Elizabeth
How do I choose what colleges to apply for? How do I know which ones are best for me?
Right now I feel a little overwhelmed with how many college options there are out there. There are so many different types with different styles and specialties, it’s hard to know which one best fits me. I want to get into the best college for me, but how should I know which ones to shoot for?
#collegequestions
2 answers
Ann Kana
Ann’s Answer
It is crazy, isn't it, all the choices? My daughter had the same questions the past two years as she narrowed down her college choices.
For her, the education started when she visited a few campuses and got a feeling for the differences between a large state schools versus small liberal arts schools; then also whether she preferred schools in urban areas or in small towns. We were lucky because her choice of major (Psychology) is offered almost everywhere, but another "filter" to apply during your selection is the breadth of offerings of the school, and the match to your interests and career goals. And depending on your particular circumstances, you might consider whether the college is single sex vs. coed? Religious affiliations? 2- or 4-year programs? Costs and financial aid available? Weather? National vs. regional reputation?
Then her search process began! There is a wealth of information available on the Web to support your college search process. Google (or Yahoo) away and use the various web sites and tools to find candidate schools (one tool is https://www.collegexpress.com/college/search/).
My daughter kept track of the colleges she was researching on a spreadsheet. Then at the end of the summer before her senior year, she created a ranking spreadsheet in Excel where she identified her top criteria (what she was looking for) and scored each college on these criteria using a 10-point scale. Then she totaled the score for each school and sorted the results to create a preliminary list of her top choices. The ranking wasn't perfect! But the thought process to create it was very helpful at getting her to really figure out what was most important to her.
Good luck!
Jennifer Haden
Jennifer’s Answer
You're exactly right! There are a crazy number of higher education institutions in the US and around the world. The good news, however, is that there will be one (or four!) that will be a good match for you - a place where you can be happy and thrive in the educational environment you choose.
I typically have the students I work with find out a little more about themselves when beginning the discussion of pulling together a potential college list. Students are asked to start their introspections by taking self-assessments such as personality type, learning styles, and multiple intelligences. Each of these assessments can be found online for no cost.
Once it's determined how you like to process information, how you learn and communicate, as well as your natural aptitudes, students can analyze the data with regard to their interests, goals and aspirations.
When you think of college, what do you think about? What do you hope to gain from the experience? What is most important to you during those undergraduate years? Make a list. Prioritize them. Along with your newly mined information about yourself, you can use this information to begin researching institutions that have what you're looking for in their curriculum, student services, and campus life.
Your initial list should be broad, allowing yourself to whittle down the options with additional research based on tours (or virtual tours), talking to current undergraduate students and/or alumni, and asking lots and lots of questions along the way!
I recommend sophomores to have a list of 40-60, juniors 20-30, and seniors 10-15. I encourage seniors to apply to 6-8 universities.
I hope this information helps! Please don't hesitate to ask questions, and do your research.
GOOD LUCK!
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