Four Steps to Making a Balanced College List

As many high schools welcome the Class of 2023, college-bound seniors should be refining their college lists and making sure that it is balanced (i.e., contains a selection of schools that are a good fit).

Balanced List: Defined

When using the term “balanced,” I am referring specifically to selectivity and how that applies to an individual student. A quality college list includes only institutions that have passed the "good-fit test" and must contain colleges to which it is likely an applicant will be admitted (Likely); it may also contain:  

• Colleges to which a student has a decent shot of admittance, (Target)
• Colleges to which a student is unlikely to gain admittance (Unlikely)
• Colleges to which most students are denied (Long Shot)

#BalancedList = #Likley + #Target + #Reach + maybe # LongShot

Good Fit: Defined

In many ways, the term “good fit” is entirely subjective. That said, within the subjective messiness, I believe that “good fit” comes down to four criteria: academic fit, social fit, emotional fit, and financial fit. For more information on how to define fit, read College Fit: Why it’s important and how to find it

Warning: In the absence of “good fit,” students end up unhappy, unfulfilled, and "degree-less," often burdened with debt, while worried parents feel that they shortchanged their kids and/or have so much debt that retirement becomes a far-off dream.

#GoodFit = #AcademicFit + #SocialFit + #EmotionalFit + #FinancialFit

Four Steps to Making a Balanced College List

ONE: Know Why You Want to go to College

On the one hand, this sounds like a no-brainer. On the other, being able to articulate EXACTLY what you hope to get out of college will ensure that the colleges you apply to actually offer what you want, beyond a football team, Greek life, etc. If you want to be an engineer, make sure your college list contains schools that have an engineering school. If you want to be a teacher, make sure your list includes an education school that offers the exact degree you want and a path to relevant certification.  

#KnowBeforeYouGo

TWO: Be Open Minded

Resist the temptation to hyper-focus on a single school or type of school (e.g., highly selective, highly rejective, etc.). Doing so may lead to disappointment and will prevent you from becoming an informed consumer. If you have a top choice, awesome. But don’t let that stop you from learning about new opportunities and generating a list that makes sense for YOU.

#BeOpenMinded

THREE: Rely on Data NOT Emotion

Even the most grounded students and families may succumb to the sensationalized hype created by publications that profit by generating fear—often with misleading data. Having a strategy to help cancel out the college admissions noise will ensure that a strategic, data-driven, and successful plan is generated and executed.

#Facts

FOUR: Be Strategic by Defining what Safety, Target, Reach, and Lottery Mean for YOU

What Likely, Target, and Long Shot mean to YOU depends on YOU. Use data to classify every school on your list as Likely, Target, Long Shot, and Unlikely, and make sure your list is balanced (i.e., not primarily Long Shot and Unlikely schools). Unsure how to do that, read Creating the College List: Reach, Target, and Safety Defined

#BeStrategic

For more information on how to define good fit for YOU, making an informed college list, and how we take the stress out of your college application process, please contact me at kathy@fineeducationalsolutions.com.

#SayNoToStress