Okay senior students… the time has come. It probably seems like only yesterday you were graduating from Middle School and now, you have to contemplate what in the world you'll be doing after Senior School!

Well, get up from in front of the X-Box and hang up your cell phone - and step into your future! On November 27 and 28, the Ministry of Education and Development, along with the Bermuda College, the Bermuda Careers Centre, and the Bermuda Hospitals Board will be hosting the 3rd Annual International College Fair.

With over 40 Colleges and Universities from the US, UK and Canada attending, you and your family can discuss what the world of higher education has to offer and make some decisions.

The College Fair is a great opportunity for all students - whether you have memorized the application deadlines for the Ivy Leagues, or whether you have gleaned all you know about college from watching re-runs of A Different World. The fair will help you to get prepared.

And the International College Fair Team is here to debunk the college process! Throughout this supplement, there are articles providing you information about applying for college, choosing a school, financing your education and more.

So let's get started!

The first step is research. Then the second step is research. Third step? Research!

You need to determine what it is you are looking for in a college, that means: What you can afford to pay? What type of university and what programme do you want to enroll in? Where in the world do you want to go (taking into mind costs of travel back and forth)? And a number of other factors!

Where do you start? This generation is blessed with the best research tool at their fingertips - the internet! No flipping through "1001 Colleges and Universities - Volume K-M" for you and your child!

Whether you want a school in an urban environment that offers advanced cello and has an honours programme in zoology or if you want to see what colleges offer certifications in masonry, these sites will help you.

Petersons.com and Collegeboard.com allow you to enter your search criteria from their vast and varied menus and will show you only the colleges that match.

Then, once you have a list of the schools you want to look into, the second set of research begins!

Now you can visit the individual university websites to find out everything you need to know. What's the housing like? What are the criteria for international students? Is the programme accredited (way important!)?

And most importantly, 'what do you get with the meal plan?' Narrow your list down to the schools that most closely match with all of the crucial issues.

The key to successful research is ensuring that you are aware of what you're looking for! Otherwise, how will you know when you've found it?

So now that their interests and goals have been matched to colleges, the application process can begin! Yikes…