The college selection process is an exciting and anxious time for high
school students and their parents. It is an important life transition
that can significantly affect your career path. If
you are a high school student planning to go to college, first make
sure that you are on track with the college planning process.
Assuming you are, how do you decide which college or university is best
for you? The key is fit. You have to evaluate if the college is a good
fit for you and the college has to evaluate if you are a good fit for
them. Let’s start with what the college admission factors, what do
colleges and universities use to decide if you are a good fit for them?
Keep in mind that there are a multitude of colleges and universities
and that they each have unique admission criteria, so be sure to check
in with the admission officers of the schools that you want to apply to
for their criteria. Nevertheless, colleges and universities generally
base their decisions on the following (though how much they weight each
of them will vary between institutions):
Your high school grades. Often they will recalculate your grade
point average (GPA) based on their own criteria (e.g., dropping some of
your non-academic electives, reweighting some classes). Are there any
patterns (improving, declining, variable)?
The courses that you
took in high school. Were they demanding advanced placement classes or
did you take a lot of electives. Did you meet their required courses in
math, science, foreign language, English, history, etc. They want to
know if you will be prepared for coursework at the college level.
Your
scores on the SAT Reasoning Test (and sometimes Subject tests) or ACT
tests. This helps them compare you on a national level.
The
reputation of your high school. They will see how previous gaduates
from your school have faired. Your extracurricular involvements. What
was your level of commitment and leadership? Is their evidence of
success or talent (athletics, artistic, etc.)?
Your school’s
letter of recommendation (generally from your guidance or college
counselor plus other recommendations that you put forth. Were you a
valued member of your high school’s or local community?
Your interview with the admission officer or alumni in your area.
Diversity, do you bring geographical or another type of diversity to the institution?
Are you a legacy, do you have other connections?
The first rule of college selection is that the college or university
should fit you…you should not try and remake yourself to fit a school.
You are different from every other student applying for admission to
college so what is important to you will be unique. Once again, the key
is FIT!
Start with your self-assessment, including any career testing
you have done. What are your academic goals in relation to this
assessment. You might be very specific (e.g., I want to study art
history) or more general (e.g., I am interested in science, technology,
engineering or math oriented fields). Does the institution offer a
strong academic program or programs in the area(s) of your interest and
ability?
How does my academic performance compare with the
profile of the institution? Most schools will list statistics showing
the range of standardized scores and grades of their entering classes. Keep in mind it’s not just about getting into college, you need to graduate.
Similar
evaluations should be done if you are interested in athletics, music,
theatre or other competitive type activities. How do your abilities
match up with the current students?
What does the college or
university offer in the way of extracurricular offerings in
relationship to your interests and goals? Ask about clubs,
organizations, intramurals and other areas of interest. Keep in mind
that just because a photography club is listed in the handbook, doesn’t
mean that the group is active and thriving. How hard is it to get into
leadership positions like student government, residence life or other
opportunities?
What is the social life like on campus and how
does that match with your personality? Do you want to be anonymous or
known by all? How do you feel about fraternities and sororities? Does
the use of drugs and alcohol play a significant role?
What is
the size of the institution? How large are the classes? Who teaches
introductory subjects? Are you looking for a specialized school like a
women’s college, historically black, religious, art, culinary,
disability friendly etc.?
Where is the school located
geographically? Is it urban, suburban or rural? How far is it from
home? Remember to include travel costs into the cost of your education.
Do the students who attend come from all over or are they more
regional? Keep in mind any ideas about where you might want to live
after college. How attached are you to spending time at home?
Can
you afford to go there? In-state public tuition will generally be less
expensive than out-of-state public or private tuition—but not always.
Don’t rule out other types of schools until you have seen what kind of
financial aid will be offered. As you consider financial aid, consider
is it dependent on your academic performance? Is it indexed (i.e., if
tuition goes up every year, will your scholarship go up too)?
Does
it feel like a good fit? To answer this question, you need to spend
some time visiting the school, attending classes, social events and
even spending a night in the residence hall.
Do you like the people you meet?
How
are the facilities and does the institution offer what I need? How are
the workout facilities, is there a pool, do they offer counseling and
health services, how are the labs, the student center, etc.?
The
prestige of the school. Notice I put this last, it does matter and does
have an impact on your career but remember the school should fit you
first otherwise it is like wearing a designer shoe that is a size too
small.
Seems like a lot of information to consider doesn’t it? Come up with
your own evaluation sheet. The key is to know yourself. What are your
needs and what will advance your goals? Make your choices for the right
reasons; make sure it is a good fit (tired of hearing that?).
It’s highly ranked.
Its sports teams.
Uninformed gut feeling. Gut feeling matters, but should not be relied upon if you haven’t thoroughly checked out a place.
Following a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Family tradition.
They are recruiting you.
These can all be important factors to consider, but you should never choose a school for these factors alone.
