Choosing Colleges
Searching for Colleges and Exploring Careers and College Majors
Take the ASVAB at Rouse on March 26 to learn what careers may be a good fit for you. Sign up here.
Explore the Big Future website. You can access it here.
Use the SuperMatch college search tool under in Naviance.
Use the tools under the "careers" tab in Naviance.
Try out the Wayfinder website. This UT website has excellent information on all the university's majors. All prospective applicants are encouraged to use this resource to help them choose the best fit major for their interests and career goals.
Finding Colleges That Fit You
It's good to apply to several colleges where you would be happy attending. Your colleges should include at least one safety college, and may include several target, or match, colleges, and a reach, or dream, college or two.
A safety school is one where your academic credentials exceed the school's range for the average first-year student. You should be reasonably certain that you will be admitted to your safety schools.
A target college is one in which your academic credentials make you competitive for admission. Your GPA, standardized test scores, and class rank fall within the average range for that particular school. You have a very reasonable chance of gaining admission to a target school, but there are no guarantees.
A reach school is a college where your academic credentials fall in the lower end, or even below, the school's average range for the cohort of students accepted the previous year. Reach schools might be long shots, but they should still be possible.
Use the Compare Colleges feature in Big Future to compare colleges. Pay attention to the percentages of applicants accepted and the median ACT and SAT scores. You can access the site here.
Also, check out the Assured Admission Chart to see where you can be automatically admitted to Texas public institutions based on rank and test scores
What You Need to Know about a College
There are many factors to consider when choosing colleges. Check out this handout for a comprehensive list of what you need to know to best determine if you want to attend a college. The best way to find the answers to the questions on this handout is to explore the colleges website, make an official visit to the college if possible, attend College Rep Visits at RHS, or attend a College Fair.
Visiting College Campuses
One of the best ways to learn about a college and determine if you will be comfortable there is to visit the college while classes are in session. You will get the most out of your visit by scheduling an official tour and possibly appointments with an admission counselor, someone in the department or your major, and/or a financial aid officer.
If you can't visit a college in-person, check out their virtual tours and information programs.
Check out the two-page resource below to help you make the most of your college visits:
Campus Visit Checklist and Get the Most Out of Your College Visit in Six Steps