Hey everyone!
There is a question that’s been in my mind for so long and couldn’t get the answer to. How can someone know what his/her dream college is? What criteria can determine whether a university is suitable to the applicant or not? Are there any specific things which looking at can make us sure that we’ve picked the right place to spend the next 4 years at? ( Besides financial aid, standardized testing and all that of course)
I would much appreciate your help and advice. Choosing the right universities can augment admissions odds big deal!
The secret is to not have a “dream college”. Research well, and make a list of several colleges with the academics offerings you want with a price point you can afford and the atmosphere (location, size, campus vibe) you are looking for. Go for accepted student visits at you top 2-3 choices. There is no good substitute for research and knowing your own parameters. Don’t get too attached to any one school until after FA/cost is understood and you have done a spring visit.
intparent gives excellent advice (we did everything they suggested.) What you feel is important to you as a “dream college” can change drastically over senior year, once you receive FA offers and visit your top choices several times… Having “8 First Choices” can work if you split it evenly between reaches, matches and safeties.
Applying to schools where your stats are in the top 25% should increase admission odds (not counting Ivies.) Consider how much you want to be challenged academically (or how well you do under pressure.) Several of my D’s classmates at prestigious colleges admitted due to alumni connections (with stats on the low end) are struggling and feel lost in the crowd. Governor Charlie Baker was quoted as saying he wished he had attended Hamilton instead of Harvard.
Thanks for your help.
I’m actually doing pretty good academically and what not. I’m planing to apply to only 2 Ivy leagues. I also have made my college list with my safeties. However, there is still that passion about my top two universities ( Princeton and Columbia) that is still missing! I talked with a Harvard grad about a week ago and he told me that his passion about Harvard was what really pushed him and encouraged him the most to work really hard on his application and get accepted with a full ride!
Do you think that passion about a college can be a crucial thing to have? Would it make a difference among applicants?
I agree with the idea that making a list where you will be happy attending any on your list is key. That way you are thrilled with every acceptance regardless of how you categorize the school. If you get you reach/dream and can afford it in the end all the better.
Aid at Harvard is based on need only. So it is just a matter of getting an acceptance.
I also agree that dream college is a foolish concept that prevents rationality and satisfaction. It isn’t that I don’t believe in a gut feel for things, but you have to have multiple choices that will work well for you and you should try to be realistic about what it means to go to school there and if it really is a good environment. So being sure about picking the right place is about putting yourself in the life there. The graduation requirements, the atmosphere, location, culture all the things that if you are honest matter to you.
I agree with everything said here. The one mistake I think we made (but rectified in the end) was locale. The original list was all small LACs in rural communities. D made a point of avoiding anything in the city. Boston is our closest city and there are some great schools there. She eventually added a couple but still insisted on small student size. In the end, one of her top choices (not dream school though) is 7000 UG in a good sized city. So the list can manifest and change over time…
I do not think ‘initial passion’ is critical. It can be like a crush that doesn’t work out so well once you actually get to know the person. My D1 ended up at her safety with very good merit aid. Loved it, graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and got a great job through networking with an older student. D2 ended up at her initially distant 3rd choice after attending accepted student visits at her top 3, and as a sophomore it is clear she made the right choice. Don’t get too worked up about it, keep a clear head and avoid fixating on one school.
Aside from academics and majors, does the school have active programs in what interests you outside the classroom. If you love football and athletics is the student body apathetic or rah rah? Do you like being in an urban environment, a suburban environment or in the middle of no where. It can be very hard adjusting from a walking culture to a car culture for instance. Are you liberal or conservative? If you are one of a handful of liberals or conservatives on campus you may feel out of place. Is food important to you? If you are a picky eater that is something to consider. If you are on a restricted diet going to a small school with few food options on campus and virtually none off campus you may be miserable. The weather is another consideration. If you hate the cold or heat that can affect your happiness. Are you happy going to new places not knowing anyone and adjusting well or are you the kid who can’t go to camp without a buddy you already know? Some schools are known to have all nighters for exams whereas others do not. At some schools the party scene takes place at frats, some at bars with fake ID’s, other schools have small parties at apartments. Do you want to live on campus for four years? Do you want to be able to come home on smaller school breaks because distance can affect your ability to do so?
