Q: My stepson is a high school junior and lives in Puerto Rico. He really wants to go to college in New York City. Can you recommend a good website or resource for us to help him prepare for the application process?

A: New York City is one of the world's best college towns! There are colleges and universities in every borough, for every field of study, and in a wide range of price and accessibility. The list is too long to give here, but it includes Columbia University, Barnard College, New York University, Marymount Manhattan, Cooper Union, Pratt Institute, St. John's University, Wagner College, and the 16 campuses of the City University of New York. (Never heard of Wagner College? Check it out. It's a "hidden gem" on Staten Island!)

Students in New York City can get a two-year Associate's degree at a community college, a four-year bachelor's -- even go on to graduate school, law school, nursing or medical school, or business school. There are specialized schools for studying art, computers, medical technology, fashion, music, music production, aviation, merchandising, and education. The most expensive colleges can cost over $50,000 a year while others charge less than a fifth of that amount.

Your stepson might be a bit overwhelmed at first by the sheer amount of information available, but if he starts methodically he will be able to come up with a manageable shopping list. An excellent place to start is the College Boardwhich gives basic facts about the 3500+ colleges and universities in the U.S. <!--more-->

He can narrow the criteria, asking for colleges in New York or even asking for schools within 20 miles of a zipcode. Each listing gives a link to the college's website, where he can explore some more. The "Admissions" or "Prospective Students" section will tell him what the entrance requirements are, and offer a way for students to request information or join a mailing list. With his email address, he can sign up for more information than he'll have time to read!

CUNY's website features the colleges that make up the City University of New York -- Brooklyn College, Queens College, Baruch, John Jay and many others. He can see which ones match his interests.

Beyond looking at website, ideally he will be able to visit and spend a couple of days touring schools. Walking around a campus, having a meal in the dining hall, chatting with students, possibly sitting in on a class -- all of these will give your stepson an idea of the variety and excitement of college life.

The least expensive schools will be the branches of CUNY. (As a non-New Yorker, your son may have to pay out-of-state tuition, but that is a separate legal matter which can be answered by the financial aid offices at CUNY.) Private colleges, as opposed to the publicly-funded ones, will range from moderate to very expensive.

It might not be too early for your stepson to start investigating the financial aid process. In addition to information available online, an event called College Goal Sunday, sponsored by the YMCA, offers financial aid information and advice at sites all over the U.S. and in Puerto Rico; in fact there is an event on March 28 in Puerto Rico, and on Feb. 6 in all five boroughs of NYC.

Many resources are available to you and your stepson to help you navigate this process. Junior year is the perfect time for him to begin exploring all his options!