With fall semester coming to a close, ‘tis the season for upperclassmen to start getting serious about their college decisions. That task becomes hard when being bombarded with emails sent by colleges and getting inundated with information regarding applications. All the sustained pressure coming from family, classes, counselors, and the looming responsibilities of adulthood becomes stressful for college applicants. Maybe the time has come to block out the superfluous noise surrounding college and get back to the basics- what should students focus on in order to be happy with their decisions?
First things first: make a wish list. Write down every stipulation, desire, and dealbreaker to measure potential colleges by. This list can include qualities like the location of a school, its size, focus, and available programs. Think about everything from a range of potential majors to study abroad programs to whether or not brick buildings would be nice to have on the campus. This wish list should be a brain dump that represents what a perfect school might look like without paying attention to how realistic the expectations might be.
The next step of the college hunting process must be research. Start with a simple Google search for colleges in the area, or find some universities that specialize in a subject of interest. After getting an idea of what to look for, begin draining the pool of candidates. CollegeBoard can help narrow down options by applying filters to searches. In order to consolidate the search, divide colleges into ranks of safety schools, base schools, and reach schools, depending on the likelihood of acceptance. Pay attention to the schools that check off the most items on that wish list, and keep track of the ones that make appearances on every list.
As the hunt continues, begin to keep in mind personal readiness as it applies to the most appealing schools. Students should assess their grades, extracurriculars, and future plans. Sometimes, an attractive college might not be the proper fit for a student if it does not offer the genre of majors that they like, or that their grades reflect best on. Additionally, at this point of the search, it may be time to check off immediate boxes on the ultimate college to-do lists: taking the SAT or ACT, getting involved in summer programs, asking for teacher recommendations, and lining up good classes for the remainder of high school. Making an appointment with a guidance counselor could be a great idea in order to get a personalized action plan before applications go out, and also a way to get some advice on which colleges to look at.
In the last steps of the process, start getting serious about a few schools. Pick some to take tours at in order to get a feel for what the college experience could be like. Keep in mind that very first wish list while trying to gain perspective on what really matters. Remember to avoid pressure from friends and family when picking colleges, and remain firm in decisions. The college hunting process should be fun, as it provides a path to freedom and leads into the rest of a career.
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