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself.
-Look for schools where you fit in the statistical range for acceptance. Don’t decide you want to go to a school you could never get into.
-Look at schools that seem affordable (run Net Price Calculator, look at in-state options)
-Pay attention to any restrictions your parents have (ex. location, price).
-Be sure the school is strong in your area(s) of interest/study
-Visit different types of schools and see where you are most comfortable. See out schools that have attributes that are important to you ( there are many factors such as different size schools, different geographic locations, religious/non-religious affiliated, city/suburban/rural, Greek/non-Greek, big time sports or not)
-Value fit over ranking of a college
-Don’t fall in love with one dream school – there are tons of great colleges and universities out there.
Some more thoughts. Do you like small intimate classes or being in a large lecture hall? Group discussion or lecture. Compare the classes offered in your intended major at multiple schools do you like their course offerings. What core requirements does the school require? Schools vary on this. How difficult is it to change majors should you change your mind? Some schools its easier to double major than at others. How many sections of the courses you want to take are available? Do you like how the college schedules its classes in terms of times and availability. Research profs on Rate My Professor to see what current and past students have to say about the profs in the department in which you intend to major.
Thank you all for your help. I’ll sure take it all into consideration. Any additional pieces of advice are welcomed.
As mentioned by others, fixating on a dream school is a recipe for disappointment if you do not get admitted, or it is too expensive.
The most important criteria are:
- Academic offerings in what you want to study – does not help if it has nothing you want to study.
- Affordability after financial aid and scholarships – does not help if you cannot afford it.
- Admission – does not help if you are not admitted.
Be sure to start your list with a safety which you know you will be admitted to and you know you can afford, in addition to having your desired academic offerings.
I would add that picking a school is not just a four year decision, it is a forty year decision. Look at what the alumni experience is like. After last night, I bet alot of Ohio State alums are happy they went to Columbus instead of Cincinnati or Dayton.
I can share how we came up with my daughter’s list. How effective it is has not yet been determined!
The first step is generating a beginning list. Because she’s a high stats kid, we didn’t have to use SAT or GPA to eliminate, so we focused on location to get a manageable initial list since 99% of colleges offer both of her intended majors.
These were the things that had to be a “yes” in order to stay on the list, in order of importance.
-Was the college in or have public transit access to a major city?
-Run the net price calculator. Affordable with need based aid?
Yes? proceed No? Investigate merit aid opportunities No merit? It doesn’t exist for our purposes. (NYU)
-guaranteed housing?
-At least 3000 students?
-No more than 55% female? Exception made if there was more than 10000 students total.
-No more than 25% Greek life?
The most important step after this initial culling, was to find that elusive financial safety. So we found a school with guaranteed full scholarship for her stats from the thread here on CC.
Then we looked at selectivity as shown both through national admit rate and her school’s naviance data.
We further eliminated a few schools because naviance data suggested that they tended to deny outliers, students who had much higher SAT/GPA than average. Generally, these were schools that weren’t as high on her wish list so it was likely to show through on her app.
She ended up with a list that includes
-2 safe affordable safeties, one of which she really loves
-2 safeties that will depend on merit stacking with need based aid, etc (she’s okay with these two but won’t be too upset
they don’t work out financially IF she has other choices)
-4 targets
-4+ reaches for everyone
There are some excellent schools that are not on her list, but for very specific reasons. For instance, most LACs are absent because they are generally small and rural.
If she gets shut out somehow, it won’t be because we didn’t do our research. I hope we have a balanced list. it’s more schools than I would like for her to have applied to, but the truth is, when you need FA, you kind of have to cover all your bases.
Thanks, this has been very helpful so far. Are there any particular websites other than CC that helped you with your research?
Too many students leave the cost factor too late in the game. How many threads have we read of admitted students asking whether it worth is to borrow $35k/year to go to State-U as an out-of-state student.
Uniggo reviews can be helpful in determining the vibes of various colleges, as can CC. However, I’d take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt as everyone has their own opinions and experiences