How to Organize Your College Search Like a Pro
by Pilar Zapata Thompson
Find schools you like This is the fun (but tough) part of the process, and basically what everything else will center around. In- formation you can potentially find for each college is extensive and may feel like an ocean of data and num- bers. Don’t worry though! Once you know what you’re looking for in each school, you’ll be able to format your document and tidily add information to your liking. The first step is finding schools you like. To do so, think about what’s important for you to consider when deciding which schools you should apply to. At first, look at the general information a school has to offer. This means aspects like location, average class size, student-faculty ratio, tuition and fees, campus resources, institution size, available majors, and test score requirements. Take into consideration that most of the information
The way you organize your college search can make or break the process. This student writer has some great advice on doing it with ease and efficiency.
T
he college search can be a daunting process for high school students. While it has plenty of high moments and daydreaming about the future, it
can quickly become overwhelming, leading students to struggle to maintain structure and a sense of order while making their college lists. The vast quantity of informa- tion about each college can surely become a cause of stress, especially if you aren’t properly organizing your data. Though having a list with your top colleges is a great start, adding valuable information in an orderly manner can help you tremendously. Here are some tips on how to organize important information about your top-choice colleges.
Start your digital list The easiest way to organize all your college information
is in a digital document so you can easily access every piece of data. One of the most common and easy-to- use resources are spreadsheets, either through Google Docs or Excel. Spreadsheets are simple to use but incredible when it comes to assembling your college list in an orderly manner. You can add columns depend- ing on what information is most important to you when picking a school. You’ll be able to easily add info and modify it whenever your interests change. Each college list will vary from one student to the next, but we’ll talk about a couple of important points everyone should in- clude later. As an extra tip, don’t forget to back up your document on your computer! Google Drive is a great place to keep your document, and you can even print a copy of your spreadsheet for safe keeping.
Articles & Advice
mentioned can easily be found on each school’s web- site (and in this digital magazine!). Use these things as initial sources, but also seek out videos, other articles, and even people you may find helpful. If you ever have questions, don’t be afraid to make a call to the school’s admission office.
Tailor your list
Next, you want to compare each school according to your liking and reduce your list to what you feel are your top choices. Keep your college list somewhere between 10–15 schools that vary in acceptances rates, meaning a few safety, target, and reach schools. Having a good mix of choices is always a good option. While research- ing each college, you’ll start to get a clearer view of what you wish to gain from your college experience. This will allow you to shorten or add to your list. Tailoring and adjusting information and your preferred schools will help you get an idea of what suits you personally.
Get the details Once you have a good idea of which schools you find appealing, feel free to go deeper than the information already mentioned. For instance, you may feel strongly
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