Finding Your Best Fit College

When students begin working on developing a college list, the task can be daunting. There are over 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States, but it’s hard to know which one will be a place where the student thrives. To help students dive into creating their best-fit college list, I provide questions  to ask themselves:

Is it affordable? Before researching colleges, parents should speak with their students about what the family can realistically afford to pay. With the help of websites like College Board, families can calculate the cost of attending using Net Price Calculator using current tax year information. Parents can check with the school's financial aid office to determine the percentage of students' financial need they met in the previous application season. Students being aware of the families' financial bandwidth is good for two reasons. First, it allows the student to avoid putting schools on the list that do not have a record of giving competitive financial aid packages. Second, the student can focus on finding schools that have the capacity to provide aid to make attending affordable.

Is it worth the investment? College is expensive. The average middle-class family will spend between $40,000 and $120,000 on public and private college costs respectively. According to the Pew Research Center,  94% of parents say they expect their children to attend college. As such, during the research phase, students must spend time learning the value-add that attending specific colleges would bring to their life such as deep-rooted knowledge, career opportunities, and connections to an expansive network of professionals and industry experts.  Students can find published lists by Forbes or U.S. News & World Report. However, actual value add will vary by student. For example, a student who's majoring in agricultural engineering may greatly benefit from attending Purdue University, while an urban studies student may be at a disadvantage being distant from a major city.

Does it provide a multi-faceted experience? Academics is a huge part of the college experience. However, universities are increasingly adopting admissions policies to diversify their class so that students will enrich the social and campus life. Extracurricular, experiential opportunities that add value to the program of study and prepare for adulthood beyond campus include special interest groups (e.g. Young Democrats, Organization of Asian American Students, Fencing Club), intramural sports, community service clubs, independent research appointments with professors, study abroad semesters, and paid internship programs to name a few. Students should spend time exploring the student life section of school websites. Also, students should visit schools several times through the exploration process, with at least one time being an overnight stay with a current college student host.

Does it feel right? In spite of technological advances that allow students to visit campuses virtually, there is no substitute for experiencing the real thing. It is understandable that when there are over a dozen schools on the list, visiting them all can be challenging. Often I suggest that students and their families visit their top three schools. The best time to visit is when the school is in regular session, which can mean visiting during minor school holiday breaks, or the less popular (but sometimes necessary) option - taking time off school. Families can make their way down the list, visiting as many schools as possible before the application season ends (and campuses break for winter holidays) in early-December. After acceptance letters have come in, families can visit schools that have moved up to a higher position of consideration.

When the student arrives at a campus, parents should observe their students' reaction. The student will know if it feels right and will demonstrate such feeling immediately. Students who are excited about a college ask a lot of questions, want to stay longer and see more, ask to make a return visit, and are more engaged throughout the process of putting together their application for admission. These students are most successful in gaining acceptance as this excitement will be displayed in their application.

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