College application season is just around the corner, and with over 4,000 degree-granting institutions in the US, finding the schools that you’ll be applying to is hard. Finalizing your list is the first step in setting yourself up for success, and can help you manage your college application stress. Here are some of our quick tips on creating your college list:
Get Organized!
The best way to stay on top of your college applications is to stay organized. Make sure you take down notes for the schools you have been researching. Then, create a spreadsheet where you can organize the deadlines, requirements, and important statistics about each school. Pay attention to statistics like average GPA, test scores, and admission rates.
Pick Your Safety, Target, and Reach Schools
As you start to narrow down your college list, it’s important to keep it balanced. Include safety, target, and reach schools. Safety schools are colleges with academic profiles that have averages lower than your scores or GPA; your chances of admission are pretty high. Target schools are those with academic profiles that match with yours; your scores and grades are on par with the school’s averages. The reach schools are institutions that have academic profiles with scores and grades that are higher than yours.
Match Your Interests
Additionally, it’s important to make sure that the schools you’re applying to match your own academic interests! If you have an idea of what your major will be, make sure you also look for schools that offer that major or a similar program. If you’re undecided or stuck between a few options, make sure you find schools that offer all or most of what you’re looking for in academic programs.
Know What You Want
When trying to make your list, make sure you remember what you want to see in a college. If location matters, make sure you consider that when making your college list. If you learn better in smaller classroom environments, pay attention to stats like faculty to student ratios or average class sizes. Keep track of what general attributes are important to you, and make sure you keep those in mind when doing your research.
All in all, there are a lot of different factors that need to be taken into consideration and tactics you need to use when crafting your college list – this just scratches the surface. And, you don’t have to be alone in this process! It’s okay to ask for help on your college applications, and we at Empowerly are here to help you throughout the process. If you need more help with finalizing your college list or the entire college application process, visit our website and book a free consultation now!
