Yesterday, I wrote about visiting colleges. I am passionate about students experiencing a variety of sizes and settings so that they become more honest with themselves about the environment they prefer. Today is a follow up to those visits – making a college list.
Even before you visit colleges, but most certainly after, you need to make a list of schools that interest you. Students are often told to put them into categories of “easy,” “in range,” or “reach” (or some derivative of this). While comparing your own academic performance to the demographics of the incoming class at each school is a great tool for application season, it does not give you a great understanding of your own preferences. You need to grade each school. Some people prefer numbers, so make up a few categories and start assigning grades. Categories may include: Size, Setting, Campus Life, Academics, Clubs, Sports, Spirit, Housing, and many more. Other students prefer a more narrative solution to the list. These students should write descriptions of the school’s characteristics and indicate if they are positive or negative.
Making these lists, even if you haven’t seen the school, are going to be very important as you get to your applications. In the case you have a list of 30 schools, you will need to begin narrowing down your choices. And, if you only have three schools, you will need to expand your horizons and begin researching other colleges.
The point of creating this list will ultimately be to choose a school. However, this list is extremely important before senior year so that you can begin reviewing each school’s application requirements. You cannot complete an application you haven’t seen!
Tomorrow, I will talk more about what to do when you have a list.
