How many colleges should I start my list with?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>I'm a junior who is just starting to make a college list. I have a list of 18 colleges right now, and was planning to cut it down, and then add or subtract as necessary. Is this a good plan, or should I find some more "base" colleges first?</p>

<p>The ones I have right now are either from a college search engine or ones I'm generally interested in. After I cut it down, I need to look at safeties and matches, since with my stats the list is currently top heavy.</p>

<p>The other thing is, I'm not sure exactly what I want in a college. I think medium-large in size, in an urban area, but I'd like to get a feel for different types of colleges. This makes it hard to look for safeties right now, but I know I'll be cutting out most of my reaches.</p>

2

<p>Some people here reccomend that you start with your safety and I think that’s an interesting and realistic way to do it. Once you are happy with that, you can look to the matches.</p>

3

<p>I think 18 is a great start.</p>

<p>I do believe in building the list from “likely/safety” up.</p>

<p>What you need to do next is look at finances. Have your parents run an EFC. Your list must include financial safeties.</p>

<p>If you need help with safety/match, determine what you really like about the schools on your list – you know the couple of things all the schools have in common. Then come back here and post your stats and list some of the schools you really like. We’d be happy to suggest safety/matches.</p>

4

<p>18?! Holy-moly! I suppose if you’re just researching them, that’s not bad. But when it comes to seriously considering schools try to get it no higher than 10 (they seven is a good number - 2 reach, 3 matches, 2 safeties).</p>

<p>I always had very specific criteria, so that number is huuuuuuge to me. One of my good friends did apply to 15 schools, though, just for the record.</p>

5

<p>If you have not yet sat down with your parents to run the EFC calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) then it is time to do so. You might want to have a box of tissues and some ice-cold adult beverages handy because the numbers are shocking to many parents.</p>

<p>When your parents are a bit recovered, talk with them about how your family will pay for your education. Find out how they feel about student loans, and whether or not they want you to work while you are in college. When you have a better handle on the money issue, you will know whether or not you need to find a Financial Safety, and if so just exactly how inexpensive that institution must be.</p>

<p>When you look at the potential Financial Safeties on your list, you need to determine if any of them are also Academic Safeties (somewhere that you are guaranteed or all but guaranteed admission based on your stats). Ideally, you should identify at least one True Safety. That would be a college or university that is not only a Financial and Academic Safety, but also offers your potential major(s), and is somewhere that you feel that you can be happy attending if all else goes wrong in the admission process.</p>

<p>AS you see, I’m arguing here that you start with your safety. If the foundation of your list is solid, than you will be able to build upward with more confidence. Don’t leave the selection of your safety (or safeties) to the very end. Every college/university on your list should be a place that you feel confident you can be happy attending.</p>

6

<p>I agree with starting with a couple of safeties and then building from there.</p>

<p>But, first, speak to your parents about how much they will pay each year.</p>

7

<p>Try to visit some nearby schools to begin to compare types —medium sized urban university, for example, vs. suburban or rural LAC. Your reaction to these will help you develop criteria. And I agree that it might makes sense to look at safeties early on because it can be calming to realize from the outset that the safety didn’t seem bad. Also start to think whether you have early action possibilities because if you get an early action place you can drop every school lower on your priority list and that will help narrow that list.</p>

8

<p>OK, updates. I just wanted to respond to all the great advice, and to show you some of my preliminary lists. </p>

<p>Stats:
I am a junior right now
“A” average and GPA
Most rigorous curriculum - very challenging
Substantative research and ECs/leadership positions,volunteer fundraising, but nothing amazing
SAT Bio 740, Sophomore PSAT 204
Planning to take PSAT this weekend, SAT soon
Strong possibiliites for letters of recommendation</p>

<p>Please suggest safeties, as I’m not sure where to go!
Criteria:
Preferably urban or close to a city
Medium - large sized
Some core curriculum/distributional requirements
Near my home in NYC (1 - 4 hours driving, or easy access by public transportation)
Major cities I’d like to focus on: New York, Philadelphia, Boston
I really liked University of Chicago, but it’s a bit far away from home.
Preferably not a party school or sports-centered school</p>

<p>Finances:
My family is on the border line of being able to recieve need-based aid and “There’s no way I can pay for this college!!!” My parents aren’t very willing to discuss finances with me, but at least 1 parent thoroughly understands the costs involved. </p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>These are the lists I made so far. List 1 is what I posted about earlier, List 2 is the pared-down one I am in the process of making. I still need to finish researching each of the colleges. Thoughts?</p>

<p>List 1:
Yale, University of Chicago, MIT, Tufts, Northwestern, Brown, Harvard, University of Notre Dame, UPenn, Georgetown, Cornell, Columbia, University of Rochester, Bucknell, Lehigh, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Melon </p>

<p>Definetly on List 2:
Yale, University of Chicago, Brown, Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, University of Rochester, Johns Hopkins, MIT</p>

<p>Maybe of List 2:
Tufts, Northwestern, Carnegie Melon, Bucknell, Lehigh</p>

9

<p>It would be pretty easy to look at Hopkins and Lehigh or Bucknell and that would help you to compare urban mid-sized with an LAC in a small town. You seem to have LACs as your safeties and I wonder if you should add one in the reach category like Bowdoin (only 45 min. from Portland) or Amherst (not that close to Boston, I guess). If you like U. Chicago, definitely apply --probably early action-- and you can decide later if it’s too far. It doesn’t take long by plane at all. You might consider Trinity as a safety—medium sized city and close to NY. I think the University of Pittsburg is supposed to quite generous with merit aid.</p>

10

<p>I have been to Johns Hopkins before, albeit for a summer program, not a college visit, but liked the campus and the location. </p>

<p>I just looked at Trinity, and it does seem good. Will research University of Pittsburgh as well.</p>