For most students across the country, the best time of the year has begun. The long summer days are here, and memories of homework, deadlines, and school lunches are in the rearview mirror, at least for now.

However, for rising seniors, this is an important time to prepare for the college admissions process. Potential students often use academic rankings to help them decide which colleges to apply to; however, one often-overlooked metric is the expected graduation rate vs. actual graduation rate.