Here's how to choose the right college, according to a professor and academic advisor with 40 years of experience

• As a professor, I know how students should determine what colleges to apply to.
• Students should ignore most traditional advice and avoid focusing on the campus tour they took.
• Instead, they should look at data to find colleges investing in students' futures and education.

Over the next couple of weeks, your college-bound kid will join millions of others applying to begin college next fall. The college search has become increasingly stressful as the competition for admission has intensified. As a result, students are applying to more and more colleges.