainly going to take you.

So when you’re sitting there pencil hovering over the box, take it from me, just check it.