The second entry in Stephen Covey’s best-selling book “The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People” is “begin with the end in mind.”

That’s good advice for anyone who wants to pursue postsecondary education. There are more than 4,200 colleges and universities in the United States. That’s a lot to choose from, but you only need one to be the perfect fit.

How do make sure that a school is the right one for you? A good way to start narrowing that list is to ask yourself what you hope to gain from college, what you’d like to study and what experiences you’d like to have.

Being focused and starting early made the college search process much easier for Cody Solomon, a recent graduate and salutatorian at Wesleyan School in Norcross.

“By my junior year, I had decided that I wanted to play college golf,” Solomon said. “I also wanted a school with a strong academic reputation and one with a culture where I could see myself making friends. Having those criteria helped me make better college visits and limited my number of applications to four. I liked a lot of schools, but they didn’t have the golf option, and I love playing and competing.”

College scouts don’t often come looking for golfers, so Solomon persistently emailed coaches for information about their programs.

He scheduled a visit to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. during a time when he could see the golf team in action and sit in on a class. Solomon liked what what he saw and sensed an intangible feeling that he would be at home there. He applied for early-decision admission and was accepted.

Solomon was invited back to the Washington and Lee campus to compete for a Johnson Scholarship. He was one of 44 students to earn the scholarship, which will pay for his undergraduate education.

“When I knew I was up for the Johnson Scholarship, I asked my teachers to help me with mock interviews, and I spent more time on that one essay than all of my other applications put together,” he said.

What advice would Solomon give to students?

“If you want to go to college, make it a priority,” he said. “It’s important to start early, to know what you want and then to visit schools so that you can form your own opinion.”