So you’ve started considering a Masters—brilliant! A Masters is one of the best ways to stand out in a crowded job market, and often a great way to see the world as well. But that’s just the first question. The more difficult one, of course, is where can you go? What program is right for you?

With literally thousands of schools with hundreds of programs, to say the search is overwhelming is an understatement. But there are two ways that you can help make the search a little easier: you can go to a university fair, and you can use a rankings website to narrow down your options.

University fairs are crucial because they give a face to a name. It gives you the chance to ask an admissions representative all of your burning questions—from the kinds of programs they offer to what they’re looking for in a candidate. Plus, there will be admissions seminars where you can get insider application tips to perfect your application.

If you’re based in London, you can’t do better than the QS Top Masters Event on the 7th of March at Park Plaza Victoria. Well over 40 schools will be attending. Best of all, all attendees get access to $7 million in scholarships—and it’s totally free to attend!

That’s a huge relief once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential schools, but how do you get there? Make sure to use an online rankings site to help sort out all the noise. There are a number of potential university rankings website out there, but QS’s World University Rankings stands out for the comprehensiveness of its rankings and the number of sub-categories it employs, allowing you to really specify your choices. 

Here are four ways rankings can help:

#1 The big short(list) of Masters

Rankings allows you to filter by region, country, and rank – so that you can create a highly personal list of potential ‘best-fit’ institutions at the beginning of your journey, while also filtering out institutions that don’t align with your preferences.

#2 They can help you discover which universities are up-and-comers

Universities are in a dynamic flux these days, with universities across the world are working ever harder to adapt to the shifting digital market. Have you, for example, considered the Chinese universities that now rank among the world’s best? Or how about a university in Zurich among the top ten with tuition as low as 2000 USD for Masters?

By exploring which universities are rising up the rankings, you can discover new – but increasingly-outstanding – institutions that may not have been on your radar before.

#3 They can help you narrow down by subject

Very few universities are outstanding in every subject and some – like the University of Sussex, which outranks Harvard University for Development Studies – have departments that perform better than their reputation might suggest.

Psss: The QS World University Rankings by Subject ­– the latest edition will launch March 3rd – can help you filter and shortlist. Start splitting.

#4 They can help you find a job

Well, okay, not quite—but with the Graduate Employability Rankings, you can at least discover which universities and which of their programs will net you your dream job post-graduation. That’s a relief!

#5 Highlight what makes a university special

They can help you give you an in-depth idea about what makes a university special. QS Stars is a rating system that provides a detailed look at a university, allowing you to identify which universities are the best in the specific topics that you care about—from program strength, facilities, social responsibility, inclusiveness, and more. It’s really what sets it apart from other rankings. So when you’re scrolling through the rankings, if you see a star next to a university, click on it and dig in.

So start your research now—and if you haven’t already, be sure to register for the QS London Masters event here. Meet HEC-Paris, NYU-Tandon, London Business School, Imperial, ESADE, Bocconi, IE, IESE, INSEAD, National University of Singapore, UCL, LSE, King’s, Warwick, and EDHEC. Plus, QS’s award-winning career coach will present an interactive seminar on Effective Networking, and a CV Clinic will help you map out your career. Discover your dream Masters this spring!