Making a College List

Search engines are great way to broaden your college search since you can filter thousands of universities by your desires. Find schools that best match what you are looking for in a college! Search engines allow you to narrow your searches through key words such as liberal arts colleges, suburban or medium-sized population. Some popular search engines are: CollegeBoard's Big Future, Scoir, Niche, and Cappex.

Official websites are a great way to learn more about a specific school's application process, deadlines, majors and minors offered, programs (such as honors, summer bridge programs, etc), student experience and much more. These sites are more reliable and accurate than college engine searches when it comes to specific admissions stats such as average GPA and SAT / ACT scores.

College fairs are offered throughout the year in-person and virtually. These fairs invite college ambassadors from multiple universities to give short informative presentation, answer student questions, and give out pamphlets to students. You can search for local opportunities offered throughout the year, such as visits to your high school or local community colleges.

Similar to college fairs, these in-person or virtual sessions provide information about a specific university. You gain insight about the school's application process and holistic approach from college admission officers. Throughout the year, it is possible for your school to host these events, so be on the lookout for schools you are interested in. These information sessions tend to be more personal since they have fewer participants so take advantage of them. You can also visit a college's website and register for any virtual sessions or tours they may be offering.

Safety schools are colleges where you are highly likely or guaranteed to be accepted. For a safety school your own stats (GPA and test scores) are significantly above the average of accepted students. The school's acceptance rate should be higher than 50%. You should consider applying to 2-3 safety schools. While these universities might not be your first choice they are great back-ups and may offer good financial aid. Examples of common safety schools are community colleges and less competitive state universities.

Match schools are colleges where you have a decent but not guaranteed chance of being accepted. Your academic standing (GPA and test scores) should be within the average stats for the school. Target schools tend to have a 20% to 50% acceptance rate. For match schools your letters of recommendation, essays, and extracurriculars can boost your overall application and increase your chance of acceptance. You should consider applying to 2-3 target schools, such as competitive state universities or out-of-state universities.

Note: Keep in mind that what may be a match school for you may be a reach school for another person.

Reach schools are universities you may aspire to attend but are unlikely to get accepted to. Reach schools have lower than a 20% acceptance rate. Applicants tend to have academic standings lower than the average accepted, however even higher stats do not guarantee acceptance. When applying to reach schools it is recommended to apply to only a few (1-3), rather than going overboard. Crafting a compelling application can be difficult so narrowing the reach schools you apply to can allow you to dedicate more time to the schools you care most about. Ivy league schools and prestigious private universities across the nation are considered reach schools.