Creating Your College Application Shortlist: Key Factors to Consider
May 1 is Decision Day, the final day for college applicants to choose which university they are enrolling in. As summer begins rolling in, you might be starting to consider what your ideal college would be like. Whether you are currently a junior looking to get ahead on your applications or you are just exploring your options, this guide features factors that can impact what colleges make your list.
At Nimble College Consulting, we encourage applicants to map out their academic and career goals and use them as a guide for choosing colleges. Just like admissions officers look for well-rounded students to accept, applicants should also look for well-rounded universities. Namely, students should look for colleges that match their learning style, outside career experiences, and social environments, among other factors.
Before making a list of schools, it’s helpful to get an idea of where you stand as an applicant.
Evaluating Your Applicant Profile
The best way to estimate where you can be a competitive student is by building a rough applicant profile. In addition to your current school transcript (a document summarizing your academic record) and GPA, you can also consider advanced courses and standardized test scores.
Whether or not a specific score is required, it might be useful to keep track of all ACT, SAT, SAT Subject, and AP Test scores you’ve accumulated so far. There are a number of free websites that you can use to compare your stats to the average student at a given college to get a feel for your chances of getting accepted. Don’t feel discouraged if your numbers aren’t quite the same as a particular university’s average– admissions officers consider students holistically.
Academics only make up a portion of an applicant profile. Another portion is your list of extracurricular efforts. You can also note the different activities you’ve participated in outside of classes, including clubs, volunteering roles, internships, jobs, sports, and arts. Highlight items that you’ve been a part of long-term or have earned leadership roles in. You should also highlight any extracurricular activities that correlate with your career ambitions. There isn’t a specific number of hours that guarantee admission, but extracurriculars are a great way to demonstrate passion for a subject, your work ethic, and your leadership skills.
Establishing Academic and Career Goals
Now that you’ve established who you are as an applicant, it’s time to figure out what you want from your educational experience. If you have a firm idea of your ideal job, you can work backwards from your goal. From there, you can work backwards to find your ideal undergraduate schools. It’s also important to factor flexibility into research; not only are there multiple methods to reach your career goal, but there is also no guarantee that you’ll end up exactly where you imagine yourself to be in the future.
Even if you aren’t sure of what you want in the future, evaluating what academic subjects you want to pursue can also help you narrow down your college shortlist. While considering college rankings on average might give an overview on the level of education a university can provide, they don’t tell the whole story. Instead, take the time to consider each school on their merit for your specific field of study.
While researching career pathways, you should be able to create a list of undergraduate majors that are the first steps towards your future. Many universities may have the major you’re looking for, and the next step to narrowing down your application list is comparing each university to the 3 Key Factors for picking your colleges.
Important Factors to Consider When Making Your College List
Major Options
As aforementioned, majors at a university might vary in title and content spending on the university. For straightforward majors like biology, you might see the same foundational courses as requirements to earn a bachelors. However, more niche majors might vary in name on a college-by-college basis with unique combinations of course requirements.
This is why it’s essential to go to specific websites for the university’s major requirements to see what subjects are being covered in each degree. This extra step could reveal a path to your ideal future goals that might not be clearly labelled. For example, a university might not have a specific major for marketing, but have a business major and a communications minor that cover all of the courses you would take to earn a marketing degree at another university.
On top of major offerings, you might want to consider programs or degree fast-tracks that may be offered at specific colleges. Some schools may have a shortened 3-year path for pre-med students, which might work better for students who want to get in and out of their undergrad. Some schools may have liberal arts requirements that can allow students to take additional high level courses that would otherwise not be available. There might also be strong relationships between specific schools and post-grad opportunities that can help you have a competitive edge on other prospects.
Campus Location
Another factor to consider when choosing to apply to a college is the location and style of campus. There are multiple details that the location and size of campus can help reveal about a college and whether it would be a good fit.
Class Size- The size of classes show the size of a program and the amount of direct contact you could have with a professor, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Class size also indicates how big your network can be and the number of peers you have access to collaborate with. You can also use class size to estimate the type of learning environment you’ll have, whether it be lecture-based, Socratic, or hands-on.
Location/City Size- Attending a university also means spending a significant time in the city the campus is located in. In addition to the size, transit, and relative safety of a college’s location, you should also look into possibilities for off-campus jobs, internships, and other opportunities. Certain industries are centered in major metropolitan areas, and it may be worth attending a school that may not exactly fit your learning style if it allows you access to build working relationships.
Housing- Location of a campus also affects your access to housing and transport, which can affect the overall cost of attending. Some undergraduate universities provide housing for all years of schooling, while others may require you to find external housing earlier on. Research the surrounding area of a university to see if it might affect your attendance at a specific college.
Social/Extracurricular Opportunities
Colleges should be considered holistically– ideally, you should choose universities that align with your extracurricular interests as well as your academics. While it may not be as much of a deal-breaker as other factors, many campuses have focused organizations for social interaction and career planning. There may be faculty whose research you admire and would be a great connection for you to make. There might be a unique club that is only on a few campuses that you are passionate about. Think about the specifics that a university provides and whether that changes your interest from modest to a target school to apply to.
Plan Ahead for Application Season
These are just some of the elements to consider as you begin to build your college shortlist. While it may seem daunting (or even time-consuming), doing in-depth research when building your college shortlist can make a substantial impact in your college application journey.
Rather than adding colleges to the list based solely on name recognition, target your applications based on a thorough understanding of what resources will be available to you as a student. The more you know about the program, major, and campus culture, the easier it will be to forge connections before enrollment and develop strong stories to tell in your application essays.
If you are unsure where to start in your academic journey, you may also benefit from having a college counselor. At Nimble College Consulting, we provide resources to students from 5th all the way to 12th grade. With our experience and active connection to the college application process, we can provide you focused, empathetic guidance to finding the list of schools that are right for you. Book a consultation today via email or phone and take control of your educational future!
