Researching Schools

If you don’t know what you want to study or major in college, take many online quizzes like the ones on Naviance or Career Explorer (more accurate). Maybe jot down what your favorite courses in school are and research majors related to those subjects. 

If you know what you want to study, make sure to visit that department’s web page and read about the courses offered and the professors who teach those classes. 

Look for answers to the following questions:

• What are the required courses for your intended major?

• Do the available classes sound interesting to you?

• Can you design your own major?

• How big is the department?

• What research or internship opportunities are students able to participate in?

• Are there general education or core requirements?

• How are courses structured?

• Do courses emphasize hands-on experiences, lectures, or teamwork?

• What is the average class size for freshman year?  Upperclassmen classes in your major? What is the student-to-faculty ratio?

College is an academic, but also a social experience. Next, create a list of questions about dining and housing, clubs and activities, social life and the surrounding community.

• Is a meal plan required? Where do students eat on and off campus?

• Which clubs would you join on campus and what type of events do they host?

• How do students give back to the college’s local community?

• Is there Greek life on campus? What percentage of students participate in fraternities and sororities?

• How is housing assigned? How many roommates might I have in my first year?

• Retention Rates: How many students return for their sophomore year? How many graduate in 4 years?  What is the graduation percentage?

• Diversity: What other nationalities and cultures are represented on campus? What percentage of the student body is international? What is the male to female ratio on campus? What initiatives has the school put in place to support such diversity?

• Housing: How many students live on-campus versus those who live off-campus? Are students required to live on-campus for a specific number of years or are they allowed to move off-campus at any point? Is on-campus housing provided for all four years of study? Are special housing accommodations available (i.e. quiet, single-sex, learning communities etc.)?

• Career development: What career services are available? How many students have internships during their time in college? How many students find a job within six months of graduation? How many students go onto business, law, medical, or graduate school?

• School size and location:“ Will a smaller or larger school better suit your needs? Would you prefer to be in a bustling city, a small town, or somewhere in between? (Also consider the typical weather, transportation, both public and on-campus, and the distance to major cities or to/from home).

• Start researching schools (Early to Mid Junior Year) based on their academic programs, financial aid packages, clubs and activities, and geographical location

• Begin compiling a college list ( Quarter 3-4 Junior Year) 

You should have a final list of your top schools (End of Quarter 4 Junior Year), so you can plan for college visits that same semester. 

To maximize your options, aim to apply for eight schools:

• Two reach schools where it might be difficult for you to get accepted

• Four match schools where you have a good chance of getting accepted

• Two safety schools where you feel confident you’ll get accepted

Note requirements/deadlines for each school: 

In the summer before your senior year, note all deadlines and requirements for your prospective schools in a college tracker spreadsheet.

Take time to do on-campus or virtual visits to prospective schools, but avoid visiting in the summer, when less faculty and staff are available to meet on campus. For highly selective schools, you should consider visiting campuses during the second semester of your junior year to meet and demonstrate interest to admissions officers and professors before you apply in the fall.

You can attend in-person or virtual college fairs to talk with current students and alumni. High school visits, where admissions officers from universities visit high schools, are also useful to learn more about a particular university.

Consider where you’d feel most happy learning and living based on the school and class sizes, academic programs, and geographical location.

In August or September, you should choose an admissions plan for each university. Most students choose the regular decision process, with deadlines spanning from late November to mid-March.

Early decision (ED) and early action (EA) plans allow students to apply for and receive admissions decisions earlier than regular decisions. Some schools’ early decision and early action rounds are less competitive, admitting a higher percentage of students than in regular decision rounds. 

Early decision is binding: you must attend that college if accepted, unless the financial aid package is insufficient. Some universities offer two rounds of early decision deadlines (ED I and ED II), one in fall and the other in winter. The ED II round in winter gives you more time to prepare a stronger application package, research and visit colleges, and explore financial aid options.

Early action is non-binding: you have until the May 1 deadline to choose which college to attend. It also allows you to explore more financial aid packages from schools you are accepted to. Some highly selective private schools offer restrictive early action, which is also non-binding, but prevents students from applying ED/EA to other private schools.

Students should prepare application materials for other schools’ regular decision deadlines if their early decision or early action applications are rejected.

Some schools also offer rolling admission, which offers a flexible six-month application window and a decision response around four to eight weeks after submission. However, rolling admission favors early applicants, since admission stops once the class reaches capacity.