Factors to consider during the college search process:

• Type of College (liberal arts, private, public, non-profit)

• Academic Programs

• Size (small 2000-7000 students; medium 7001-13,000;  large 13,001-20,000; very large 20,000+)

• Location & Housing

• Lifestyle (sports, honor societies, fraternities/sororities, etc.)

• Affordability

• Special Programs (study abroad, combined bachelor/master degrees programs, etc.)

What are colleges looking at?

• Difficulty of curriculum*

• GPA*

• Test Scores (SAT/ACT)*

• Class Rank

• Application Essay

• Extracurricular Activities

• Recommendations

• Interviews

*Colleges often look at these factors first to determine if students meet the average or minimum entrance criteria for that school, then consider the remainder of the student's application materials. 

Giving yourself the best opportunity!

Keeping in mind what the student is looking for and what the colleges are looking for, students should create a list with one or two colleges for each of the following categories:

• Reach Schools (Grades and Test scores meet or fall below average profile and/or acceptance rate is less than 30%)

• 50/50 Schools (Grades and test scores meet average profile and acceptance rate is 30-60%)

• Likely Schools (Grades and test scores exceed average profile and acceptance rate is more than 60% or school is open admission) 

College Search Engines:

Use College SuperMatch on Naviance:

• Sign into Naviance via www.hcpss.me 

• Same username and password used to log onto school computers

Search websites:

• Big Future - CollegeBoard

• College Raptor

• College Express 

• College Results

• Princeton Review