5 Easy Steps to Create Your College List

Aug 16

How to Research Colleges

As students begin to put together their initial college list, they tend to favor the “name institutions” – those they’ve heard of or that friends and family have attended. For many families, perceived prestige plays a role and the student’s college list may mirror the U.S. News & World Report top tier. But none of these sources can tell you how that institution fits you, whether academically, socially, or financially. Time to do some research.

1. Begin with a college search engine that uses data from governmental sources. CollegeNavigator, College Board’s Big Future database, or proprietary programs like Naviance, GuidedPath, or College Planner Pro are good places to start. The data on all of these sites will be similar – the number of undergrads, average GPAs of accepted students, mid-fifty percent SAT or ACT scores. You’ll find information on college costs, types of financial aid offered, percent of students who live on campus, majors offered, sports teams fielded. Focus especially on retention rate – percent of freshmen who return for sophomore year, and on graduation rate – percent of students who graduate in four or six years. Once you’ve sorted through the data, it’s time to learn more about the student experience.

2. Guide books such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges and the Insider’s Guide to the Colleges will provide a more subjective view of the colleges you are considering. Rather than just numbers, these give you a look into the student experience. You’ll learn about the role of Greek life, safety on campus, accessibility of professors, opportunities for undergrad research, strongest academic departments. These guides will help you to focus your list more on those colleges that fit you socially as well as academically.

3. Now for a deeper dive. Visit each college’s website, spending the bulk of your research time on academics and student life on campus. Does the college offer the major that most interests you? Look at the required and elective courses offered in your major. Is there enough breadth and depth of classes? Check out the faculty in that department and find out their main areas of research. Is there a professor you’d love to have the opportunity to work with? Perhaps send that individual an email and learn about opportunities to perform research alongside a mentor. What internships are available through the department? In the student life section, you’ll find information about clubs and organizations, service opportunities, and publications. Use the search box to get a copy of the student newspaper – read through several copies and you’ll get a good idea about issues that are important to the students at that institution.

4. As you refine your list by learning more about each college, you’ll want to begin visiting those colleges that appear to be a good fit. Try to visit when the college is in session since this will give you a clearer picture of what it is like to be a student at that institution. Take the student-led tour and attend the admissions info session, but also try to visit the department that interests you and to speak to at least one professor in that department as well as students in that major. If you have time, sit in on a class, have a meal in the student center, visit the placement office, speak with random students about their experiences.

5. It’s rarely possible to visit all of the colleges on your list before you apply, but be sure to make contact with each school on your list. Take the virtual tours on YouTube and watch other videos posted about the colleges of interest. Reach out to admissions and find out if a representative will be visiting your high school or region, or will be participating in a regional college fair. Follow the college’s postings on Twitter or Instagram. Read the college newspaper – that will give you a look at issues important to the student community.

Research all colleges on your initial list before applying to make sure they are a good fit. In this way, each college on your list will truly be a “first choice.”