How to build a balanced college list

There are many factors to consider when creating a college list. Here are some thoughts on what to focus on from the beginning.

  1. During your junior year, you will meet with your guidance counselor in late winter or early spring to discuss your courses for senior year and to discuss a potential college list. This list is the beginning of what you can call a ‘work in progress’ list. It will be a work in progress up until you actually apply the following fall.

  2. There are many factors to consider and since every human is unique, these factors will vary in type, style and importance. Here’s a brief list of what to think about:

    1. Location: How far from home would you like to be? Urban, suburban, college town, rural, study abroad: These are the type of location categories you need to consider.

    2. Size of School: Under 1,000, or over 20,000? The size of school can help you determine which schools to consider.

    3. Academics: Is there a certain field of study that you are interested in or do you have no idea? Think about which type of school and which degree(s) you may want to pursue. Did you have an IEP in high school? Inquire about the Disability Resource Center at each school. This will help you decide where to consider applying to.

    4. Extracurriculars: Are you looking for a strong theatre department? A big rah-rah sports team to cheer for? Strong LGBTQ+ community? What about Greek life? Are you interested in pledging for a certain fraternity? It’s important to visit as many campuses as possible so you can determine what type of campus life fits your personality. With Covid still going strong, you can always visit schools virtually by using the colleges virtual tours on their websites.

  3. By the beginning of your senior year, you should have visited a few schools and made your list as final as possible as it’s time to apply. 7-10 schools is your target number. Consider the following aspects while making the list:

    1. Your list should have a range of ‘safety’(likely)-’target’-’reach’ schools.

      1. Safety (likely) schools: An applicant falls well above the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      2. Target schools: An applicant falls in the middle of the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      3. Reach school: An applicant falls well below the 50th percentile of all applicants.

      4. Read online, follow colleges’ social media accounts and attend local college fairs. This will help you firm up your college list.