How to Make a College List (In 7 Steps)

Admissions

Jun 5

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Selecting the right college can be an arduous process, one that can become both a mental conundrum and an emotional rollercoaster. Although you may already have your dream university in mind, there are a few key factors you should consider when making your selection. Most importantly, it’s a good choice to keep your options open over the course of the application and decision process. Factors such as financial aid offers and scholarship awards are often solidified toward the end of the year, so you may not be able to make a decision until a couple of months before graduating from high school.

But first, how do you build a college list?

Identifying your priorities is the first step to choosing the college that will be a good fit for the future you have in mind. Consider the following topics to help make your initial selections and build a primary list. This first list should contain around 20-30 colleges, but will be narrowed later.

1) Location

The location of a university is an important topic of consideration. After all, it’s where you’ll be spending the next four years of your life. Think about:

How close to home do you want to be?
What type of environment are you looking for?
Would you prefer something familiar or something new?
Are there fun activities to do in the area?
What about post-grad job opportunities?

As a college student, it’s exciting to have somewhere interesting to spend your weekends, so make sure the type of environment you choose suits your expectations. Also, if you plan to stay in the area after graduation, consider how many job opportunities will be available.

2) Cost

This is often a major concern of both students and parents. In general, public universities are more affordable than private colleges, and in-state tuition is cheaper than out-of-state tuition. However, don’t give up hope just because a college has a high ticket price! Need-based financial aid as well as merit grants can often bring the cost of an expensive school down to the price of a public institution. Never rule out a school due to cost until you’ve received the financial aid offer! Nevertheless, do your research to find out if the amount of aid students receive during freshman year is comparable to the aid received in the subsequent years. Finally, if the cost of attendance is still too high, attending a community college for two years may be an affordable option before transferring to a four-year university to finish our your degree.

3) Major

If you have an idea of what major you want to pursue, find colleges that have the best program for that major. It wouldn’t make sense to pursue engineering at a liberal arts school, so make sure your list of schools have well-developed programs for what you intend to pursue. Moreover, there’s always the possibility you may switch majors. In that case, it would also be convenient to have other respectable programs available that match your interests. Think about which schools have multiple degree paths that interest you, just in case your plans change.

4) Campus Culture

Although it may not seem like a priority, campus culture can have a huge impact on your college experience. College is a social adjustment in addition to an academic one, so choose a college where you feel like you could thrive. Think about what is important to you in life. Activism? Politics? The overall attitude of students can also have an impact. For example, I chose to attend North Carolina State University because they valued all types of diversity - diversity of color, culture, thought, politics, background. It was palpable on campus. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to spend some time touring campuses. The statistics can only tell you so much. Visiting a university you’re interested in can provide the opportunity to meet professors, interact with students, and get an idea of the overall vibe.

5) Academic Culture

This topic is closely related to the one above, but an academic culture can be measured more tangibly in most cases. Consider the following questions:

Do you prefer a highly competitive or generally relaxed academic environment?
Are small class sizes important to you?
Are you looking for a very structured or customizable curriculum?
Do you value opportunities for undergraduate research?

There is one major piece of advice that I feel compelled to give:

“Don’t force yourself into a prestigious school if you don’t like the academic culture.”

Take the opinions of family, friends, and peers into consideration, but in the end, you are the one who will make memories there for the next four years. Where do you think you can thrive best?

6) Graduation/Employment Rates

Checking the graduation rates and post-graduation employment rates of students will show you important metrics about the future of a “typical” student. Be sure to find out first year student retention rates, graduation rates, graduation rates by income level, and how many students find employment within a year past graduation. These numbers can reveal a lot about the resources and quality of education offered.

7) Build a Diverse List

When creating your college list, follow the rule of thirds. Try to include equal proportions of reach, target, and safety schools. Categorize schools by the statistics:

REACH schools admit students with SAT/ACT scores and GPA that are higher than yours, on average. They usually have low admission rates.
TARGET schools admit students with SAT/ACT scores and GPA that are on par with yours, on average.
SAFETY schools admit students with SAT/ACT scores and GPA that are lower than yours, on average. They usually have high admission rates.

Safety schools should not be viewed as inferior. In fact, they are very important to include in a college list. What could be worse than only applying to target and reach schools just to be rejected, ending up with no acceptances?

A general rule of thumb is to begin by compiling a list of 20-30 colleges, then applying to around 10-15. Applying to many more can cause the quality of your applications to suffer, leading to more rejections and waitlists. A much better strategy is to focus on crafting and reviewing a stellar application for each university that will stand out among the crowd. This college search tool from the College Board is an excellent resource for finding colleges that match your search criteria.

When whittling down your selections as the year progresses, my final tip is to prioritize fit, not stats. Qualities such as location, campus/academic culture, major, and even final ticket price correspond to the fit of a college, while average SAT/ACT scores and admission rates are examples of statistics. These statistics should have an influence on your initial list of colleges, but “fit” should rule your final decisions once you have all financial aid offers.

The major takeaway is to identify your priorities, find colleges that meet them, and narrow your list from there.

For more information on decreasing college costs, becoming competitive for scholarships, and acing scholarship interviews, sign up for free access to the workshop below!

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