Past editions of this column have addressed parts of the college process such as applying to colleges and scholarships, but arguably the paramount step remains the first one: finding colleges to apply to. As students begin to refine their dreams and explore the plethora of opportunities available to them, it may seem overwhelming to narrow down all their choices. Luckily, the process can fall into simple, easy steps.
- Broad research
Foremost, students can narrow down the countless number of colleges by researching specific aspects. With a simple Google search, an upcoming applicant can find lists of universities based on characteristics such as geographic location, certain majors or areas of study, athletics programs, tuition costs, notable campuses, dormitory residence or even the amount of student life activities. Through broad searches, applicants may curate a list of higher education institutions they wish to attend, a list which may include around ten colleges or universities. This list may not necessarily contain top choices, but simply an idea to see which common themes remain important in choosing a college. For example, if an applicant prioritizes a vast, energizing student life atmosphere, their list may not include colleges with a limited student population of 2,000.
“I think the best way to reduce the stress of the college search is to start early. Doing college visits, taking advantage of taking a large repertoire of classes and keeping an open mind in a wide variety of colleges will inevitably reduce the amount of stress about the process. There is a College Supermatch search engine in Naviance which is one resource that students can use, and big future through Collegeboard is another good resource to find colleges to visit,” magnet counselor Brie Perozzi said.
- Create an itemized list
After one creates their broad list of colleges or universities, formulating a list with each characteristic broken down may serve as helpful. Numerous websites offer list curators, but Google Sheets provides an easy spreadsheet format to organize information.
To arrange a spread of college data, start with subheadings. These will constitute the name of each college and characteristics important to the individual creator such as tuition costs, application deadlines, specific majors or religious affiliations and any other priority, customizable to the student.
Then, once the student has determined important characteristics he or she wants to see at a glance, he or she can fill out each column with any colleges on his or her list so far. This perfectly follows into the next step, which allows applicants to see an in-depth look at each institution.
- Individual research
Now that the student has completed basic research on each college, he or she can finally begin to cross out any row in their spreadsheet they do not wish to attend. By looking at each college’s website, students can delve into freshmen profiles, admittance rates and other statistics that can help discern whether or not a specific university will fit the student’s wants or needs. Once the applicant begins to clearly see colleges that will suit him or her, the student can eliminate potential matches on the list that do not meet his or her demands.
Another helpful tool constitutes categorizing colleges into three categories: safeties, targets and reaches. Looking at each school’s freshman profile page, a student may see where he or she falls on the likelihood of acceptance for each college. A safety school holds acceptance requirements — such as Grade Point Average (GPA), SAT or ACT scores — below what the student currently possesses. For example, if a student holds a 3.5 unweighted GPA with a 1200 SAT, and the college on his or her list requires a 3.0 unweighted GPA and a 1000 SAT, then that school would fall under the safety category since the student exceeds acceptance requirements. Furthermore, a target school comprises one where the student meets acceptance requirements almost exactly. So the same student in the last example would consider a school a target if that college required a 3.5 GPA and 1200 SAT. Lastly, a reach exemplifies one where the student may fall below acceptance requirements or the college holds a low acceptance rate. This does not mean the university will not accept the student per se, but that this option does not hold the highest likelihood. Back to the example of the student, if he or she wished to attend a school with a 4.0 GPA requirement and a 1400 SAT — or if the school possesses a 5% acceptance rate — then the student would consider that school a reach.
“I would recommend that in those first two years of high school, students should focus on doing as well as possible in their classes and taking a wide variety of classes in many different areas. I don’t necessarily think that there’s a reason to have a set list of colleges in the first two years of high school, students should keep their options open as far as colleges go. Visiting colleges can happen anytime and I would recommend that students do this as early as freshman year to consider all sorts of options. As students go on more college visits and take notes about what they liked or didn’t like, what interested them, what didn’t interest them, they will find that a list of priorities will start to develop naturally as to what they’re looking for in a college,” Perozzi said.
Ultimately, finding a set list does not necessarily require an extensive amount of work, but starting with basic research and figuring out what one prioritizes in their college experience remain vital steps to choosing where he or she would want to attend. Resources such as Niche or CommonApp may provide further tools to help filter different institutions, but following these three steps ensures a low-stress way to plan for the future.
