Building the College List (Without the Stress or Pressure)
How do you help your teen form a great list of colleges to apply to? Follow these tips on how to form a personalized and balanced college list.
How Does a Parent Help with Applying to College?
If you have been following this article series (click here to read the first article, “Where Do We Even Start: The Parents’ Role in College Applications”), then you know you are your students’ coach and mentor.
As a coach, you provide guidance, advice, research help, and encouragement to your teen.
It’s time for you to coach them through building a college list, which is the list of schools to which your student wants to apply.
This process does not need to be agonizing or a battle. You can build a college list without stress or pressure.
Where do you start? Let’s jump in!
Building a Personalized List
Your teen’s list of schools should not look like that of their best friend or the person who sits next to them in math class.
Building a college list is like building a music playlist; it should be curated just for you.
This means it should be personalized for schools that are a good fit for your student.
It should also be balanced among schools in certain categories (more on this later).
How Many Schools Should Be on the College List?
The college list is a work in progress.
Start with a big list (think 20-30 schools), and narrow it down over time.
First, determine if the school is a good fit. This process may involve a school visit (either in person or online).
Once you have this personalized list, you can whittle it down to form a balanced list (more on this later).
Most students apply to 6-12 schools in total. While many schools require an application fee, some waive it to encourage more applicants.
You may also qualify for a Fee Waiver through the Common App. Simply fill out that section of the application to find out.
What Makes for a “Good Fit” School?
With nearly 6,000 colleges and universities in the US, choosing schools for a college list can seem overwhelming.
You can find rankings of “the best schools” using all kinds of metrics, and the lists can be dizzying.
You need to remember: it is not about finding a good school. There are lots of good schools!
It is about finding schools that will be a good fit for your teen. A good-fit college is one where your student will thrive.
What are the aspects that determine fit?
Location
Not everyone would be happy attending a school in another state, just as not everyone wants to attend college in their hometown.
Ask your student to pinpoint a few states to focus on. Where would they like to live during the cold months (because that is the bulk of the academic year)? Have they visited these states before in December-March?
Keep your own state in play (because in-state colleges do offer discounts, and travel time to school will cost less), but consider schools in other states (and even regions) as well.
Another factor is the school’s location: urban, suburban, or rural.
Does your teen like the idea of attending a school in a thriving metropolis? Or do they envision the traditional college campus, self-contained and stately, nestled in a picturesque environment?
Academics
Does your student already have a career in mind? If so, does that career require a specific major? Look at schools offering that major and investigate the quality of the program.
If your student is undecided (and that’s fine!), would they like a broad-based education for maximum flexibility? A liberal arts school might be the right fit.
Also consider the right academic environment. Do they prefer small classes where discussion is the norm, and students get face-to-face interaction with their professor?
Or would they prefer a traditional lecture environment (even if that means classes of a hundred students or more)?
Social Life
Does your student want to attend a large school with lots of students (over 15,000)? Do they see themselves as one of thousands, cheering on their team in the football stadium?
Or would they prefer a small school where they recognize most people as they walk to class and form a tight community (a school of under 5,000)?
Or would they like a school somewhere in between?
Another dimension of social life is clubs and activities. Does your student want to participate in Greek life? Would they like to join a sports team or a theater group?
Look at schools where their desired social activities are present and accessible to them.
Finances
College can be costly, so finances are a significant factor in finding a good-fit school.
Is your student going to pay for college on their own? Don’t let them sink themselves into major debt. Look at schools that offer scholarships and grants.
Are you helping to pay for college? Be upfront about what you can contribute.
Have your student check out the “net price calculator” on each school’s website. This gives them a realistic picture of what they can expect to pay.
Creating a Balanced List
In addition to creating a personalized list of schools that match your teen’s location, social, academic, and financial needs, the ideal college list should be balanced.
How do you balance your list? Ensure you have several schools in the following categories.
Reach Schools
These are schools that are good fits for your teen in terms of location, academic offerings, etc., but present a challenge for your teen in terms of admission statistics.
Your teen may fall within the range of accepted scores and GPAs for these schools, but they are probably in the bottom 25% of applicants.
You can find admissions data on sites such as CollegeData.com.
If your final list of schools is 6 (and this is a low number), apply to one reach school.
If your list of schools is closer to 10-12, apply to 2 or 3 reach schools.
Target Schools
Target schools are good-fit colleges for which your student is likely to gain admission.
Your teen falls in the 50-75% range of admissions standards.
The bulk of your list should consist of target schools: approximately 1/2 of your list.
Safety Schools
These are good-fit schools for which your student is at the top of their admissions standards (above 75%).
If finances are a concern, safety schools may be your best chance of receiving merit scholarships, given that your student is a competitive applicant.
Safety schools should comprise about 1/3 of your college list.
College Research Tools Teens Actually Use
You are the coach in this process; you do not want to do all of the work.
How do you get your child to buy into this process?
Start with a Book
Your teen needs to understand what it means to build a comprehensive and personalized list.
If needed, offer them an incentive to read this book: Finding Your College Fit: How to Choose, Apply to, and Afford the Right College for You.
Apps for College Matching
Your teen may be more inclined to do research if an app is involved.
Niche
This app digitizes the “find your fit” process. It also has a section on alumni reviews, which can be enlightening.
Scoir
This app has a college match quiz and a built-in connection with the Coalition Application and its 140 schools.
The Common App (and its 1000 schools) has its own app! This app seamlessly links with the website.
Yes, you can work on your application here, but you can also research schools.
While not an app, MATCHFIT is a resource for researching schools if your student is interested in college sports and recruitment.
Encourage has a college search option, but it also has a career matching questionnaire.
This is perfect for students who are undecided on college or a college major.
How to Build a Personalized and Balanced College List
Building a college list does not have to be stressful.
Just follow these tips to help your teen create a personalized and balanced list.
