Building Your College List: 5 Considerations

*In addition to working as a Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, I have over 5 years of professional experience reviewing admissions applications for elite, liberal arts colleges. The college admissions process, while exciting, can also take a tremendous toll on students and their families. I’ve seen how this process can strain family dynamics, and communication. As such, I’ve been inspired to write a series of 3 posts covering various aspects of the college admissions process, with the overarching goal of helping my readers reduce stress related to all things college admissions.

Part 1: The College List

It’s mid-October – leaves are falling, temperatures are dropping, and college application season is right around the corner. Early decision deadlines (usually mid-November) are just weeks away, while regular decision deadlines (typically mid-January) are fast approaching. This can be a tough time for high school seniors, as impending college application deadlines and decisions combine with the stress of senior year academics. Many students at this stage of the game are still conflicted about what kinds of colleges are right for them.

Here are five factors to consider when compiling your college “list.” I hope these suggestions help you clarify what kind of school is best for you, while alleviating some of the stress surrounding the college application process.

1) Understand College Selectivity

Take an honest look at your academic performance, and begin the process of determining what kinds of colleges you’re likely to be admitted to. While numbers aren’t everything, the college admissions process is, in large part, a numbers game. Performance metrics like GPA, standardized test scores, and class rank, do matter. Websites like Niche offer useful data that allow you to compare your GPA and test scores against previously admitted applicants for most US colleges.

Additionally, consider the kinds of courses you’ve taken in high school. Colleges value rigorous curriculums, so if you’ve taken several AP/IB-level courses, that will make you a more attractive candidate. Finally, consider your involvement outside of the classroom. Are you a member of teams, clubs, or student organizations? Have you volunteered in your community? Worked a job? Colleges are interested in students who will be involved in the communities in which they reside, and they use high school involvement as a way to evaluate potential for community involvement in college.

If you’re still having difficulty understanding what level of college selectivity is right for you, talk to your college counselor, and/or contact admissions representatives at schools of interest. While admissions officers can’t guarantee/deny you admission based on preliminary information, they can give you some general feedback on whether or not it’d be worthwhile for you to apply to their school.

2) Know Your Preferred Academic Environment

Academic environments can vary wildly from school to school. Large, public universities often offer an education that’s quite different from small, private colleges. This is not to say that one is better than the other, but there are indeed differences. Consider asking yourself the following questions to help determine what kind of academic environment is right for you:

Would I thrive in big, lecture-based courses, or would I excel in smaller, discussion-based courses?
How would I feel if classes were taught by graduate students (TAs)?
Would I succeed, or struggle, in a highly competitive academic environment?
How hard am I willing to work on academics while in college?

An additional piece of advice: many high school students get caught up in feeling like they need to have a predetermined college major. Moreover, I see many students who use their anticipated major as a big factor in choosing colleges. There is a body of evidence that suggests that your college major really doesn’t matter for post-college employment purposes. If you’re confident you know what you want to study in college, then by all means use that to influence where you apply, but if you’re unsure, don’t let that stress you out! Don’t choose a school based on a certain major, unless you’re absolutely sure that’s what you want to study. You’ll have plenty of time to declare a major once you’re enrolled in college (usually 1.5 – 2 years)

3) Cost

The cost of college is significant, and will undoubtedly impact where you decide to apply. That said, there are many misconceptions about the costs of college. Some advice: when looking at colleges, look at the average cost of tuition, average amount of student debt, and average financial aid package, not total cost of tuition. To illustrate how misleading it can be to look simply at the full cost of a school, let’s take a look at my alma mater, Macalester College. Macalester is a selective, liberal arts college in St. Paul, MN, with a 2018-19 tution of $54,114. That’s a big, scary number, that if viewed in isolation, would rightly turn many applicants away! But upon closer look, the average financial aid award (package made up of scholarships, grants, and student loans) for Macalester students is $47,580, and the average Macalester graduate leaves college with roughly $24K of debt (that’s less than the national average). Those numbers paint a much different picture! I encourage you not to write off a school for cost-related purposes until you’ve taken a closer look at the financial aid numbers. College Data is a great tool for taking a closer look at college costs.

4) What size of school do you want?

Big schools and small schools differ in more ways than academics. In general, small schools will feel more intimate. Stroll through campus, and you’ll be likely to see many familiar faces. It may be easier to develop relationships with professors, and classes will be small. For many students, a small student body holds lots of appeal. Conversely, larger schools may have more vibrant social scenes, big-time college sports, and a wider array of academic, and extracurricular offerings. And of course, there are a whole range of intermediate-sized schools that offer something in-between. Consider what’s right for you! If you live in Portland, you might spend a few hours walking around the campuses of one of our many small colleges (Reed College, Lewis and Clark College, for example) and contrast that with time spent at a larger school (Portland State University, Oregon State University). This should help give you a feel for how the vibes may differ between big and small schools.

5) Location, Location, Location

Location is another big factor that can help narrow your list of potential colleges. Consider the following questions:

Is climate important to you?
Would you prefer an urban, or rural setting?
Do you want to attend a college with an abundance of summer job/research opportunities?
How far from home do you want to be?
Do you like the idea of going to school in a small town, where the community is centered around the college?
Do you like big city living?
How much can you afford to spend traveling to and from college during winter/summer breaks?

These are all important considerations, as your college’s location can play a huge role in your overall college experience. Moreover, consider where you might want to live after college. Attending college in a location that’s desirable holds many post-graduate benefits, as you’re bound to make personal and professional connections during your time in college.

With over 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, it’s likely there are several schools that would give you a great college experience. Hopefully you can utilize these guidelines to help focus your search, and identify a list of schools you’d be excited to attend.