College lists are hard to make in the first place – you have to take into account everything from your personality, to the location, to the culture, to the size. Then on top of that you have to look at your grades, extracurriculars, and standardized test scores to see where you fit in. Then you have to see which schools would be safeties, targets, or reach schools and how to create the most balanced list that takes all of this into account. “But wait,” you say, “I don’t have my standardized test scores. How can I even begin to make a college list?”
Easy! Well, easier than you think. First, look at your grades and start to narrow down your individual reach, target, and safety schools. You’ll want to begin by determining your academic viability for each school and how your grades stand up against their median accepted GPA. means This can be hard to find – Stanford, for example, likes to hold these stats close to the chest. But if their middle 50% for ACT is 32-35, you can expect that they expect perfect grades. And most top-tier colleges expect perfect grades.
There are tons of high schools in the United States. Most recent surveys say there are 26,727 high schools in the US. This means at least 26,727 valedictorians and 26,727 salutatorians (not even thinking internationally), all with perfect or near-perfect grades, fighting for spots at the same top 20 or so schools. The competition is steep – and we don’t say that to scare you. We say it so you can set your expectations accordingly. Most schools begin to shuffle you out of the admissions deck if your grades aren’t up to par, and that doesn’t just mean As in regular classes. Top colleges want to see you taking the hardest classes your school offers, whether that be AP, IB, or honors – and excelling in them.
Now, you’ve made the grades, but you haven’t taken the tests. How are you supposed to tailor your list? One of the best ways to do this is by looking at your extracurriculars and their degrees of intensity. Think about it, an NCAA D1 team isn’t looking for athletes who play a mean game of tennis during gym class, they want all-star athletes at the top of their field. So if your niche is science, are you in the biology club or are you doing independent research? Are you in the finance club or have you been maintaining your own portfolio for years?
Beyond just intensity level, are you a leader in your extracurriculars? Are you on the student council or are you president of the student council? Being a leader looks great on a resume, but so does being a specialist. Here at TKG, we work with tons of students on helping them become specialists in their interest areas. Students who become experts, completely immersed in their niche, look outstanding to colleges. While you might think your resume, peppered with activities ranging from sports to debate to the school paper, says “jack of all trades,” schools see that and think “master of none.”
You want to show that you’ve spent a long time on your passion, or have achieved a great deal in it since you’ve discovered it. Maybe you got to research with a local professor on a science project, or won a prestigious award. Maybe you got into a highly competitive summer program or internship. Whatever this is for you, use it to your advantage.
Before you take the SAT or ACT, you really need to think critically about how you’d stand out to top schools with your current grades and extracurriculars. And be honest with yourself, because it’s better to apply to the right schools for you than trying to squish tons of reach school applications in and getting disappointed. If your grades aren’t amazing, then unfortunately no amount of perfect scores will get you into the Ivy League. If you’ve spent all of high school doing activities completely outside of your niche, you won’t be able to cram enough meaningful experiences in to counteract that.
But if your grades are great and your extracurriculars are diverse, then get started on studying for the SAT/ACT. And if you don’t do amazing the first time, you can take them again. There’s tons of study tools that can help you get better at those exams, and it’s easier to get a better SAT/ACT score than it is to stuff a resume with stuff you’re not even interested in.
Ok, so we know this was maybe a hard read. And we don’t say it to discourage you – we just want to be honest with you about the process. The fact of the matter is, there are tons of colleges out there, and sure, they’re not all top 20 schools, but so many mid-tier schools are amazing and have excellent, competitive programs. You will find a school you’ll love, even if it’s not the Harvard or Stanford you may have first set your sights on.
Making a college list is tough, and it can take a lot of time and even bring up some hard emotions. Be patient, go through your options, and create a balanced list of schools where you know you’d be successful.
Let us know if you need help. We’re pros at this.