Building a College List

by Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D.

At this stage of things, you’re heading into the home stretch of the first part of the college search. By studying hard, giving back, thinking about your place in the world, and having fun, your high school years have been great to experience and great to grow on—something to build, not just a college application on, but for applying yourself once you’re in college, and once you’re out. Because you built these qualities up over time, you’re not burned out about college; because your parents and your counselor are on board with you, they’re not on your case; because you’ve learned about the colleges in great detail, you’re focused on finding schools that are right for you, not finding ones that are “right” colleges.

You really need to hold on to that last thought tight from now until June of your senior year. Lots of well-meaning folks at the family reunion, Thanksgiving table, or New Year’s Party will ask you where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to major in. If you don’t give them the answer they want to hear—that you’ll be majoring in Business at one of “those” colleges—they will likely do things with their faces you swore were limited to cartoon characters who eat too many Cocoa Doodles for breakfast.

Of course, it’s fine to major in Business at a name college—if that’s right for you—but if that’s not where you are, that’s not where you should go. Don’t get me wrong—the last thing you want to do is go to college without thinking about your plans. But if you’ve thought about them and don’t have a major, then finding a college that doesn’t care if you have one right now is a plan, even if it’s at a college people haven’t heard of, and even if you change your major a lot once you’re there (which most students do—even the business majors).

Keeping your focus in the midst of all these opinions and cocoa doodles may not be the easiest thing to do—so you need to focus on something else. As you continue to research colleges, remember your goal is:

1. A list of 4-8 colleges you’d like to apply to, which includes:

1. At least one college in your home state;
2. Two colleges where your grades (and if it applies, test scores) are above the averages for most of the students admitted there;
3. A couple of dream schools you can’t quite figure out how you’ll get into or pay for;
4. All colleges you’ll be happy to go to.

This doesn’t have to be a “one and done” exercise, so dream on, keep thinking, be strong in the work you have done so far…

…and don’t forget to fish out the cereal that landed in the cracks between the sofa cushions.

Also—write your list down, and put it somewhere you can see it every day.