Making Your College List

This may come as a surprise (or reality check (: ) depending on where you are in the process, but college application season is right around the corner for our current juniors. Oftentimes, I hear from students and clients (or the parents of clients) that they just have no idea where to start. There are some colleges that they are familiar with, but aren’t sure those would be the best fit. I get it- it can be confusing. So, I’m here to help you figure some of that out!

I’m going to write this out in steps, because this helps my brain and hopefully will helps yours too (if you’re an auditory person, feel free to check out my podcast on this topic!):

Step 1: Decide what’s important to you

• Do you want to attend a 2 year college or a 4 year college (there are pros and cons to both!!!)

• Location- how close or far do you want to be from home? Do you want to be in a city, suburb, or the middle of nowhere? Does weather matter to you (if so, filter your search by location)?

• Size- how big do you want the school to be (3,000 or 45,000)? How many students do you want in your average class? 

• Majors- if you have a given major, make sure they have it and always make sure they have a wide range of majors in case you change your mind or aren’t set on your current major.

• Other Considerations:

  • Cost- but this shouldn’t be a make or break at this point

  • Sports- if you play a sport and want to continue this is a big deal!

  • Campus offerings, clubs, etc- always look into these

Step 2: Figure out where to search (there are lots of options, but these are my go to ones for a variety of reasons):

• College Board/Big Futures- very popular, allows you to search based on several filters

• Princeton Review- allows you to filter by just about any option you can think of- my number one choice

• Naviance- this is a great source if you have access to it. It is offered through your high school if they pay for it, but most do not. It is so helpful because you can see the profiles of students who applied from your high schol who were accepted in the past. This allows you to really get a good idea if this is a target, safety or reach for you.

• US News & World Reprot- great search options and they give you bonus articles that are really helpful!

Step 3: Make your list (After you’ve done your searching, make your list. Here are my dos and don’ts regarding your list):

• Do

  • Keep your list in one document that is easily accessible and hard to lost- add all of the information you find important to this list (I happen to have one for purchase on my site or you can create your own)

  • Decide what is important to you in a college first

  • Include any school that piques your interest

  • Plan to visit the school

  • Look at all aspects of the school- size, location, majors, admission rates, etc.

  • Listen to what others have to say about the school- but take it in stride

  • Start to schedule your visits

  • Include schools that will be safety, target and reach on your list

• Don’t

  • Add a school to your list without researching it

  • Add a school to your list just becuase a friend is applying there

  • Get too caught up on cost...yet

  • Limit yourself to a set number that has to be on this list

Step 4: Final and Important Step- Start Scheduling Your Visits for this SUMMER!

I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you are looking for more information, please visit my website- Higher & Hire. If I can be of assistance to you, please reach out to me here.

Many Thanks!

Valerie Palmer - Career and College Admissions Expert