The College Series: Narrowing Your List of Top Choice Schools, Early Admissions, and More
“Ask yourself; “If I got in, would I regret not going?” As brutal as it is, the college application process only happens once in people’s lives.” With college application deadlines coming up, we are excited to share the second installment of our “College Admissions for Women” series. For this installment, we bring 3 expert perspectives on the topic “how do you narrow down your list of top choice schools”. A multi-perspective piece, we asked Naisha Roy, a freshman at NYU, Shivani Shah, an experienced sophomore at Babson, and Anya Ilkys, a seasoned college advisor and founder of College Starpoint for their thoughts on the following questions. Each unique perspective sheds its own light on how to navigate the application list and answers some of the most common doubts about the process. A must read for students and families with college planning on the horizon!
How many schools do you recommend students apply to and why?
Shivani: Students should roughly follow a rule of 10: 3 safety schools, 4 target schools, and 3 reach schools. The application vetting process is complicated and often unpredictable. Having a variety of m gives the student ample opportunities when it comes time to decide. There isn’t much harm in applying to more schools but there is harm in narrowing your options.
Anya: If a student creates a well throughout, balanced college list, there is no reason to apply to more than 12 schools. I personally advise my students on applying to 10 schools: 3 safeties, 4 targets, and 3 reaches. This way a student has a very nice balance between the different categories of schools and should have enough enrollment options. 10 schools also plays well with FAFSA, the financial aid form, because there are only 10 spaces to fill in the schools.
Naisha:The biggest thing to remember here isn’t the quantity of colleges you apply to, but rather the balance of safety, match, and reach schools. 10 is definitely a good number for most students, but it should come down to the student’s individual schedule. If writing several essays is going to result in stress and lower the quality of each individual application, then it may be best to nix a few schools and focus on the most viable options. At the end of the day, it’s better to have too many options than not enough when it comes to colleges, but only within a reasonable amount of workload.
Based on your experiences, what factors are the most important when it comes down to a list of colleges to apply to?
Shivani: Besides the obvious factor of finances, location is key. The time you spend on classes is just as (if not more) important as the time you spend doing other activities so be sure that the daily lifestyle of the environment (think rural vs city, weather or population) and surrounding opportunities don’t become an everyday nuisance. There are also frequent breaks in the college year that many students want to utilize, so be sure that traveling back to home/vacating college is feasible for at least 3x a year.
Anya: Academic fit (How well would you fit in academically with the rest of the student body? Are you prepared for the type of work you'll be expected to do? Do you have the grades and the test scores to support your application to this school?) Social fit (When visiting the campus, look around and notice the students around you. Do you see yourself being friends with these people? Do you feel comfortable and "at home" on this campus? Does the school have enough clubs and extracurricular activities that may interest you? Is the setting of the school to your liking (urban/suburban/rural...etc)?) Financial fit (Is this school affordable? Will you need to take out loans to cover the cost of your education? If so, how much? How much of a financial burden will this education be for you? For your family? Will you qualify for any financial aid or merit scholarships?)
Naisha: Important factors to consider when applying commonly include academic fit, campus size and location, financial aid, and extracurriculars, as Anya and Shivani both mentioned. Something that often slips people’s minds to check is the credits and requirements to graduate for each specific program. They may be incredibly interested in a college, but before applying, students should read the structure of the specific program they intend to apply in. It may be more or less rigorous than they like or not accept the AP and IB credits they’ve worked so hard to earn, and that’s never a good thing to find out after committing. If you have a certain time frame you want to graduate in, especially early, or certain classes you definitely want the opportunity to take, make sure you have those options before applying.
How do you recommend students go about narrowing down their list?
Shivani: To narrow the list, pay attention to factors such as cost, location and graduation class size in that order. These three major factors are what significantly distinguish the ratings of many colleges.
