Listen up! There's a new blog in town called “The Choice” and it's designed just for you…and your parents… and your high school guidance counselor… and your college admissions officer.  “The Choice” is a 360° view of college admissions with advice that is right on target for every player in the admissions game.  Jacque Steinberg, the blog's lead writer, says the goal of the new project is "to demystify and illuminate an American rite of passage that typically occurs behind closed doors, whether it’s the doors to the university admissions office, or those of the homes of the applicants themselves.”

In reading “The Choice”, you'll gain much-needed perspective, instead of scary headlines and insider details, instead of sensational statistics. For instance, Steinberg goes against the grain to discuss how admissions is super competitive, but only at the nation’s top “four dozen” colleges and universities. He points out that there are literally thousands of colleges that admit more students than they reject and some of them admit nearly everyone that applies.

I'm so excited to have a new kind of resource to share- one that promises well-rounded advice from students like you, parents like yours, and admissions experts who present facts behind the statistics.

What’s in it for you and your family?

• “The Envelope, Please”: Six real college applicants share their college selection experiences from acceptances to rejections to waitlists. You'll see how each of these students makes their big decision. If you want to share too, you are invited to post a comment or email your story for a chance to have your post published on “The Choice."
• “Your Money”: Students and parents learn how to plan for the costs of tuition and receive timely articles related to paying for college in the “Student Loan Guide” drawn from the “Times Topics” business section.
• A “Question and Answer” section: You and your parents can submit your burning college admissions questions to an expert panel. Get your questions ready about financial aid, the college selection process, how to improve your chances of getting off the waitlist and popular college admission advice and tactics. The expert panel will also talk about recent college admissions headlines and the latest news in higher education.

If you've ever gone to a college fair with your parents, you know there's potential for disaster. Nothing beats the feeling of standing next to your mom while she extols your virtues to an admissions officer. But with CollegeWeekLive, you can now get all the benefits of a college fair, without any of the embarrassment. The website runs semi-annual virtual fairs that feature hundreds of colleges and lots of information on admissions.

Checking out CWL is as easy as turning on your laptop, but everything is as interactive as a real college fair. You can talk to admissions officers in real-time and watch keynote speeches broadcast live. The experts who appear on CWL talk about all areas of the college application process: the college search, essay writing, test prep, financial aid, etc.  The website is also running a $3,500 scholarship contest in conjunction with the next fair.

The next CWL takes place today and tomorrow. Register on the website now (it's free!) and tell your parents to check it out too. On the World Wide Web, there's even enough room for Mom.

Ever wish expressing interest in a school were as easy as poking someone on Facebook? Well, thanks to Zinch, now you’re one step closer.

The social network wants colleges to know that you’re “more than a test score”. Each user creates a resume-like profile that features facts like their extracurricular interests and long-term plans. Creative users can also upload music or videos, creating an online portfolio of sorts. These profiles are made available to admissions officers, who are supposed to use them to get a fuller picture of each applicant. Colleges also have pages on the site and students can express their interest by leaving a message on their wall.

Zinch is hugely popular, but the website lacks some crucial resources. On Zinch, you can talk to your “dweebs” (friends) or “shout out” to schools, but there’s not a lot of advice about how to choose the right college or prepare your application. There’s also the question of how seriously admissions officers take the student profiles. Anyone who wants to get admitted will have to apply through the regular, formal process and though Zinch can help you find out about a cool school you haven’t heard of before, it’s unlikely that your Zinch page will be getting you in.

One thing’s for sure: the site is fun and its social networking format is familiar to high school users. Just don’t take it too seriously, and definitely leave groups like “That’s What Your Mom Said” to Facebook.