Finding the Right College

Sometimes, yes. Colleges are businesses, and they need to pay their staff and keep the lights on. Very rarely are colleges truly need-blind, and this usually only happens at schools with endowments in the billions of dollars. Most colleges would like to be able to take all qualified applicants regardless of ability to pay, but this isn’t the reality. They need to bring in a certain amount of money to pay the bills, and they have a limited pot of funds to provide financial aid or merit scholarships. Schools tend to have more money earlier in the process, and some will set priority deadlines for scholarship consideration. After that, you might be admitted but without merit or other aid. Also, when deciding who to admit, the ability to pay the “sticker price” can help buoy a student who is maybe on the bubble and earn that person a seat. (Alternatively, they’re more willing to offer money to students who can bring something to the school – grades/scores higher than the average, a specific talent or skill they want, some sort of diversity that they’re looking to increase. In other words, the more they want you, the less important it is if you can pay full tuition!). Schools often will look most favorably upon full-pay students when deciding upon who to pull off a waitlist; since they can only offer minimal aid, if any, to these students during May and June, the full-pay students get the advantage.

Tell Them! When in an interview, writing why you want to go there, or speaking to an admissions rep let them know that it is your top choice. Also, just showing interest can help them to understand how passionate you are. The fact that you did an interview, took the time to visit, and made the effort to email a rep to ask questions lets them know that you are seriously considering their school.

If you have great grades and have completed taking your SAT/ACT/Subject exams by October you should definitely do Early Action if the school offers it. A college will not offer regular decision and rolling. If they offer Regular Decision only then just make sure you get everything in to the college (including sending scores!) by their RD deadline. If a school is rolling then they are first come first serve so the earlier you apply the better! Definitely apply to rolling schools by Thanksgiving at the latest. If a school offers EA and rolling do EA - you will likely get your decision back faster. As for Early Decision, this should be something the entire family discusses since your family financial situation comes into play when committing to a school.

It definitely could! If you are looking at a school far away they may be more likely to accept someone from a town in a state they normally don't get many applicants from. Adversely if a ton of students from your town apply to the school it might be harder to get in. Its not really the TOWN that makes the difference as much as the SCHOOL though. Colleges are comparing you with other students from the school you attended, which is not necessarily the same thing.

Depends....Most colleges have need blind admissions which means that they do not look at financial information when making admissions decisions. There are two typically caveats, which are that waitlists are usually NOT need blind and international students as well, even if all other students are looked need blind. Unfortunately as the economy has worsened more colleges are looking at student financial need or are expressing that they will likely not be need blind forever. This is an important question to ask college admissions officers during your info session on campus or when a representative comes to your school!

Are they useful, yes. Are they determining factors, probably not. At the beginning of your college search these should be part of the myriad of different sources you use for information. Ultimately its about finding the right fit for YOU, not your mom or your great aunt. Rankings are typically not based on the factors that might be the most important to you as a student. Visiting the campus is always the best way to see if the college is right one for you, but if that is impossible certainly speaking to current students there and using expert guidebooks are helpful.

I suggest that students apply to anywhere from 7-10 schools.

In my opinion, yes. But for some students, no. If you went to a small high school where class sizes were small and the learning environment was intimate, you may want this type of learning environment in college. Large lecture utilizing auditorium style seating may not be for you. If you went to a larger school with larger classes, you may value small class size less and find it to be further down the list as a requirement in a prospective college or university. I find that small classes are more conducive to learning and despite the fact I was shy in college - I preferred small classes to larger lectures. I didn't want to be lost in the crowd in class and felt like if I needed extra help or support I was able to get it in my smaller classes and less so in my larger classes.

Yes. Making direct contact with a member of the admissions office demonstrates your interest in the school. You may not know if this person is a member of the admissions committee, but they could be. Applicants can start by reaching out to have questions answered that are not readily available on the website or via an information session. Once this initial contact is made, you will have the opportunity to follow up with someones directly if needed pertaining to your application, application documents, and once a decision is made on your application. You can also utilize this connection to show continued interest if you are waitlisted. There is such thing as too much contact. Admissions officers and office staff in general are very busy - if you are calling and emailing weekly - this will not bode well for your application. Don't be that applicant. Make the initial contact, follow up to show interest and have questions answered, and utilize your direct contact if need be later in the admissions process or if you are waitlisted - and leave it at that!