Anya: A student should look at academic, social, and financial fit institutions and then break them down to "safety, target, and reach" categories. Each school on the list should satisfy all the major criteria. So, for example, even the safety school should be a great fit socially and financially. A student should be as excited to attend their safety as they would attend their reach school. Don't put any schools on the list that you're not immediately excited about - that's just a waste of time and effort. Ensure that each school on the list is a great fit for YOU in all the different categories and cross out any schools that are not because applying to them will ultimately result in a disappointment or a major waste of your time.
Naisha: I recommend students make a list of definite requirements and definite no-nos for their college list. This will allow them to remove some options immediately while also being able to move some to the top of their list. Students should also keep in mind whether they can see themselves living in that environment. There isn’t any point applying to a school just because- make sure every school on the list is one you would attend if admitted.
What are disadvantages to applying to too many or too few colleges?
Shivani: It’s better to apply to too many schools rather than too few. A broader list means having more opportunities in front of you when making the ultimate decision, which is especially helpful if you don’t get into a desired target school or if financial circumstances change. Added cost and time are the only two downsides in applying to many colleges. However, both these factors could seriously pay off if you happen to be accepted into that school.
Anya: Applying to too many colleges could get overwhelming and expensive. Don't forget that each school may have its own supplements that may require answering extra questions and writing extra essays. Also, each school has an application fee, which needs to be paid when you apply. This all adds up if you have more than 10-12 schools on the list. Applying to too few colleges may result in not having enough options in the spring. You want to make sure that you have OPTIONS. For that, you need a nice variety of schools that fit the different criteria that you outlined for yourself.
Naisha: The disadvantage to applying to too many colleges is not only financial, but also mental. The applications can seem overwhelming, and trying to fulfill so many essays and requirements might result in a case of quantity over quality, which may lower the strength of applications. The disadvantage of applying to too few colleges is that students may have very few options in the spring and have to settle, especially if they don’t get accepted into their few top choices.
Can you explain the differences between early decision, early action, rolling admissions, and regular decision and when students should decide if they want to apply as early decision?
There are 2 rounds of College Applications - Early (Sept.-Nov.) and Regular (Dec.-Jan). ED is a binding application plan with an early deadline. If a student is admitted, they are required to attend this school (normally they are asked to sign a form acknowledging that they understand that this is a binding commitment). A student can only apply to one Early Decision school. When the student creates their college list, they should also have a good idea if there are schools on there that stand out, and may be worth applying ED.
EA is similar to ED, but there is no binding commitment. There is an early deadline and students find out if they got in earlier in the process, but they can apply to as many schools as they want and they are not obligated to enroll if they are accepted.
Rolling Admission means that the school is reviewing applications as they come in, they don't wait for a specific deadline to review its applicant. A student should always apply to their rolling schools first, as they have the highest chances of getting in early in the application cycle.
RD is your standard admission process, with deadlines ranging from December to February. Most students end up applying RD, so the competition is usually higher in that process that in EA or ED.
How can students decide whether it is personally worth applying to a particular college for them?
Shivani: Ask yourself; “If I got in, would I regret not going?” As brutal as it is, the college application process only happens once in people’s lives. It is a significant investment of both time and money that shapes your early adulthood in all aspects. Therefore, if a student thinks that the college is a fit and they have a decent chance of getting in, then it’s worth at least applying. Making the final decision is a whole other process so don’t worry about it when applying.
Anya: The best way to know if the school is worth applying to is doing a college visit. There is just something about being on campus, talking to students, and meeting faculty and staff, that can't be replicated online. Sure, the virtual tours are great. But I truly believe that if a student is unsure if the college is "it", they should make every attempt to get to campus and experience it firsthand.
Naisha: Personally, students should try to visualize themselves living in and studying at that college. I cannot stress the importance of campus tours. Additionally, looking at their specific program of study can make a big difference… a college may seem like a great fit but not offer resources for the program you are studying. Make sure you keep that in mind before applying.
Thank you ladies for sharing this essential tips with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network.
Stay tuned for the next installment in the series!
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