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College Research
College Research
Picking the right college for you comes down to many different factors: cost, location, programs, class sizes, etc. There are a variety of resources that you can use to help you narrow down your college search and pick a school that is right for you. One way of narrowing down your search is to categorize schools according to their match and fit.
Match: The qualities colleges look for in their applicants
GPA
ACT/Test Scores
Course Selection
Fit: The qualities that you are looking for in a college
Majors/Programs
Sports/Clubs
Size
Professors vs. TAs
Community
Diversity
And much, much more!
Choosing a College
Videos from the MN Department of Education
College Navigator is a great website for researching schools and refining your search. It includes information about programs and majors, application requirements, tuition and fees, the size of the student body, extended learning opportunities, and much more. Use this website if you are just starting your search and you need more details about what each school offers.
College Affordability and Transparency Center
The US Department of Education offers a college search website called the College Affordability and Transparency Center. This is a great website for researching the costs of attending different colleges and learn more about how fast those costs are going up and why the costs are going up.
the college tour
the college tour
This is a great interactive resource that provides detailed information about the college search. They focus on four key areas: location, campus culture, college type, and chosen major. There are college tours available online along with other specific information about each school. Check it out!
Niche
This is a website that will give you all of the college data, reviews, and insights in one place to make your search as easy as possible. This is another great tool for learning more about individual colleges.
Writing a College Essay
Letters of Recommendation
Some colleges may require one or two letters of recommendation
Make sure you are asking teachers that know you and your academic work well
Provide the recommender with a resume or information they can use to write the letter of recommendation
Give recommender at least two or more weeks to write the letter
Remember to thank them for taking the time to write your letter of recommendation
Campus Tours
You can typically set-up a tour by visiting the admissions page of the college website you are interested in. If you can't get to the campus you hope to attend for an in person visit, that's okay! There are many colleges that now offer virtual tours. The You Visit website has many virtual tour options for colleges all over the country.
Virtual College Fairs
A college fair is a great place to learn more about colleges and meet admissions representatives so that you can ask questions. Luckily, there are several Virtual College Fair opportunities this year. Not sure what to ask? Consider asking some of the following questions when speaking to different college reps or taking note of the answers to these questions if you find them on their college fair materials/presentations:
What are the admissions requirements?
What is your application deadline?
What is the student to faculty ratio?
What are the average class sizes of a freshman course?
What clubs and activities does the campus offer?
Check out Getschooled.com for more helpful college-related resources!
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