Yet, these rankings continue to play a powerful influencer role in college decision-making. Students and parents use them to narrow college searches and meet their social status and prestige needs. Caught in the middle, what are we to do?

A parent of a graduating 12th grader, who is now deciding on whether or not to major in game development, asked us to look into this and provide them more information. They sent us the names of the top colleges their student has applied to. We used two of the 6 Keys of College Fit (www.collegeunmazed.com) to gather data that would help the student make a more informed decision.

How as a parent, do you help your student see beyond the "emotional appeal" of a college and more objectively at the process?

Students can make more informed decisions about which college to attend when they understand each college they are considering from 6 key perspectives. We call these the 6 Keys of College Fit that include Academic Match, Career Match, Financial Match, Personal Match, Student Outcomes, and Student Support.