1. Dream
What career are you dreaming of? What would you love to study in college?
Take the COIN Self-Assessment to help you figure out the answers. Available at many schools, this online questionnaire discovers occupations that match your interests, preferences and needs. This information can be useful as you search for colleges that have the programs of study you may want. Ask your guidance counselor where you can take this self-assessment.
Create a wish list.
Make a list of all the colleges that interest you. It can be as long as you like. Think about who you are. Consider the kind of academic and social environments in which you feel most comfortable. The colleges you apply to should reflect your goals, skills, interests and personality.
Questions to ask:
- What classes do you enjoy?
- What subjects do you do well in?
- What are the things you like most about your high school?
- What do you do in your free time (reading, writing, dancing, singing, sports, computers, drawing)?
- What topics are you curious about, and what skills would you like to develop?
- Do you want to attend a small school, a large school, a liberal arts college, a technical college, a two-year college or a university?
- How about a single-gender college, an art school, a historically black college or a college with religious affiliations?
- Where would you like to go to school? In an urban, suburban or rural setting? Close to home or far away?
How do these questions help you select a college?
If you attend a small high school, you might consider the close-knit community of a small college. Or you might prefer a large school, where the range of activities is more diverse. If you enjoy drawing, painting, photography or acting, you may want to consider a visual or performing arts school.
Free personal college advisement is available for 11th- and 12th-graders from Goddard Riverside’s Options Program.
2. Research
Research each college on your wish list.
Talk to your guidance counselor. He or she can help you find colleges that match your academic profile, personal interests and strengths.
Interview current college students. New York City ninth- and 10th-graders came up with these interview questions to help learn more about college:
- Do you think it is better to live on or commute to campus?
- Once you graduate, does the college help you find a job?
- What grade point average (GPA) should you have to get into a good college?
- When you were in high school, how did you prepare for college?
- Do you feel that your professors are helpful?
- Describe your typical day at college.
- How did you feel during your first year at college?
- Is it a good idea to join a fraternity/sorority?
- How do you know what classes to take?
- What do you think is the most difficult part of college?
- What are some ways to get a scholarship?
Participate in after-school college prep programs.
Attend college fairs.
Visit colleges that interest you. Most colleges hold daily information sessions and tours.
These are all good questions to ask college admissions officers, students and professors on your college visits:
- What size are the classes?
- Are the classes taught by professors or teaching assistants?
- How much of student need is covered by financial aid?
- Is on-campus housing available for all students?
- Do students stay on campus on weekends, or do most go home?
- What kinds of activities are available to students on weekends?
- What grades, test scores and experiences does your college look for?
- Which tests are required? SAT, SAT subject test, ACT?
- Does the college have core requirements? English, math, science, language?
- How many students graduate on time?
- What percentage of students find jobs or go on to graduate programs upon graduating?
- How diverse and tolerant is the student population? Consider racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, socioeconomic and geographic diversity, and the support systems available.
- What kind of support does the college have for students who face personal or academic challenges or students with learning or physical disabilities?
3. Narrow
Narrow your list to six or eight colleges.
Your list should include a combination of public and private colleges that are your “dream” schools, “probable” schools, and “safety” schools. As New York State students, you should include City University and State University schools on the list. Your list is unique; it will not look like anyone else’s.
“Dream” colleges
Include one or two colleges whose admissions requirements are a real challenge but that you are really hopeful about.
“Probable” colleges
Include two or three colleges whose admissions requirements you mostly satisfy and where there is a good chance you will be accepted.
“Safety” colleges
Include two or three colleges whose admissions requirements you satisfy and where you know you are likely to be accepted.