By Brittany Carlson, JCAS Director
Dear Joyce Ivy Blog Readers,
I hope you’ve had a great week! Did you take a look at our first Colleges Featured at JCAS blog post this past Tuesday? We featured Stanford University and next up is Johns Hopkins University. We’ve written these blog posts with the hope that they help you think about what differentiates one institution from another, and jumpstart your thinking about what place might be the best match and fit for you.
Thinking about where you want to spend the next four years of your life can be a daunting process, but more that that, it should also be one that is intentional, deliberate, well thought-out, and most of all, FUN! With this in mind, I wanted to share my Top Five Tips for Making and Narrowing Your College List:
- Be True To You. As cliché as it may sound, the most successful college search process will be one in which you are true to yourself, your goals, and your ambitions. What I mean by this is to take time, a lot of time, to think about what is truly important to you. Is the bustle and vibrancy of a big city important to you? Then maybe looking at rural or suburban colleges isn’t the right thing for you. Does being in a small class of 10-15 students make you nervous? Larger universities with lecture style learning might be a good fit for you. Do you already know you want to study a certain subject in college? Make sure the colleges you’re looking at have that minor or major. What I’m saying is use simple categories: location, size, type of institution, majors, sports, etc to think about what you like and what you don’t like, what you want and what you don’t want, in your college experience. Lucky for you, we’ve structured our Colleges Featured at JCAS posts so you can get this information quickly and start to think about which institutions resonate with you. Beginning your college search process with yourself in mind sets you up for an exciting and meaningful experience.
- Get Your Facts. Once you have a clearer sense of what you’re generally looking for in a college experience, do your homework. Learn about the institutions. Pore over the websites. Ask current students, alums, and admissions representatives about the institution. Understand the cost of attending and how financial aid works at each institution you’re looking at. Familiarize yourself with the difference between grants, loans, and work study. Ask these two important questions: Will my ability to pay affect my admissions decision? And will 100% of my need be met through financial aid? Knowing your facts will allow you to make your college dreams a reality.
- Don’t Be Afraid To Take Risks. While I want you to be true to yourself and think about what YOU really want in your college experience, I don’t want you to be close-minded. If an institution appeals to you, but there are some things you don’t like about it, continue to learn more and ask more questions. I was not at all interested in schools in rural locations, but I was very interested in Middlebury’s foreign language programs, so I decided to learn more about it. Flash forward 8 years and I’m one of the proudest and happiest alums you could find. The risk I took to attend college in small town Vermont in one I’m grateful I took each and every day. What I’m saying is be willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone and test what you think you’d really like in a college experience.
- Be Realistic. There are hundreds and hundreds of colleges and universities out there. Be mindful of the number that you can and should include on your college list. You start to lose intentionality and deliberateness when your college list exceeds more than ten schools. The most successful students in the college admissions process are those who mindfully and carefully think about the colleges they’re applying to and devote time and energy into a manageable number of applications. More than ten and you risk losing the ability to make a compelling argument for why that institution, in comparison to all the others you are applying to, is truly a fit for you. At the same time, be realistic in the individual institutions you are applying to. You’ll know your high school transcript and test scores, so do not set yourself up for failure by applying to only schools you don’t have a strong chance of getting into. On the other hand, do not sell yourself short by only applying to schools which you are confident you will get into. The key is balance and having a variety of schools of different selectivity levels on your list.
- But Also Reach For The Stars! If there was ever a time to believe in yourself and give something everything you’ve got, it would be in the college application process. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and work hard to get into that school of your dreams. At the same time though, know that you, and ONLY you, are responsible for creating your own destiny, so even if you don’t get into that school you thought was the school of your dreams, you will land in a wonderful place because you can and will make it a wonderful place.
And that’s it! This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I hope it gives you some insight into productive ways to begin your college search process. You’re at the wheel so take this process where you want to go!
I’ll be here to give you directions along the way ☺,
Brittany
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