http://parentingteens.about.com/parenting/parentingteens/library/weekly/aa031700a.htm
Solid Reasons to Take a Look at Community Colleges
Community College is the answer to the question many young adults ask themselves: What do I do now? There are several reasons why a four year school is not the best alternative after high school. These reasons can range from not having the money to just not feeling like they can handle all the pressure. So if you are questioning your future, here are five solid reasons to explore the world of community college.

http://www.nber.org/digest/dec99/w7322.html
On the Payoff to Attending an Elite College
"Students who attend colleges with higher average tuition costs or spending per student tend to earn higher incomes later on." In today's high-tech economy, just about everybody has gotten the message that it pays to get a college degree. What is less clear to many parents and their college-bound youngsters is whether it makes economic sense to attend an elite school with a total four-year price tag big enough to buy a nice suburban house in many parts of the country. Does the earnings return from a diploma with the name of an elite institution stamped on it justify the higher expense, or is the reputation of the college aristocracy vastly overblown, at least when it comes to subsequent income? It's a question that more and more economists are researching, while many parents and policymakers would like to know the answer.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~evalres/first-year.shtml
Conducted every fall term for the last 30 years, this nationally administered survey provides data on the entire class of incoming first-year students and is completed at matriculation. Approximately 500 other colleges across the country contribute to this survey, and national results are available for comparison purposes from the Higher Education Research Institute.

The First-Year survey includes such questions as 1) frequency of participation in certain activities over the past year ( e.g. volunteered, felt overwhelmed, discussed politics), 2) self-ranked standings compared with peers on various traits (e.g. academic ability, popularity, creativity), 3) personal reasons to attend college, 4) stances on various personal beliefs (e.g. abortion, free speech, importance of raising a family), 5) perceived likelihood of engaging in certain activities in college (e.g. join a fraternity/sorority, join an athletic team, fail a course), and several other sections.

http://www.topachievement.com/hiltonjohnson.html
The Top 10 Best Ideas For Setting Goals, By Hilton Johnson
You cannot pick up a book or participate in a training program today without the author or instructor teaching the power of goal setting. Yet, most people today spend more time planning a two-week vacation than planning their lives by setting goals. It's been said that achieving goals is not a problem--it's SETTING goals that is the problem. People just don't do it. They leave their lives to chance...and usually end up broke by the time they reach retirement. The author shares with you some of the greatest thoughts about goal setting that he has discovered over the years. The article is aimed at business people, but students may be able to benefit from his advice as well.

http://www.mindtools.com/pggoalef.html
This website offers more hints on setting goals.