Have you felt like you're alone in your search for the right school? You're not. Hundreds of thousands of high school students are also browsing brochures, checking websites, visiting campuses and biting their nails over which school looks right for them. Like you, they're all in search for a school that fits like their favorite jeans.

There are also hundreds of thousands of students who have already made their choice. And we've found three who know they made the right decision. Check out what they have to say. We think you'll learn a few things that might make your own search a little easier. And who knows, they may even save a nail or two.

Bio:Rachel ran long distance for her high school track and cross-country teams in Orville, Ohio. She recently returned from a mission trip in the Ukraine and is now a sophomore at Malone College in Canton, Ohio.

My story: During my junior year in high school, my church group visited four college campuses. The trips were fun, but none of those campuses felt right for me.

Then one day my assistant cross-country coach talked to me about Malone, the school she'd attended. Coach told me Malone had a great track and field program. She also told me it was only about half an hour away from my home. After that conversation, I wrote the school for information.

Soon after, I heard that an admissions counselor from Malone, Jenn McGowan, was going to give a career and college presentation at my school. Even though I attended a public high school, my school was always open to visits from any admissions counselor. I was definitely interested in attending the Malone presentation.

During her presentation, I asked Jenn a lot of questions about the cross-country program. I also asked her a lot about the school's Christian environment. Even before Jenn's visit, I'd thought it would be nice to be in a school where Christian values were important and honored by both students and faculty. Jenn was really nice and did a good job of answering my questions.

What impressed me most, though, was the e-mail I got from Jenn the very next day. She told me that before she visited my school, she'd prayed that God would put someone in the room who was supposed to be at Malone. I couldn't help but wonder if I was the one Jenn had prayed for. I decided it was time to take a visit. I did and I was hooked. It felt like the perfect match of everything I had been hoping and praying for.

Extracurricular activities were not a critical factor in my search, but knowing Malone had a good track and cross-country program was a definite plus. What made the cross-country program even better? Jack Hazen, who's known around the world for his coaching accomplishments, was the program's head coach. He was recently named the Distance Coach for the U.S. 2005 World Track & Field Championships. As a distance runner, I realized it would be very difficult to find a better coach.

At first my mom wasn't at all excited about Malone, mostly because she had never heard of it before. She wanted me to go to the best college possible, which she thought would be a state school. She also didn't know that Malone is an accredited college, has a very high graduation rate and good job placement after graduation. I was disappointed by her reaction because I wanted to go to Malone so badly. But after she got more information about the school, she also believed I'd found the right fit for me. So I applied and was fortunately accepted.

Some of my friends from high school picked colleges because their parents went there or for reasons that weren't all that great. Now they're pretty unhappy with their choices and even thinking about transferring. Not me.

Rachel's advice: Look at your own values, goals and interests. Write them down. Use what you've written to help you evaluate each college you visit. Don't settle for a school that doesn't fit what you're looking for or causes you to lower your standards.

This is the first major decision of your life and you've got to make it for yourself. Listen to good advice, but don't let anyone else make this decision for you.

Bio:Keith grew up in Highland, Indiana, where he played on his high school's basketball and volleyball teams and sang in various musical ensembles. During his senior year of high school, Keith was voted student government president and Homecoming King. He was also named a Commended Scholar in the National Merit Scholarship Competition and was salutatorian of his class. Now a college junior studying pre-law at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, Keith will soon begin the search all over again—this time for that just-right law school.

My story: When the college-related mail began arriving during my sophomore year, I started thinking about where I wanted to go. As I skimmed brochures and other information, I weeded all the material down to about 10 schools that seemed most interesting to me. Then at the end of my junior year, I weeded that list down to seven schools that I decided to apply to: five Christian colleges and universities and two state universities that were close to home. I was more serious about the five Christian schools. The two close to home were a sort of back-up plan. Those final seven were mostly colleges that I knew the most about even before the serious search began.

Since I was so undecided and didn't even know what kind of career I was interested in, I prayed God would lead the way. I did my best to rely on him to either open or close the door to each college I was considering.

When it came time to think about visiting my top schools at the end of my junior year, I decided to talk to a lot of people who were currently in college. The most helpful person turned out to be my older sister. She was already in her second year of college and had visited many of the same schools I was applying to.

My sister suggested I focus on student life and ask questions like: What is there to do on the weekend? Are there intramural sports? What other activities are there on campus? She also recommended that I ask specific questions about practical things. Instead of finding out how many computers there were on campus, she said to ask students if they had ever been shut out of the computer lab because computers weren't available. Instead of knowing how many academic advisers were on campus, find out if the advisers are helpful and available. I realized she had a good point. If those computers, advisers and so on weren't available, it really didn't matter how many the school had.

During my search, I had a chance to visit six of the seven schools I was applying to. I thought it was important to stay a night or two on campus. These overnight stays really helped me determine whether or not I'd feel comfortable on a particular campus. I also discovered that visiting a school during the summer is not the same as visiting when the campus is filled with students. When the campus is mostly empty, there's no way to know what it will really be like during the school year.