Utilizing the summer break is critical to a successful application process. Admissions officers look for engagement in activities 12 months of the year, not just during the school year. So, what you do with your summer’s matters. There is no right or wrong way to spend this time, but let it be unique to your own situation, goals and needs – just make sure you do something! Some students spend the summer focusing solely on test prep or taking classes at a local community college or online (MOOC’s, too). Others work full-time or part time, and there are some students who travel, volunteer or focus on a sport or sports. Most students do a combination of one or more of the above over the summer months, and the ability to demonstrate balance of a set of meaningful activities is a great characteristic to be able to highlight in your application. In addition to continuing extracurricular activities, getting started on your essays should be near the top of your summer to-do list. The new Common Application prompts are out now (and School Supplements go live August 1st), so starting to brainstorm and draft during the summer months will save you a ton of time come the start of the busy senior school year. Even if you can only commit to working on them a few hours a week you will find yourself far ahead of your peers who have not put in the extra effort. You will be thanking yourself come October when your friends are stressed out trying to complete them all and you have time to continue your focus on maintaining that GPA!

There are a number of practical things that should be on a junior’s timeline, including testing early, securing recommendations, visiting colleges. But before doing anything else, define who you are in relation to choosing colleges: what are the characteristics, both academic and lifestyle, that combine to produce the colleges that are the best fit for you? Picture yourself at college. Where is it geographically, what is its size? Does it allow you to learn in the way that is best for you? Are the students those from whom you will learn and with whom you will form lifetime friendships?

Goldilocks found the perfect porridge, chair, and bed. And you can find the perfect colleges to put on your list. A good place to start is Steven Antonoff’s book, College Finder. It lists colleges under every conceivable category. Look at the categories and then go explore the colleges. You can start in your own area to see whether you like city, suburban, or rural locations. Think about size and cost. Think about closeness to home and weather. Think about the match to your academic and extracurricular strengths. You can develop a great list and go from there.

Quality not quantity is something to remember when engaging in activities. Too often students think that they need to do everything and be great in school. If you are searching for an inspiring activity and nothing seems to match, take some time to evaluate what you have tried. What did you like and what did you not like and why? Even by not finding some activity that suits you is a learning experience as long as you take the time to determine why you did not like it. What is your passion? Take your passion and make it work for you?

After all, who would buy the magazines or guidebooks if there weren’t a new number one?  While some of the data used to derive the rankings are objective, subjective aspects such as perceived reputation are often used.  And statistics can be manipulated or misinterpreted.  Part of the problem is that the schools themselves provide much of the information going into the rankings. While many try to be absolutely accurate, some occasionally enhance their scores through creative data reporting. Should you ignore the rankings altogether?  Not necessarily.  But take them for what they are: a very small piece of the puzzle.

There are many resources to help students find the right colleges for them.  Starting out by visiting a few campuses in different settings will help to clarify what feels right.  Giving thought to your learning style, social character, intellectual interests and talents are other criteria that will pave the way toward finding the right college fit.  Finding college rankings for these criteria can be very helpful.  Two of my favorites are The College Finder by Steven Antonoff and The Rugg’s Recommendations by Frederick Rugg.  The US News rankings are of little help, however the articles and commentary are!

Do you raise your hand or hate to be called on?  Some students learn best in small groups; others thrive when they simply listen and take notes.  If you’re the first type, consider a small school.  If you’re the second, then maybe a large university is the place for you.  This distinction is not absolute; some smaller schools have some pretty big classes and large university introductory courses typically break into smaller sections.   Also, if you want a close knit, nurturing environment – think small.  If you’re an independent self starter who doesn't mind a little bit of anonymity – consider big.

Junior year is essential to college admissions. Let colleges know you can maintain good grades. If you haven’t worked your hardest, challenge yourself to improve your performance this semester and next. Be well-prepared for SATs/ACTs, studying and practicing on your own or with a tutor. Give extracurricular activities an extra boost. Colleges are looking for students who show initiative, leadership, passion, and significant service. Volunteer in your school or community and explore summer academic and internship opportunities. If you’ve been active, look for ways to enhance those activities – e.g. become an officer, run a community drive, increase your service hours.

With summer upon us, many students are convinced they need to travel to a third world country to do their community service or attend a program at an elite college to increase their chance of acceptance. Neither of these scenarios is accurate. Students seem to think that they need to add countless activities to their activity resumes when in fact college officers prefer to see fewer activities with more depth and continuity. Families rely too heavily on publicity and rankings. If they haven’t heard of the college, it can’t be good. Put your antennas up and explore the thousands of colleges out there!