I believe one of my most important responsibilities as a college admissions counselor is to help students define their college list while encouraging them to let go of the idea that their list defines them. Counselors must encourage students to deeply consider what aspects of college are most important to them. These personal criteria, along with campus tours, are the factors students should use to create their own classification and sorting system when deciding where to apply.
The more hours (yes, hours) students take for introspection and research when building their college list, the more predictable and suitable their acceptances will be a year from now. Each school on the resulting list should be one where the student would thrive, no matter if it is a likely, target, or reach.
There are nearly 4,000 degree granting institutions in the U.S. About 900 schools accept the Common App, and that does not include the 9 University of California campuses, the University of Texas system, and more. How do students eventually pick just 8(ish) for application?
Let’s explore three steps juniors should take to construct a balanced list of colleges.
1. Soul Searching: Students that work with me take a deep dive into what they’re looking for in a school—academically, socially, geographically, financially—and fill out a detailed questionnaire I created to help them home in on qualities they truly desire. Ideally, students end up with about 20 institutions to research for consideration after this process. Here are some questions students should ask themselves to make the best use of the Fiske Guide or internet search tools in narrowing their options.
What geographic region of the country intrigues me? Do I want the ability to catch a ride home?
Where can I see myself living for the next four years? Consider whether easily finding summer employment or internships is possible in the area.
What type of environment do I want to live in? Urban? Rural? Suburban with an easy train ride into a metropolitan area? Access to hiking trails, ski runs, or the beach?
What size school is right for me? Do I want a private or public institution?
To what academic areas do I want exposure? Does the school offer the ability to double major or minor? How about an Honors program?
2. Focused Research: Once students have created a large list of potential schools, they research them to learn more and pare down their choices. I give my students a guide to follow when they start exploring schools so I ensure they’re hitting all the important points. Let’s touch on some qualities I think students should look for in deciding whether a school is a keeper or not. Basic admission facts like average GPA or SAT/ACT scores help students decide whether a school is a likely, target, or reach while other items encourage them to focus on unique aspects of individual institutions.
Percentage of applicants offered admission
Student to faculty ratio
Cost of attendance (direct and indirect costs) + percentage of students receiving merit scholarships
Percentage of students who join a fraternity or sorority
For how long does the university require students to live on-campus? Are there dorm learning communities?
Unique academic offerings, such as study abroad, classes with a service component, undergraduate research opportunities, and co-op programs
Freshman academic requirements, such as English comp seminars, courses focused on DEI, and electives. Navigate to the university course catalogue to see whether the course topics in these—and especially upper level classes—are intriguing.
Find a campus calendar of events. What speakers, artistic exhibits, and live performances are coming? Are they of interest?
Search for the campus on Google maps. Zoom in. What’s nearby?
Search for the school on social media—official pages, hashtags, and generally—to see what people are talking about. What’s the message?
3. Honest Self-Assessment: When students reach this third step, they’ve taken a close look at many schools. Now it’s time for them to take an examining look at themselves. Making tough but smart choices at the beginning eliminates hard-to-stomach rejections down the road and improves the chances for good options come next April. The point of in-depth research is not just to find the best fitting institution, but to help students control the admissions process as much as possible. If students can plainly see that their chances for admission are extremely low—even if they meet the school’s benchmarks—yet still want to apply, they should be able to articulate persuasive reasons why. If a student cannot demonstrate how the school is a good fit, the overwhelming probability is that admissions officers won’t see them as a match either. This process should result in a balanced list of schools that hopefully includes institutions that students would not otherwise have considered but for their extra efforts.
In closing, I think my point from above bears repeating: students define their list, their list does not define them. Students should decide what is of value in their college search, not place value on other ranking systems. And when these students who took the extra time end up with great options next April, I will alter my message ever so slightly: where students go is not who they will be.
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