I’m currently a senior in high school and I am completely stressing out about applications and deadlines and whatnot.
However, I haven’t solidified my college list and I find it incredibly difficult to do so!
Could anyone give me some advice as to how I should research schools?
I try to stay away from the school’s direct website as it is obviously very biased towards themselves.
My ideal college list would consist of 9 schools:
3 Reaches
3 Targets
3 Safetys
Home state?
What can your family afford to pay each year?
UW GPA? SAT/ACT test scores? SAT II subject tests?
AP/IB or Dual enrollment courses? # of these courses
Intended major?
EFC?
Do you want a large state/research school or smaller Liberal Arts College? Urban/Suburban/Rural? Sports and/or Greek life? Religious/Non-Religious?
Besides answering the questions above get a hold of one of those college review books like Princeton Review or Fiske. Ask your guidance counselor for recs. Look at your school’s Naviance and see where people are having success getting in. Just some suggestions
What can your family afford to pay each year?
-My parents and I are quite against the idea of paying more than 20-30k a year.
UW GPA? SAT/ACT test scores? SAT II subject tests?
-UW GPA: 4.0
-SAT: 1400 (M: 720, R&W: 680)
-SAT II: I did take USH but I bombed the test so bad (610) that I just decided not to send them at all.
AP/IB or Dual enrollment courses? # of these courses
-World History, English Language and Composition, Biology, US History, Physics, Literature, American Government, Calculus AB
-I scored a 3 on the first 4 tests. I am currently taking classes for the last 4 tests.
Intended major?
-I’m still not quite sure. I’m debating between english, visual arts, and business (but these choices may also change in the near future).
EFC?
-I haven’t filled out FAFSA yet so I don’t know what my EFC is. However, I am very positive that I will be uneligible for most financial aid and grants because my family’s income is greater than 300k.
Do you want a large state/research school or smaller Liberal Arts College? Urban/Suburban/Rural? Sports and/or Greek life? Religious/Non-Religious?
-I currently don’t have any solid opinions about research schools and liberal arts schools. I haven’t really experienced either. However, when it comes to the size of the school population, I definitely prefer small schools.
-Urban
-I have no concern for sports or Greek life.
-Non-religious schools or Christian schools. However, I do sway more towards the non-religious schools.
SUNY Geneseo is obvious for your in state public opinion. Many small liberal arts schools offering enough merit aid to bring the total cost within $25-30k are in the midwest, mid-Atlantic or southern regions. You might check out Rhodes, Centre, or Emory’s Oxford College in the south, for example. Clark in Worcester, MA is also popular.
Many private colleges offering significant merit (such as Rhodes) require a fall application process and invite finalists back in the spring for interviews with the admissions officers and faculty.
If you’re willing to consider honors programs within a large public university, some of them have their own housing options and smaller classes making them feel like a small school within a larger setting. Univ. of SC-Columbia Honors College (for example) offers in-state tuition to out of staters + scholarships of $2-8k annually. There’s an entire website devoted to public university honors program options which is quite interesting.