How to make a college list

Building an effective and balanced college list

One of the responsibilities of the College Counseling Office is to help you assess your chances of admission and to help you choose a range of colleges that should provide multiple options in April of your senior year.

What is a good Fit?

When choosing a university to apply to, it is important that you think about the “fit” of the university. “Fit” can refer to things like: the location, the courses, the cost, and the size of a university. You must think about where you can see yourself being happy for the next stage of your life. A good university for you may not be a good choice for your friend, so make sure to keep this an individual decision. It is also important to remember that while the “famous” universities are excellent institutions, it is also important to look at schools you may not have heard of and consider what it would be like to live and learn in different places. Finding a “fit” is not an easy thing to do, but with the help of your counselor, your parents, and talking to alumni you will find a university that is right for you.

Step 1: Know yourself

• What are your goals and values? Which values are most important to you? How have these developed and evolved? How do you define success? What unique gifts and strengths do you possess? What kind of person do you aspire to become? Is there any secret desire to choose one particular profession or path in life? What experiences have shaped who you have become and your way of thinking? Which do you value more, people or things, action or reflection?

• What emphasis do you place on education? What are your academic interests? What courses have you enjoyed most? If on your own, what would you choose to learn? How do you best learn? Are particular teaching methods more effective for your learning style? What has been your most stimulating intellectual experience? What is your attitude towards studying?

• What about your academic record? Have you taken the most challenging courses available? What are your grades? What are your SAT scores? How does your academic record represent you? Have there been circumstances that have affected your academic performance?

• On what type of activities have you spent your time outside of the classroom? Which have been the most fulfilling? Is there a pattern of commitment and success? What is your role in your high school and community? What would others recognize as your contributions to the school or community?

• How do you perceive the world around you? Has the school environment encouraged your skills, interests and talents? How has your family influenced your outlook on life? Have your interests been nurtured or limited? Have you found a cause for which to stand up? How do you react when faced with people who thought or behaved differently to you? What issues do you feel strongly about? What is your social style, solitary or comfortable in large groups? How do you make difficult decisions?

Step 2: Know about the university

Type of school

• public vs. private (state)
• religious or secular
• coed or single sex
• liberal arts or pre-professional (engineering, business, nursing, etc.)
• conservative or liberal student body
• traditional or progressive

Enrollment

Number of undergraduate

• % of international students
• Residential/ commuting
• Retention rate after one year

SAFETY, MATCH, REACH

In developing your list of colleges, you need to make sure it is balanced in the range of selectivity represented and reasonable in the number of schools. The key to success, as well as maintaining balance and health through your senior year, is to cover the full range of selectivity, which you should be able to do with eight to ten applications. The College Counseling Office uses the following terminology to describe a student’s chances of admission: SAFETY, MATCH, REACH.

To that end, we expect everyone to include at least three “Match” colleges and three "Safety" colleges on the final list. Naturally, these should be institutions that you would happily attend. These schools should be researched as carefully and thoughtfully as your “Reach” colleges. Don't apply to any college or university that you really would not attend. A "safety" college becomes meaningless if you don't intend to go there under any

circumstances. Besides, you may be depriving someone else of a place in the freshman class.

How do you determine what your chances of admission are?

Assessing your record, your strengths and weaknesses, and examining the college's selectivity and statistics will give you some idea. Knowing whom a college has admitted or denied in the past can also give you some clue, but be aware that it can be dangerous to generalize too much from past decisions: the student who got in with grades lower than yours may have had, among other things, unusually strong recommendations, a special talent, or a strong legacy connection.

Obviously, grades and test scores are not the only things taken into account in a selective admission process, but it is a good place to start in evaluating your chances at a particular college. Naviance/BridgeU will give you access to data that will assist you in determining such factors.

• First, evaluate yourself. What kinds of grades have you earned? What kind of testing profile do (will) you have? How rigorous is the curriculum you have taken?
• Second, get the facts on the colleges in which you are interested. What is the acceptance rate? What is the middle 50% range of test scores (SAT/ACT) for accepted applicants? What is the average GPA for accepted candidates? What are the IB requirements?
• Third, compare your grades and scores with those of your selected schools.

WHAT IS A “SAFETY” COLLEGE?

These are colleges where your candidacy is very strong and the probability of your admission is 65% or better, if the admission trends at those colleges don’t shift significantly (which is always an unknown factor in the process). If your grades are well above the mean for that college, your scores are significantly above the middle 50% range. A “Safety” college will be a situation where your profile is even more comfortably above the college’s statistics. Remember that a “safety” school for one candidate could be a reach school for another candidate.

WHAT IS A “MATCH” COLLEGE?

These are colleges where your candidacy is very competitive, based on your academic profile and our history of admission with the school. A 50/50 college means that your application will be in the running, but the decision could go either way. If your academic profile is slightly above the mean for grades and testing, you have probably found a good 50/50 school. But remember, there is no formula to this process. At more selective schools, grades and test scores become less reliable predictors of outcome.

WHAT IS A REACH COLLEGE?

These are colleges where your academic profile is significantly below the threshold of competitive candidates based on past admissions history. Also, any college with an acceptance rate below 25% should be considered a REACH school for most students regardless of GPA and testing. Schools with an acceptance rate below 15% are HIGH REACHES, no matter how strong your academic profile. In addition to your academic record, your extracurricular and personal profile, self-presentation, recommendations and factors outside your control will be closely considered during the reading and evaluation process. Be sure to discuss your reach schools with your counselor. If your profile is significantly below the competitive range, is it really worth your investment of time and energy to apply?

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