1. What to Think About when Starting your College Search
There are many factors you should consider
when making a list of colleges; there is much more
to a college list than just prestige, majors, and
money. Here is our advice on some of the things
that you should consider, and one of the best things
you can do for yourself is drop all of your
preconceptions and have a listen.
One of the first things students often worry
about is standardized test scores. Though they are
important, do not mistake what is considered an
average SAT/ACT score or GPA (grade point average)
for the minimum requirement. Give yourself about
150 point in either direction for a SAT score, about
2-3 points for an ACT score, and about 0.5 for a GPA.
While, SAT/ACT (all schools in the United States
accept either) and GPA will be major deciding
factors, they will not be the only factors. Schools
also take into consideration extracurricular activities,
community service, and clubs. If you don‟t have
any of these, then you may want to think about
getting involved in a few. „Few‟ is the key word
here, though. It‟s really hard to be fully committed
to 20 different clubs and do well in school.
Universities just want to see that you can dedicate yourself to a few, and really get involved.
Students also have trouble deciding between public schools and private schools. Public schools
are largely funded by the state or local government, and
are often priced a little lower, especially for in-state
residents. Private schools are run as nonprofit
organizations and therefore often require more support
from its students. A common misconception is that
private schools charge more than public schools. While
this may be true in the case of in-state residents, out-
of-state residents and internationals often end up paying
the full price of the public school which can be the same
price as some private schools. Another common
misconception is that because you are paying a higher
price at a private school, you will receive better care
and service. This actually depends on the school, and

2. we‟ll show you a little later how to figure this out. At the beginning stages of making your college list, do
not discount a school because it seems too expensive, remember there are alternate ways to help pay for
your education.
Sure a school sounds great, looks pretty, and has the prestige you are looking for but will you be
accepted? Acceptance rates are very important. They give you an idea of how many applicants are
accepted each year so you have an idea of what
your chances are, but they may not always be
what they appear to be. For instance, Brigham
Young University in Provo, Utah has a 93%
admission rating which sounds great, but the
applicants to this university also have strong
affiliations with the Church of Jesus Christ of
the Latter-day Saints, and comply and agree
with the principles of Mormonism. If this
doesn‟t sound like you, then you probably won‟t
be in the 93%. (The Princeton Review, The
Best 377 Colleges, pages 114-115). Likewise,
some public schools are more willing to accept
in-state residents than out-of-state residents,
and, for some, it‟s the complete opposite.
Some schools rely heavily on numbers and
scores, while still other look more at essays and
the interview. The best way to find out more
about this is to do some research on the schools
you‟re looking at.
Along with , another thing to think about is what percentage of graduates move on to graduate
school or professional schools, like medical school or law school. A high percentage may mean that they
are preselecting students for higher education even before they are selected for their Bachelor‟s degree.
A low percentage may mean that graduates are going out into the real world and finding jobs. Neither
are bad choices; it all depends on what you want. Do you want to go for a Master‟s degree or to a
medical school? Would you rather go out into the world and start your career? This is something you may
want to give some thought to and consider when making your list of colleges.
Another important factor to consider is the student
to teacher ratio. If you work better, or are more
comfortable in a smaller class where you can receive more
one-on-one attention, then maybe a big university is not
the place for you. If you‟re okay with larger class sizes,
and being lectured in a group of sometimes 500 people
sounds just fine, then you‟ll have no trouble with big
universities. The important thing to remember to look for
is how approachable and accessible the professors are. If
the professors are easily approachable and accessible,

3. then a large class may not pose much of a problem because you can speak with the professor one-on-one
after class or during office hours.
A more fun aspect that students don‟t always consider is your social life. You are not only choosing a
school, you are also choosing a place to live for, at
least, the next four years of your life! Universities
in large cities often offer much more variety,
culture, and night life. You‟ll probably be able to
do something different every night, and find a 24
hour grocery store within walking distance. Be
careful though, as this can often cause much
distraction. A smaller city or town, on the other
hand, will be much more intimate and can be a
place where everyone seems to know everyone,
whether for good or bad. Similarly, if you hate the
cold, then the East Coast is probably not for you. If
you love being by the ocean, then a university in a
land-locked state is probably not the best fit for you
either. Also take into consideration that many
people find job in or near where they went to
college. This could potentially mean that you‟re
not only picking a place to live for the next four years of your life, but for the rest of your life.
Books like The Best 377 Colleges from The Princeton Review offer
a great starting point for your research into colleges, and this one
in particular has also been lauded by
www.Collegeconfidential.com for its “take no prisoners” approach
to giving students the low-down on 377 colleges in the United
States. It has feedback and quotes from actual students who
actually go to these schools, has great information like what the
most popular majors are at a school, what kind of clubs and sports
are offered; and has valuable information like student to teacher
ratios, admissions contact information, average GPA and SAT/ACT
scores.
The best thing you can do, however, is visit the schools
and talk with the students who attend the university currently
because they will be able to give you the best information . Get a
mix of public and private schools and ask them questions about
how the administration is run from a student‟s perspective. Is it
easy to get things done, or do you have to go through a lot of red
tape? Sit in on a few core classes to see if you like big lecture
halls, or if you would prefer a smaller, more intimate setting. Find out from a student what the social
life and community life are like. Just being there will help you decide if you even like the place.

4. Lastly, remember that everything takes time. Your teachers and counselors need time to write
out Letters of Recommendations that are meaningful and specific to you. It takes you time to write
essays and edit them. It takes time to fill out applications, and it takes time to send everything through
the mail (which, yes, some colleges do require). Everything takes time, so make sure you give yourself
plenty of it. You want to aim to have everything finished and ready a few weeks before you need to
submit your applications just in case you need to do something last minute, so give yourself, you guessed
it, TIME!