At a Glance:
It is imperative to build a balanced college list to maximize your chances of admission to prestigious universities.
When evaluating universities conduct research based on multiple criteria which move way beyond the ranking – analyze the curriculum, environment, network, and so much more!
Talk to your counselors, enroll for campus visits, and attend college fairs to gain holistic information.
You are going to spend the next couple of years shaping a great part of your future – the institution matters. Quality of education, campus life, atmosphere, and living environment – are details of sign weight you must factor in while making your decision to attend a particular school. We want to guide you with comprehensive, honest, and easy-to-follow information.
There are hundreds of universities in the US, and the most important part of the admissions process is finding those that are the best fit for you.
The myth that you must attend a highly ranked college to receive an excellent education is far from true. A school’s ranking often depends on factors that have little to do with the classroom experience. For example, student selectivity, academic reputation, and alumni giving account for nearly half of a school’s US News & World Report ranking.
We encourage our students to create their own rankings based on the academic, social, environmental, and financial factors that are important to them. There are many factors to consider when creating your college list. Think about the school’s location and size, the specific programs and professors you would want to study with, the availability of clubs and sports that interest you, and social offerings. What else do you think is essential to your college experience?
Why is Balance Important?
Your college list is the barometer for the rest of your college preparation going forward, so it’s important to start refining your priorities, evaluating where your profile falls relative to other applicants, and working towards finalizing the list of colleges to which you will apply.
Industry experts typically classify your universities into three distinctive categories: Safety, Reach, and Dream.
Category | Definition | The ratio of applying for no. of universities |
Safety | Colleges where your GPA/SAT falls at the top of their mean scores | 1 |
Reach | Colleges where your GPA/SAT falls in the middle of their mean score | 2 |
Dream | Colleges where your GPA/SAT falls at the bottom of their mean score | 2 |
** When we say mean scores, please consider that the mean scores available online are typically an aggregate of international, out-of-state, and in-state students. Most universities have higher expectations from their international students, so we highly recommend taking the top 75 percentile of a university’s average score and taking that as your average.
Ideally, you should apply to 10-15 universities - any more than that, and the quality of the applications and essays will suffer, thus reducing your chances of admission. Information can be found on the school's admissions website to determine likely, reach, and target schools, such as median GPA, test scores, and admission rates. If you cannot easily locate it, call the admissions office and ask for the specific data you need.
Importance of Research
We can’t stress the importance of research enough. Start with a list of all the colleges that you think are interesting, and dig deeper to find out if these schools will truly fulfill your individual needs. Learn everything you can about the schools that have piqued your interest, and then look for other, lesser-known schools that may also meet your personal, academic, and financial needs.
Research Criteria
Thinking about criteria vital to you and assigning them individual importance is crucial before you begin your college research. It is essential to conduct in-depth research to ensure that you are confident in your college selections. Here are some easy-to-find facts about a university you should start with when researching your colleges
Curriculum, courses, and majors: Which college's academic program appeals to your interests and study style most? Consider whether you want more flexibility in your major or whether you seek an intensive, directed course from the start.
Campus environment and climate: City, suburban, rural, consolidated campus versus distributed campus – the value of warm weather cannot be overestimated for some students!
Student mix: Is the college co-educational or single-sex? Are there students from all over the country/world with different backgrounds and experiences?
Size of school: Undergraduates/graduates, student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, and professors versus teaching assistants taking entry-level classes.
Opportunities for further studies and employment: Research, professional schools, internships, and graduate placements.
Alumni network: Domestic, international, strength, and accessibility.
Facilities, extracurricular activities, and sports: Access to laboratories, computing centers, music, theater, athletic facilities, and competitive sports teams.
Cost versus prestige: Financial aid or a brand college? Decide what is more important - lightening your financial burden and being a merit scholar with special status or privileges on campus, or going to a well-known college familiar to your friends and family.
Importance of Counselors
Once you build your list, meet with your high school college counselor or independent educational consultant to evaluate and narrow down your list of schools. Remember that colleges will evaluate your profile in relation to your peers at your high school, so your counselor can likely provide some insight here. College counselors often visit colleges, communicate with admissions reps, and participate in professional events and conferences. This makes them great resources for feedback on your college list and suggestions for other colleges to consider. College counselors help you, so take advantage of the opportunity to get expert guidance on your college list. A candid discussion about your course load, grades and class rank, extracurricular activities, and goals will allow your counselor to assess your college list and suggest some additional schools that might be good fits.
Finally, counselors often provide insights you might not find otherwise.
For example, in his book “Is College Worth it?” William Bennet claims that in terms of salaries after graduation, there are only 150 universities in the United States worth attending. To this, he adds the perspective that beyond the top ten colleges, a student is typically better off attending a large public institution rather than a private one. This opinion is reinforced in a Wall Street Journal Survey of employers who in their ranking of best colleges for recruiting, named only one Ivy League institution - Cornell. They identified students from public institutions as better prepared for the workforce.
The Importance of Campus Visits
and College Fairs
Visit prospective colleges during school breaks and/or weekends. This is even more important for international students. Visiting in-person, ideally, while classes are in session, will allow you to talk with current students and professors, see dorms, dining halls, and other campus facilities in use, and gain an overall impression of the school’s atmosphere and community. In addition, visiting demonstrates your interest in the admissions committees.
Some colleges also track interest, so by signing up for the tour and information session, scheduling an interview, and following up with a thank-you note, schools will record your interest before you apply.
However, we understand it is a financially hefty decision and requires time out of busy schedules to plan an international trip to campuses. And this is precisely why colleges come to visit you! We highly recommend attending College fairs as it helps you interact with college officials from multiple colleges and ask questions whose answers might not be available online. Furthermore, meeting university representatives allows you to share your personal information for correspondence from the university.
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