Dear Class of 2024: How to DIY your College Search Process

Rethink the College Search Process

College acceptance letters are all too often viewed as some sort of false finish line for college – rather than a starting point for growth and exploration. The Class of 2024 is going to feel an even bigger crunch in some ways- in that the fall of tenth grade might be your first time on your high school campus. You might feel simultaneously as though you just started high school and it’s practically over.

If you view the notification of acceptance, waitlist or denial as an endpoint, then you are at risk of “boomeranging” – not making it through your first year of college (or sometimes even a quarter or semester). So how do you approach the college search process and choose a school where you will not only survive the first year, but thrive for four (or more) years? Here are some thoughts to consider:

Early or Late?

You can do the research before applying or after acceptance – I highly recommend the former. It will save you money on application fees to schools that aren’t a fit for you, and you will have an easier time completing applications for schools that you have chosen thoughtfully.

The Cost of the Matter:

With younger teens the most important college research to be done is that of bringing core college vocabulary to life. Older teens can and should be able to check their gut instincts a bit as they determine a fit for themselves.

Parents and families as well have a vocabulary lesson of their own – EFC (Expected Family Contribution), affordability, net price calculator. And navigating this part of the process can be especially stressful to many families. So it is often pushed off until late in the process, when the exact opposite approach would be more helpful.

Find – and use – net price calculators early in the search process (BEFORE applying!). Have frank conversations about how much the family can fund – for each individual, if you are not an only child. And understand that in general, the lower the acceptance rate for a given college or university, the less likely it will need to use merit aid (or what X calls “coupons”) to fill it’s freshman class. So from the beginning, look beyond acceptance rates – it will serve you well.

Start Big:

There are over 5000 college options in the United States. Rather than starting with a single dream school and building a list from there, consider the task to be one of narrowing the list of 5000-plus. In doing so, you will reinforce that there are always options, always more open doors than closed ones.

Use free tools like Scoir, Big Future, and Corsava to sift through the options. Use books like the Fiske Guide to compare schools side by side.

Understanding Characteristics:

How to narrow that list? By understanding and developing preferences about college characteristics. Crack open a college guide or spend any amount of time on college websites and there can be an avalanche of vocab that is abstract to many teens: rural, urban, mid-sized, research university – as well as many other terms that may be familiar, and often enticing: Greek life, internships, study abroad. In many parts of the country, a drive of a few hours may provide you with the opportunity to understand size and location characteristics, which may hold more or less significance to different individuals.

Some students may be set on a particular location – such as Southern California – yet entertain both Pomona College (~1200 undergraduates) and UCLA (~40,000 undergraduates). Others may be flexible on a location, but know they want a large school and will include UC Davis (semi-rural California), the University of Michigan (Midwestern college-town) and Columbia (urban New York) in their search.

The Question of “Why”:

Arguably, the entire college search process can be distilled down to the single question of “Why {insert name of school}?” If you can’t answer this question with clarity (and also relative ease), then you should really consider why it’s on your list at all.

Because if your answer has anything to do with the suggestions (or alma mater) of a friend or family member, that’s not your Why, it’s someone else’s. If your answer is vague, the school MIGHT be a fit – but so might many, many others. And if you find yourself Googling the school before you even attempt to answer the question – then that is a huge red flag. (And don’t even think about applying under a binding Early Decision program without a crystal clear answer to the Why question.)

So, how to reframe the college search process?

How to Reframe the College Search Process

1) College acceptance is not a finish line. Life does not end at 17 1/2 so it’s important to remember that college is a part of the journey, not the end point.

2) There is more than one right answer. There are thousands of colleges to choose from, not just the same 25 that “everyone” seems to talk about.

3) There are no sure things. No number of AP/IB/College classes, no GPA, no number of clubs/sports/volunteer activities can or will guarantee admissions to anyone at any school.

4) This is a two-way street. Students should “interview” colleges to see if each is a fit for them- and reject any schools that don’t meet THEIR criteria.

5). Tell YOUR story. The one thing that no else has to share with the world (and college admissions offices) is YOUR story. Spend time reflecting on how you arrived at this point – and how you want to shape the chapter ahead. You don’t need to have a vision of your life at 37, but you should consider how what happened in your life at 3 and 7 and 13 affect who you are at 17.