The College Search
The right college for you is not necessarily the most competitive school, nor the one your best friend is going to. It's the one where you can be a happy, successful student. Many people go to college but don't finish their degree. This is why it is important to look into graduation rates when you are searching schools to potentially apply for. If there's a high chance that you won't graduate from the school you choose, there's a high chance that you won't make as much money, which will make any loans you have difficult to pay off. This is why you need to find a school that's a good match and fit for you! Don't worry, I'm here to help!
Building a Balanced College List
It's important to build a balanced college list of schools to apply for. I recommend applying to at least 3 schools (if you are planning on attending a four-year school). In building a balanced list, you are making it much more certain that you will not only get into school, but that you will attend a school that is a good fit for you. This makes it much more likely that you will enjoy school and graduate on time!
While building a list, I recommend that you choose the following:
One or two "reach" schools
These are schools whose average admitted GPA and test scores are a bit higher than yours. Your scores should be on the low end of their admitted range, not far below it.
Two or three "target" schools
These are schools whose average admitted GPA and test scores are very close or equal to yours.
One or two "likely" schools
These are schools whose average admitted GPA and test scores are below yours. Your scores should be on the high end (or above) their admitted range.
While choosing these schools, you must take match and fit into account!
Match
The match between a student and a college has to do with numbers.
You and a certain school "match" if you meet their course requirements, and your GPA and test scores fall within their typical range of accepted students. When finding schools that match you, you should look out for GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and high school course requirements.
Fit
The fit between a student and a college does not have to do with numbers, but instead with feelings and preferences.
You and a certain school "fit" if the school offers things you are looking for such as size, location, sports, clubs and organizations, Greek life, majors, diversity, etc. These are the factors that would make you personally feel at home at a school, and would make you happy studying there for four years!
While it may seem strange, don't take cost of schools into account while building your list. What you pay is often far below the sticker price of a college. In fact, private colleges (that have high sticker prices) often end up being far cheaper than public colleges for many students after they receive their financial aid packages!
Start your College Search
Use these college search tools to find schools that are a good match and fit for you! If you create accounts on these websites, you can save schools you're interested in and easily find them later (and show them to me!). Once you find schools you're interested in, visit their websites and explore what they have to offer! You can also visit their social media pages for a different view.
Here's a guide for finding a school that's the right "match":
NC College Average Academic Profile.docx