Lilaschool

College Entrance Guide

IB Coordinator and College Counselor: Barbara Kuhl

PART TWO: THE COLLEGE LIST

One of the key pieces in the early stage of the college process is the creation of a college list. This list will take into account those characteristics and trademarks you are looking for in a college, be it size, location, quality of particular academic or extracurricular program, etc. Throughout much of the application process, we will constantly work to revise this list, taking into account your reactions after visiting or researching particular colleges or your changing interests and ideas about what you are looking for in a college.

The final goal is to come up with a balanced group of ten to fifteen colleges which fall into three categories: reach, target, and probable. The terms, reach, target and probable, are relative and not absolute. If I feel that certain reach colleges are unrealistic, I will tell you so. I offer this to assist you in evaluating your chances at a particular college, and not as a judgment of your performance during your time at LILA. In an ideal world, each student would be admitted to the college of his or her dreams. In a real world, some of you may not. I am here to support you in any way possible and advocate on your behalf at each college to which you apply. These groups are defined in this manner:

1) Reach
These are colleges where chances of admission are less likely, but where there is some chance of admission. These colleges constitute a realistic challenge. Your academic profile may be under the threshold of competitive students based on past admission history. In most cases, these are colleges where the percentage of admitted applicants to this college is extremely small, thereby affecting the chances of admissions for everyone. As the selectivity of a school increases, the academic profile becomes less predictable, whereas your extracurricular and personal profile, self-presentation, recommendations and factors outside your control become more significant. When a student is admitted to a reach college, there is often a “hook” which becomes a significant factor in the college’s decision.

2) Target
Your credentials for admission are truly competitive, and you are qualified for admission. This is a college where you might have a 50/50 chance of admission. Your application will be in the running, but the decision could go either way. If your academic profile is slightly above the mean for grades and testing, you have probably found a good 50/50 school. But remember, there is no formula or science to this process. These general guidelines may hold true if the acceptance rate at the school is above 30%. This may also be a college where elements beyond pure academics may be factored into the decision.

3) Probable
These are colleges where your credentials are very competitive, thus it is very probable you will be admitted. It is extremely important for students to find the probable colleges where they truly believe they can be happy and productive.

Remember that a target school for one candidate could be a reach school for another. You should never apply to any college or university that you really would not like to attend. If you don’t intend to go a university or college under any circumstances, there is no point in filling out the application. It may also be unethical: you may be depriving someone else of a place in the freshman class just to massage your ego.

How do you determine what your chances of admission are?
Assessing your record, your strengths and weaknesses, and examining the college’s selectivity and statistics will give you some idea. Knowing whom a college has admitted or denied in the past can also give you some clue, but be aware that it can be dangerous to generalize too much from past decisions: the student who got in with grades lower than yours may have had unusually strong recommendations; she may have been a splendid violinist; he may have been the son of an alumnus.

Obviously, grades and test scores are not the only things taken into account in a selective admission process, but it is a good place to start at evaluating your chances at a particular college.

First, evaluate yourself. What kind of grades have your earned? What kind of testing profile do (will) you have? How rigorous is the curriculum you selected?
Second, get the facts on the colleges in which you are interested. What is the acceptance rate? What is the middle 50% range of SAT scores of accepted applicants? What is the average GPA of accepted candidates?
Finally, compare your grades and scores with those of your selected schools.

Plan to spend an afternoon or an evening with a comprehensive guidebook of four-year colleges such as the ones listed on the suggested readings list. Be sure you have a copy of your recent transcript, all of your SAT, ACT, and Subject Tests score reports, a pad of paper and pen or a computer. Computer programs use a variety of prompts to produce lists of suggested colleges to research. Create a “My College Quickstart” on the College Board website @ http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/quickstart.html).

List any restrictions you have within the process; must you stay west of the Rockies, can you family afford private liberal arts colleges if you do not get substantial grants or scholarships? Write down your intended major, if you have one, and your preferred geographical area or states. List your highest verbal and highest math score and the Subject Test scores in which you scored in the highest percentiles.

List any “must haves” that you have decided upon at this time.

The best way to start is with a computer program. Or, start with your intended major and look in a guidebook for a list of colleges that offer that major. Or, start with the difficulty of admission lists that include the median range of SAT scores and suggested GPA and begin by narrowing down this list. Now look at the general descriptions of each institution and see if the college is still attractive to you. Review cost, size, location, number of in-state students, etc. Remember: you have to visit the campus to determine if it feels right for you.

Use reference guides that list cross applications –students who applied to X University also applied to W College. Your list may grow again. Share this list to your parents and bring it to your college counselor. We have personal knowledge of many colleges and programs and may suggest additions to your list.

Final thoughts: In helping you creating your list, the College Counselor looks at each of you as an individual and not in the context of the rest of your classmates. Your target may be a classmate’s reach. Most students have little difficulty identifying reach colleges that they see as ideal matches for their needs. However, identifying colleges for the target and likely categories sometimes requires more thorough investigation. Over the years, counselors have learned that the most disappointed students and families have simply not spent sufficient time and energy on this part of their list. Developing a well-balanced and informed list of colleges is the key to a successful process and a satisfactory outcome.