After the College Fair
As I am returning home after attending the NACAC National College Fair here in Phoenix with a bag full of college brochures, business cards, and swag, I realize it might feel overwhelming for families to sort through all of this material–how do you even begin?
That might extrapolate to: how do I even start the college search?
Luckily, my friends, you’ve already taken an important first step by going to the college fair and seeing what kinds of colleges and universities are out there! You got to talk to admissions counselors from the schools, you asked lots of great questions, and are thinking more about what’s important to you in your future college home.
But the research doesn’t stop here. You’ve got a long way to go!
First, take a deep breath. We’ll do this step by step.
Building your college list can seem daunting, but consider it a constant work in progress. There are many ways to build a college list outside of attending college fairs! As you do your research, here are some resources to check out, and handy tips for finding schools that will be a good fit for you.
Building a Balanced List
If your college list has only Ivy League schools on it, it’s likely you will be disappointed when you get your admission decisions. This is not a reflection of YOU, but rather the extremely competitive nature of those schools! Almost all of the Ivy League schools have an acceptance rate of less than 6%.
The national average acceptance rate for colleges is over 60%.
This is why it’s important to build a list that is realistic for you and contain good-fit schools, both academically and socially.
How do you build a balanced list?
First things first, write down a few things that you want in your college experience. For example, maybe you want to go to school on the west coast, or you’re interested in playing on a pickleball team, or you want to perform in a touring orchestra, or you want to go to a medium-sized school of about 8,000 students. What’s important to you? (This list might change over time, and that’s okay!)
Next, jot down your current high school GPA.
Then your ACT or SAT score (if you’ve taken it).
Now you can start doing some research! Here are some online resources to find schools that meet some or all of the things you want in your list above:
MajoringInMusic.com (This is a great website if you want to major in music)
CTCL.org (Colleges That Change Lives)
bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ (College Board)
Appily.com (formerly known as Cappex)
Many of these search engines will ask you to set up a profile with your interests, academics, test scores, etc. and then can more easily match you to colleges that fit your criteria.
Also, ask your school counselors, teachers at your school, or other mentors for college ideas! (Shameless plug: you can ask me! When you work with me, we’ll build this college list together.)
When looking at schools, check out their class profile. This gives a breakdown of their incoming class, what the average GPA and test scores were, demographic information, etc. You can then compare your own academics to the averages on the class profile and decide if it would be a safety, target, or reach school for you.
A safety school is a school you’ll easily get into based on your academic profile (your current GPA and test scores), and can be a backup school.
A target school is a school that you’ll be competitive for admission, and might fit more of the criteria you outlined above.
A reach school is a school that will be tougher to get into based on your academic profile. The school may not have a high acceptance rate, or the students that go there are typically in the top 1-2% of their class.
By having a few of each kind of school on your list (after you do your research), you’re setting yourself up for success! You’re much more likely to get more acceptances with a balanced list than only having reach schools on your list. At this stage, shoot for 10-15 schools. (You’ll narrow it down later.
Dive into the details
There are A LOT of details to keep track of. By staying organized with these details, your future self will be able to confidently narrow down the list to the schools you’re really interested in.
Feel free to start by using this list to keep some of the details handy. Copy it as many times as you need to get all those schools in:
SCHOOL 1:___________________________________________________________
Where is this school located?______________________________________________
How many students attend?_______________________________________________
What is the acceptance rate?_______________________________________________
When is the deadline to apply?_____________________________________________
Does this school require testing (SAT/ACT)?__________________________________
What is the total cost of attendance per year? (Tuition + Room and board) ______________________________________________________________________
What majors does this school offer that you are interested in?_______________________________________________________________________
What clubs or activities does this school offer that you are interested in?_______________________________________________________________________
One other interesting fact about this school: _______________________________________________________________________
List 2 questions you would like to ask an admissions representative from this school. _______________________________________________________________________
After researching this school, can you see yourself attending? Why/why not?_______________________________________________________________________
Some advice when doing your research:
Take your time. Carve out a half hour 2-3 times a week to dedicate to this research. Or maybe plan on tackling 2 schools each week. By taking little steps over a longer period of time, this will all seem a little less overwhelming.
Make note of anything that really stands out to you. Whether that’s cool scholarship opportunities, or that the school has a Quidditch team, or if it has a history of producing some pretty famous people, jot down some notes that you can follow up with.
Really listen to your gut! If you come across any red flags that make you unsure if this school is the right fit for you, make a note to talk with an admissions counselor about it, or try to get in touch with a current student.
Once you’ve completed your research, talk it over with your family, school counselor, or your mentors. Make sure YOU (student) are leading the conversation, but ask for advice too. The college search is a great first step into young adulthood, and while you should be the main driver in this journey, you are not alone!
Good luck, and always feel free to reach out if I can be of any help in this amazing voyage you’re on.
