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The College List: When and Where to

Start?

• Some students begin thinking about college

as early as their freshman and sophomore

years.

• However, many students don’t do anything

about it until their senior year.

• It is NEVER too early or late to create a

college list.

• Include your personal choices

o Not your parents’ or your friends’

o Consider suggestions and recommendations from other

people, but what you want should matter the most.

• Be “realistic”

o Do not aim too high, or settle for too less.

• Cover enough number of schools

o It should include reach, match, and safety schools.

Your College List Should...

Creating a “Realistic” College List

1. Evaluate Yourself

2. Research, Research, Research

3. Narrow Down Your Options

4. Identify Reach, Match, and Safety

Schools

5. Finalize Your College List

• Finding a good college begins with self-discovery.

• Identify your interests, hobbies, talents, and goals.

These will help you determine in which colleges will you

fit best.

• Figure out what you need to thrive as an

undergraduate college student and what will help you

achieve your personal and professional goals.

1. Evaluate Yourself

• To help you get to know yourself better, ask the

following questions:

o What am I interested in?

o What am I passionate about?

o How do I spend my free time?

o How do I learn best?

o What kind of students do I want to be around?

o Will I do better in big class sizes than small

ones?

o What do I want to do after college? In the future?

o In which profession do I see myself in the next 5

or 10 years?

1. Evaluate Yourself

• Get enough information about the particular schools

you are interested in. Visit their campuses, view their

website, or talk to current students to gain insights

about what it’s like to attend such colleges.

• For each school, find out relevant things that would

help you establish your list (and even narrow down

your choices) such as program offerings, type of

curriculum, class sizes, culture, etc.

2. Research, Research, Research

• Talk to the people you trust -- parents,

teachers, high school counselor, and friends who

are in college attending different schools. Ask

which college they recommend and why.

• You may also seek the help of college

admissions consultants, counselors, and

experts who can help you come up with a list of

schools where you could be a good fit.

2. Research, Research, Research

• By this time, you should be able to come

up with a preliminary list of colleges you

want to and/or can apply to.

• To help you trim down your list, decide

what matters most to you.o Do you want a challenging academic

environment?

o Are you looking for schools that promote sports

and other extracurricular activities?

3. Narrow Down Your Options

• Compare your GPA and test scores to the

average scores of admitted freshmen students at

each college on your list.

• Additionally, check the acceptance rate of each

school. These figures can help you gauge

whether or not you have a chance of getting

admitted.

3. Narrow Down Your Options

4. Identify Reach, Match, & Safety Schools

TYPE OF SCHOOL DESCRIPTION

Reach Schools Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores fall below the school's

range for the average freshman. Reach schools are long

shots. You should apply to 2 reach schools

Match Schools Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores fall within (or even exceed)

the school's range for the average freshman. The majority of

schools to which you apply should be match schools.

Safety Schools Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores academic are above the

school's range for the average freshman. You should apply

to at least 2 safety schools

4. Identify Reach, Match, & Safety Schools

• Based on your own profile (GPA, test scores, etc.),

include colleges that fall into each school category.

• Don't include a school on your list that you wouldn't be

willing to attend or you have no -- or very little chance --

of getting admitted.

• Your college list should be taking a more vivid shape

during this time.

5. Finalize Your College List

• From all the steps and guidelines given above, you

should be ready to finalize your college list by now.

• Include schools you WANT to and QUALIFIES you to

attend.

• Remove schools you have NO CHANCE of getting

into.

The College List: How Many is Too Many?

• There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing a

college. It is a personal decision that you need to make.

• The number of colleges you should include on your list,

therefore, depends on YOU.

• A good number, however, is 8 to 15 colleges or

universities, composed of a combination of reach, match,

and safety schools.

Other Factors You Need to Consider

• Cost: Most elite schools have application fees of $60 or

more.

• Match: Did you really visit all schools in your list and

find that each one felt right for you?

• Time: The applications, especially at competitive

schools, take a lot of time to complete.

• Personal Touch: Can you personalize each application

and respond to the supplemental essay prompt that

asks why are you interested to attend a particular

school?

The College List: Mistakes to Avoid

• Not knowing yourself / not being able to identify what you

want

o Students who pick colleges based only on what they offer --

and not on what colleges best "fit" them -- often end up

disappointed.

• Not taking time to research

o Students who choose colleges only by name, location or

because their best friend is going there, and don't look into

what the colleges are all about, might find themselves let

down after they start college.

• Being too unrealistic or over confident

o Some students believe in themselves so much that they fail

to include enough colleges in their list, applying only to their

dream school.

Get Started with Now!

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consultation with a member of our team.

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