It might feel a little nuts to start thinking about where you’d like to go to college as a sophomore. After all, it probably feels (in some ways) like freshman year was just yesterday! But it’s not all that farfetched to get going on your college strategy. College has never been more competitive, with top-tier schools across the nation edging into the single digits of admission rates. We advise our students to develop a solid plan at the beginning of high school to make the arduous application process a bit more manageable.
The Ultimate Guide to Making a College List with Test Scores
In a previous post, we talked about how to make a college list without test scores. But now, you have your scores and you want to start making a strategic list that accurately reflects your standing. While you take into account your personality, the college’s size and location, and student culture, you also need to have an eye on where you fit into these schools’ admissions data. From there, you can determine which schools make up your safety, target, and reach schools. If this sounds a little too ‘heady,’ don’t worry – we can help you sort through the numbers and find your fit.
Making a College List without Test Scores
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?”
How to Categorize Schools Without Standardized Test Scores
Every student has to make a list of schools that they want to apply to. Those lists usually have a mix of reach schools, safety schools, and schools that they are likely to get into. But how do you figure out if a school is a safety, a reach, or in-between? We call this metric academic viability and you can figure out your academic viability by seeing if your scores and grades are in the range of what a school usually accepts. When it comes to top-tier schools, the earlier you know if you are academically viable the better. You already have your grades, but most students won’t know their scores yet, so how do you figure it out without having your scores? It is not as hard as you may think.
What’s The Difference Between A Reach, Target, and Safety School?
There is very little randomness in the college application process. And while everyone seems to believe that they just might be the single outlier, there comes a time when you need to make decisions about how to best spend your time. This week, we’ve been focusing on creating and refining your college list. This blog post will help you categorize your list into reach, target, and safety schools.
Where Should I Go to College?
The question of where to attend college is one that comes up at various times throughout your life. It usually starts long before high school, perhaps over dinner with your parents or when you settled on Harvard after watching Legally Blonde. We’re all influenced in one way or another, either by a school list sent over by your high school or a late-night Google search. But when it actually becomes time to put together a school list, a lot of our clients have no idea where to start. If you’re currently in the “not sure where to even start” boat, keep reading for three tips that might help streamline the process.
How To Create A College List For Regular Decision
Creating a college list is hard work. On the one hand, you want to be open-minded. But if you’re too open-minded, you run the risk of applying to schools that don’t make much sense. You also want to make sure that you’re streamlining the process and creating a college list that isn’t random or too aspirational. No one is expecting you to have everything figured out at 18 years old, but you do need to do a serious amount of research before you solidify your school list.
Creating a College List During Coronavirus/COVID-19
If you’re reading this blog post, you’re probably in the process of creating your college list. This is a good thing because schools will be releasing their supplements next Month, and ideally, you’ll have your list narrowed down by then. But between the daily test-optional updates, vague news stories about school openings and safety measures, and the fact that you might not have been able to visit any colleges due to their early closings, we understand that creating a school list might be harder than you had anticipated.
How to Make the Perfect College List
Individual college applications (aka supplements) don’t open up until August, but you should have a good idea of where you are going to apply well before you start adding schools to your Common App. If you are a Junior, the spring before senior year is the ideal time to begin to get your college list into shape for future success.
Advice and Analysis on Forming a College List During Covid-19
We have written at length about creating college lists. It’s a long process that requires an honest look at your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities – and a healthy dose of introspection about what you’re really looking for in a college experience. And in the age of the Coronavirus, a lot of new information is circulating. Cornell went test optional, the SAT is on hold for the next few months, and it’s safe to say that the college admissions process is going to look slightly different this year. However, when it comes to creating your final college list, conventional wisdom still applies. What does that mean? It means that you shouldn’t necessarily tier yourself up a notch and create an unrealistic list of schools to apply to just because you’re a junior during Covid-19. If you didn’t have the grades and scores to apply to Harvard in January, you’re not suddenly viable because of a global pandemic. We realize this may sound harsh. But we tell you this so that you can apply to suitable schools and not waste your time on applications that won’t result in an acceptance letter.
How to Build a College List During the Coronavirus/COVID-19
How to Build a College List: a Checklist
Building your college list can be an overwhelming and somewhat daunting task. When we construct our college lists with our students, we make sure that the list is balanced in terms of the likelihood of application review (sorry if this is “way harsh, Tai,” but applying to Yale on a whim with a 26 ACT score “just because,” is probably a waste of time and money), but consistent in terms of fit. What do we mean when we say “fit?” We mean that we want you applying to schools that are all of the following: cultural, academic, and social fit. Here’s a checklist to methodically take you through how to make sure that your college list is built-out correctly.
Where Should I Go to College?
The “college prep” process usually starts with high school students asking themselves: “where should I go to college?” Or maybe someone asked you where you’re thinking about applying, and you realized that you have no idea. It’s the question that comes first, and it can be seriously overwhelming. If you’re beginning to think about the future, this blog post will tell you where to start.
How Many Colleges Should I Apply to?
It’s no secret that acceptance rates at competitive colleges are decreasing every year. And when colleges put out articles detailing their stats for their incoming class, they ensure that the takeaway is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get in, but YOU can probably get in so you should apply. More applicants than ever! Students from all over the globe!
The Best Colleges with no Supplements 2018-2019
After spending three years freaking out about the college process and a month writing your college essay, college supplements are an unwelcome surprise. We think supplements are actually a good thing because it gives schools more personality data on the applicant. When you’re applying to highly competitive schools like Hamilton and Middlebury, with acceptance rates of 20.8% and 18.4% percent respectively, we really believe that you want to take advantage of every opportunity to stand out and tell them why you want to be there. The more data they have, the better they understand who you are. At least on paper.
How to Choose the Best Colleges That Will Fit Your Interests
While you don’t have to pick your lifelong career-pursuit at the age of 17, when deciding where to attend college, it helps to know what you’re interested in. The goal is to pick a college that supports that interest and will give you the best opportunities therein. But choosing the right place is a bit more complex than it might seem. In this post, we will highlight the ways in which you can hone in the right school for your interests.
What You Need to Have Done by September 1 for College Admissions 2018
The summer is upon us, which really means that it’s basically September in our minds. The summer is not a time for play, it’s a time for work. It’s a preview to the rest of your life, if you’re a student. Not to get too dark, but it’s true. Parents, while summer might be a time that you associate with vacations and relaxation, if you have a kid who is applying to colleges next year we’re going to strongly encourage you to wait to schedule vacations for winter break.
Why Did the University of Chicago Become Test-Optional?
You might have read or heard about University of Chicago’s announcement that the school is dropping the ACT/SAT requirement of its application. Previously, it was required that all applicants sit for the SAT or ACT and include the scores on their application to the university. Now, University of Chicago has gone “test-optional” along with numerous other top-tier institutions.
How to Build a College List for Guaranteed Admission Success
Building a college list is one of the most challenging things that you’ll do during the college process. The good news is that it can also be quite fun. There are thousands of colleges in the U.S., so it can feel intimidating. We’ll break it down into 8 easy steps to help you start your journey. There are a few key questions that are necessary to ask yourself as you put together your list of colleges that you plan to apply to.
The Best Undergraduate Creative Writing Programs
If you’ve worked with us, are working with us, or have read any of our sample college essays, you should know by now that we are big fans of creative writing. But if you’re thinking about majoring or minoring in creative writing in college, there are a few things that you should know first. Creative writing programs are competitive and sometimes cutthroat. Small workshops are the foundation of a positive creative writing experience, but that also means fewer seats are available - sometimes as few as 6 for a high-level course.