I must say that my visit to Trinity really sold me on that school. During my visit, some of the students told me all about the men's volleyball team. Since I'd played volleyball in high school, I thought it would be cool to be able to keep playing once I got to college. Then there was the overall atmosphere on campus. Everyone seemed to know each other on campus and everyone was really friendly. And the professors were easy to talk to. I originally thought I would want to go to a larger school. But once I visited this small, Christian college campus, I was sure Trinity was the place for me.

God helped me realize some key things that I really needed to feel comfortable in college—like a small, close-knit community and friendly professors. And the men's volleyball team was also a plus!

I feel God closed a few doors throughout the search, but he also opened a few, too. I received several significant scholarships, was invited to play volleyball, sing in choir and participate in student government at a few different colleges. But for the most part, it seemed like the door flew wide open for me at Trinity. I'm glad it did, too. The school just feels right.

Keith's advice: Don't doubt yourself. It's tempting to avoid schools with rather low acceptance rates. Some students don't apply because they have this weird fear about getting a rejection letter. Get over it. I wouldn't recommend applying only to really selective schools. But as long as you have a few colleges to fall back on, reach for some of the tougher ones, too.

I'd also encourage you to take your time when filling out applications. A carefully completed, neat application always gives a good first impression. And that good first impression could help lead to an acceptance letter.

Bio:Valerie grew up in the small rural town of Sebewaing, Michigan. A self-confessed overachiever in high school, Valerie was involved in numerous extracurricular activities. Currently a sophomore at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Valerie was the first person in her family to head off for a four-year college degree.

My story: During my junior year, I was given an assignment in English class: Write a paper comparing and contrasting two colleges. I chose Saginaw Valley State University and Concordia. Since I was thinking about a career in teaching, those two options just made sense. At the time, though, it was still pretty much just an assignment. While I was interested in college, I wasn't really thinking about where I wanted to go.

Then one night at church I was sitting with a Concordia student, Amy Waltz, and she started asking me about my college plans. I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled something about maybe want-ing to be a teacher.

That was it. She couldn't stop chattering on about Concordia's education classes. But that wasn't all. It was almost like she was a walking commercial for the school. She told me everything about Concordia: class size, campus size, people, activities, professors. As she went on and on about what she loved about the college, I found myself thinking: Yeah, that sounds good … oh, yes, I like that too … and that, and … By the time she'd finished talking, I was pretty much sold on Concordia.

In order to afford Concordia, I knew I would have to get scholarships. The school had recently started a new Presidential scholarship that paid full tuition and I got pretty excited about the possibility of winning it. The first criteria was to score a 27 or higher on the SAT. My first score was good but not that high, so I took the test again during the fall of my senior year.

I prayed that if God wanted me to have the scholarship, he would help me get the score I needed. When I got a 27, I was sure God wanted me to have this scholarship.

Then in the spring of my senior year, I traveled to Concordia for the scholarship competition. This was the first time I had been to Concordia as a prospective student. Dressed in my new business suit, I was confident but also a little nervous. As the competition wore on, I started feeling more and more tense. During the debate part of the competition, I suddenly found myself praying something that seemed to come completely from God:

"Dear Lord, even if I don't end up getting this scholarship, please give it to someone who really needs it—someone who wouldn't get to go to Concordia without it."

After saying that prayer, I had a really peaceful feeling. Later that afternoon, we gathered to find out who'd won the full-ride scholarship. It wasn't me.

I felt a lump in my throat as I sighed and fought back tears. I thought my dream was over. Then I thought about that earlier prayer and said to myself, "What am I thinking? If God wants me here, I'll end up here."

In spite of losing the competition, I hadn't lost my love for the school. I was determined to go to Concordia. I was certain I could get other scholarships that would help me significantly.

When I got home, I started working with my high school guidance office. My guidance counselor helped track down several scholarships that added up to several thousand dollars. Not only that, but Concordia offered me a financial aid package that really impressed my dad. With a lot of hard work, I finally had what I needed to go to the school of my dreams.

It was a nerve-wracking process, but I never doubted that I could succeed. It's all worked out perfectly, too. Concordia is definitely for me.

Valerie's advice: Don't worry. Be concerned to a certain level, but don't let admission and financial worries get you down. I worried about money, roommates, classes, being away from home, my car. It all worked out fine—as so many people had told me it would. I had to experience it for myself—with all the worries that came with the experience. But try hard not to do what I did. The whole search process will go a lot better if you relax a bit. I really do believe God has a plan for you; try to trust him and let him guide you.

Go and visit the campus you want to go to. When I did that report in high school, I compared the teacher to student ratios and all that, but for my final decision it was more important for me to walk onto the campus, see the dorms, see how big it was and meet the people who live there. You need to feel like you are at home there. Ask a lot of questions. Don't stop until you get the answers you need. Just do what it takes to figure out whether or not a particular school is the place for you.

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