Link to original article:
http://blog.collegegreenlight.com/blog/build-college-list/
Finding colleges that are a good fit for you can seem daunting. After all, there are thousands of colleges and universities to choose from! But it is important that you narrow down these thousands of schools into a manageable list of options you to which you will apply. We recommend adding at least seven schools to your college list.
To help you narrow down the seemingly endless number of colleges into the 7 or so you’ll place on your list we’ve identified three major fit categories to take into consideration. Each of these categories should be met before deciding whether or not a college is worthy of your list.
Academic Fit
To determine if a college is a good academic fit, look for schools that admit students who match your GPA and standardized test scores as well as your personal and career interests. We also recommend that you submit your applications among three kinds of schools:
Reach Schools — Your GPA and standardized test scores are either JUST at or even below the college or university’s published data on accepted students.
Match Schools — Your GPA and standardized test scores fit the college or university’s published data on accepted students.
Schools — Your GPA and standardized test scores are at or above the college or university’s published data on accepted students.
It’s easy to find schools that fit these categories by checking the What Are My Chances Meter, which can be found next to every school you place in your college list on
College Greenlight. Reach schools will rank low on the meter, match schools will rank in the middle, and safety schools will rank highly.
We recommend that your final college list include:
- 2 – 3 Reach Schools
- 3 – 5 Match Schools
- 2 – 3 Safety Schools
A NOTE ON TEST SCORES:
If you’re worried your test scores don’t reflect your academic prowess, don’t fret! Many schools have decided to go “test optional” in college admissions. This link to
FairTest.org includes a comprehensive list of test optional and test flexible colleges and universities.
Financial Fit
To determine if a college is a good financial fit, you’ll need to know a few important things.
First, you’ll have to decide how important financial aid is to your college plans. If you know your family will need significant assistance to help you afford college, then financial fit will be especially important to you.
Second, you’ll have to find out what your expected family contribution (EFC) is as determined by the FAFSA. EFC refers to the amount your family is expected to contribute to your college costs. Here are a few tips you need to know to become an EFC expert.
YOUR EFC COMES FROM YOUR FAFSA
You already know that filling out a FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) is important. What you might not know is that your FAFSA is what determines your EFC! You need to fill out your FAFSA accurately and on time to make sure your EFC is calculated correctly.
YOUR EFC IS A NUMBER
Just like every snowflake is unique, so is every EFC. Your EFC is a number that is calculated based on a variety of factors, the most important of which are
Your parent’s income and assets
Your personal income and assets
If your parent’s make a lot of money and have a lot of assets (homes, retirement accounts, yachts), your EFC will be very high. The government and your school of choice will assume your family can cover most of your college costs. If they make less, the better the chance your EFC will be low and you will have access to more financial aid.
YOUR EFC, SUBTRACTED FROM A SCHOOL’S COST OF ATTENDANCE (COA), DETERMINES YOUR FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID
Say your EFC is 5,000. That means your family is expected to contribute 5,000 to your yearly college costs. Every school is going to have a different cost of attendance (COA) depending on how much you’ll spend on tuition, books, housing, and other factors. When you know your EFC and your school’s COA, you can easily calculate how much federal aid you are eligible for.
Third, important to remember that the prices you might see listed of the colleges or universities you want to attend are not the price you will pay. Many students get discouraged by the high sticker prices at competitive private colleges, and decide they won’t even try applying there. This is a huge mistake because sometimes the colleges with the highest sticker prices offer the lowest net prices to students who don’t have a lot of money.
That’s why you need to start using a net price calculator.
A net price calculator is a tool that estimates what a college will cost you based on your family income, scholarship information, and other factors. Net price calculators are free to use.
Click here to access the US Department of Education’s Net Price Calculator
Make sure to bookmark that link onto your web browser. It will allow you to type in the name of any college in the country, and will take you directly to the college’s net price calculator.
Social Fit
Social fit refers to how a college matches your unique personality and goals. To determine if a college is a good social fit, here are 7 different categories to consider when evaluating a campus:
Degree Programs
If you know what you want to major in, look at colleges that are strong in that program. But if you have no idea what you want to study, it’s just as important to choose a school with a wide range of degree programs to explore and eventually choose from.
Learning Environment
Consider factors like a college’s average class size, student-to-teacher ratios and whether classes are taught mainly by professors or graduate assistants. Do you learn better through discussions or through hands-on activity? All of these are factors which will impact your experience at college.
Campus Life
What do you want your college experience to be like outside of the classroom? Think about what’s important to you in terms of extracurricular activities, social life, school spirit and traditions and housing options.
Distance from Home
Decide how far from home you want your college experience to take you. Do you want to have the support of friends and family nearby, or experience life in an entirely new part of the country?
Location
Do
you see yourself attending college in a small town where the campus is the center of activity, or a major metropolitan area where you’ll enjoy the benefits of city living? Also decide if you want to be in a certain geographic area or climate.
Size
A tiny liberal arts school and a huge state university will give you two very different college experiences. Visit colleges at both ends of the size spectrum and a few somewhere in the middle to see where you feel most comfortable.
Diversity
Do you want a college where you’ll be surrounded by students similar to yourself, or one where you’ll meet people from a variety of backgrounds? As a College Greenlight student, you should have a unique and exciting story to share. Why not consider a school with a student body as unique as you are? Plus, if your cultural, religious, or ethnic identity is a huge part of your life, make sure your campus has programs in place that celebrate that identity.
