Baking Your College List Buffet

Maanya is a veteran at researching colleges and emerged from her own search relatively unscathed. She is starting at Northeastern University in Fall 2024, where she will study business. Below are her tips for your building your Preliminary School List.

Finding the perfect schools to go on your college list is much like baking a variety of cakes. There’s a basic recipe to follow, but flavors, like chocolate or red velvet, and styles, like layer or sheet cakes, ultimately come down to personal preference. 

As you’re thrown into the world of college applications, you probably have countless questions. How do I figure out which colleges to apply to? Will I actually like these schools? Will I be able to afford any of them? What flavor of college do I like?

Just as you might select different ingredients within basic baking categories, such as which spice works best to create different flavors, there are four key factors to consider when compiling colleges to go on your list: academic match, financial match, preference fit, and values fit.

Academic Match

Consider a school’s incoming freshmen statistics to gauge where your GPA and test scores stand. Look, too, at the acceptance rate of the specific school you're considering, different majors at the same college can have vastly different acceptance rates. For instance, admission into nursing and engineering programs may be more competitive than other majors. 

With this data in mind, you can categorize the school as a Good Bet, Good Match, Good Reach, or Wildcard based on how the school’s admissions statistics match yours academically.

Financial Match

Sit down with your family and draw up your college financing budget—how much you can afford to spend at most each year on college. Use a Net Price Calculator to calculate your family’s expected contribution for each school you’re interested in. If the calculator returns a number higher than your greatest possible budget, look for schools that are generous with merit aid or other scholarships, loans, and grants you could apply for.

Once you have an estimate of the average annual tuition you’ll have to pay, classify each school as Below Budget, Within Budget, or Above Budget. 

Preference Fit

Create a list of your preferences, or things you would like to see in the school you attend. Consider factors such as location, size, type of curriculum, and campus life. Determine which three or four factors are non-negotiable, and then compare your non-negotiable preferences to the schools you're considering. Do they meet all your non-negotiables, some, or only a few? What potential compromises are you willing to make? 

Based on this, rate each school as meeting all, some, or only a few non-negotiables.

Values Fit

Identify values that matter the most to you and your family. Reflect on what each value means to you personally. For instance, does achievement signify "completing what you start" or "attaining success in a particular task or goal" to you? Create a list of values that resonate with you, such as Balance, Growth, Mental Health, and Faith. Then, assess how well the schools you are considering align with your values by ranking them as having all, most, or none of your identified values.

Building Your College List

Review the summary of your research and select about 8-10 schools that best suit your needs. Maintaining balance is essential when creating your college application list. All of the schools on your list should be good fits and include a cross-section of academic and financial matches. Choose schools that best fit your needs while also allowing time for academics and personal activities. This will give you an excellent range of cakes to choose from when it comes time to make a decision. Your final school list should be balanced across categories. For example:

• A majority of good bets and good matches in academics (maybe 2 good bets, 4 good matches, 1 good reach, 2 wildcards)

• At least two-thirds in “within” or “below” budget for financials

Other Tips to Keep in Mind

• The number of schools you apply to depends (financing could be a factor), but more than 15 adds more work than your likely return-on-investment time

• Don’t apply to colleges you would not attend, more colleges don’t necessarily increase chances of admission

• Decide what you NEED vs. what you WANT

• Be realistic about decisions