Strategies for Choosing, Visiting and Applying to Colleges

I hope that by reading this it will help you plan your overall strategies for choosing the colleges you will consider, visit and or apply to. There is a lot that has to be considered and a lot of research to be done to apply to the right schools that can help you to achieve your goals and dreams of a future.

If you are a high school student that is planning to attend a college or university for a 2 or 4 or graduate degree, you will be facing the task of finding the right college or university to attend. This is probably one of the hardest and crucial once in a lifetime decisions you will every make and it is complicated by all the choices that you will have to make. Just think of it there are thousands and thousands of colleges and universities throughout the world and there are thousands just in the United States to choose from. You should also verify that the college or university you choose is accredited within the United States or any country.

When you start looking for colleges and choosing the ones to apply to you will find it difficult because of the large number of factors you will have to consider, such as type of college, the location, the size and many more, (Take a look at Important Factors in Choosing a College) with the help of these considerations and more you can cut down on the colleges and universities that you will apply to. Which can help you find and understand each schools requirements and applications processes, then you can start your application process.

It is also important for you to recognize that your chances of getting into a college is a measure of how your background and the achievements you have match with the college you are applying to and their criteria, You will have to consider your qualifications very carefully so that you do not waste time and money applying to colleges and universities that you may not be accepted to because of their qualifications and the high number of students that apply to them, these schools can pick the cream of the crop to attend their school even if you do meet their standards. You will also need to know that many colleges place a great deal of importance on standardized test, and others rate a students GPA (grade point Average) to be more important. So you will need to research the schools or you can use a service that is qualified to do these searches for you.

The steps you need to take to compile a list of colleges or universities.

1. Select a pool of Colleges

• You should start as early as your sophomore, junior or senior years searching for colleges and their qualifications which they require to attend them. You should also pick up to 25 schools based on their location, size, prestige and other factors, by starting with a large pool of colleges it will enable you to eliminate those that do not really fit into your preferences and still end up with up to 10 to 15 colleges that meet your standards.

Step 2: Chances of Admission

• After taking all the test that are required to attend colleges and universities, you should obtain and assessment of your chances for admissions to those colleges or universities you have selected. If you use a service they will be able to help you find the proper colleges and universities to apply and give you the best chances to achieve your goals. (Read my articles on testing) coming soon. I will also give you a few sites and you can check my site soon, I should have it up and running by the end of May.

Step 3: Study the colleges and universities and group them by your choice

• Take the time to learn each schools qualifications and requirements and determine your chances of getting into that school and then put the schools in a grouping of

1. Qualified
2. Likely to Qualify
3. Possible
4. Slim Chance

Step 4: Evaluate the Colleges that you have chosen.

• Now that you have chosen the colleges that you want to apply to and have grouped them in order of possible acceptance you need to make sure there are at least 12 colleges if possible. If you have fewer than that you need to select more colleges that meet your needs. The object is to have at least 3 or 4 colleges in the grouping categories above, by doing this you increase your chances of being accepted by more colleges. You must consider your test scores, rank and your other accomplishments that will improve your initial assessment by these colleges.

Step 5: You must do research or hire a company that can do this for you.

• I know I say this a lot but it is the most important part of choosing a college that you will attend and for your future. Please do proper research and make sure they fit all your needs, wants, and desires.

Step 6: If you can Visit your Choices

• If it is possible you should visit the schools in person or if you can’t visit you must learn as much as you possible can about the school, from your advisor, college consultant, friends, or the web. You can gather a great deal of information doing just this.


Step 7: Talk to your School Counselor or Consultant

• Ask them to analyze your background, achievements, and your preferences and to help you determine how you can improve your chances of getting accepted at the types of colleges that you have selected.

Step 7: Make your Final Decisions

• Now is the time to make those final decisions and where to apply. I recommend that you send out as many from each group as you can and you can afford except for the school you do not have a chance of being accepted, if there is one in that list that you really want to apply then apply to that school.

Your chances of being admitted to a college down not necessarily correlate with the prestige or academic excellence of that college. You may have a great chance of being admitted to a top college or university. It all depends on if your background and achievements match what they are looking for in the students that attend their college or university.

Step 8: The Application

• This is very critical you must take your time to fill the applications in fully and properly because that is the first impression they will have of you. Follow each step required and comply with their questions.
• I will be sending a step by step application guide in the next week.


I believe that the basic strategy I have outlined above will help you target and narrow down your colleges that meet your standards. Good luck with your college search and if you need any help or a question please leave a message on this site or write me at [email protected].

EastCoast
Dave B