<p>Now that my senior year is fast approaching, I realize that I have to begin narrowing down a list of choices of colleges that I wish to apply to. However, I am not sure as to how I'm supposed to narrow down my choices before the acceptance letters comes in after I apply, particularly since my aspiration is to go to a top school such as an Ivy League.</p>
<p>Essentially, what I've been focusing on thus far in narrowing down my list of choices is the majors offered at each particular school I'm currently considering - no less than 10 at the moment - and their overall academic reputation. Of course, I'm starting to see this approach isn't very reliable when I'm looking at only the top schools to begin with. I've also been considering other factors such as class size, campus life, location, and tuition/financial aid, though I am not sure how each factor should be weighted in my current stage of the college selection. If you guys and gals could provide any advice, either from personal experience or from researching the whole choosing-a-college process, I'd surely welcome any.</p>
<p>I will add that I posted this topic to begin with because college applications can be quite expensive for the higher-tier schools that I'm interested in, and I don't think it'd be feasible to apply to more than six of them by the time December rolls around. I'm also keeping in mind I'd have to apply to one or two safety schools - which I've more or less decided on already - so I don't want the costs to rack up when my chances of getting into any of the aforementioned type of schools are slim to begin with.</p>
<p>Once again, thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Ronaldo </p>
<p>Everyone is going to answer this question differently. But here goes …</p>
<p>First – Financial aid. This is a biggie. It doesn’t help to get into a school that you can’t afford. So, if you’re going to be dependent on this, it’s probably the number one factor. Eliminate any school that won’t meet your needs. If you can afford a school, but don’t want to burden your family, again, this becomes an important factor – but only you can weigh this against reputation.</p>
<p>Second – What is your dream school? Urban? Suburban? Rural? Big? Small? You have to know this. Visit a few schools, to at least narrow down the kind of school you like best. To the extent you’re looking to apply to 5 or 6 schools in addition to your safeties, you can probably find schools that meet these characteristics (or come close). Choosing a school that fits the profile you like, in this case, doesn’t sacrifice reputation.</p>
<p>You should:
-Apply to your 1st choice (“Dream School”, if you will)
-2 or 3 safeties, for which you are a shoe-in candidate
-1 or 2 FINANCIAL safeties, which are relatively good schools that you can definitely afford
-and 2 or 3 reaches, because you never know.
TOTAL: between 6 and 11 schools to apply to</p>
<p>Given what you guys have said, would it be best to simply focus less on the academic departments for each college (in this case) and focus more on the particular environment at each college, financial costs, and the size and culture of the town?</p>
<p>You should first look at academics and then look at community & culture. As stated above, organize your colleges into</p>
<p>Reach</p>
<p>Match</p>
<p>Safety</p>
<p>And your “dream school.” Matches are good schools for which you aren’t quite a shoo-in, but you have a good chance for an admission there.</p>
<p>If you are quite sure of what you are majoring in, then yes, it pays to take a look at the program/major course offerings just to be sure they have what you want in sufficient breadth and depth, but that is secondary to finding a school that fits both your wallet and your ‘best personal fit.’ Most students change majors at least once.</p>