Most students should plan to apply to ten or twelve schools. If that sounds like an awful lot, it is!
Fortunately, most schools use the Common Application, a web platform that stores student information and sends it to schools when the student is ready to apply. The student can edit their Common App at any time, up until it’s submitted to schools.
Some colleges require supplemental materials as part of the Common App, but it’s still a lot more convenient than filling out an entire application for each college.
Some schools use the alternative Coalition Application, and a few states, including Texas and California, have a single application system for their public universities. Only a handful of colleges, most notably MIT and Brigham Young, use their own applications.
Once you’ve thought about your student and the kind of environment where they’ll thrive, it’s time to take a closer look at each school on your short list. Most students today apply to about eight or ten colleges, so your research list should have at least that many.
Students can connect with other applicants and current students using Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. However, all the usual caveats about social media apply. These sites are not always reliable, and any account or thread followed may contain misinformation. On these sites, students should follow several accounts to ensure they get a broad view of the schools that interest them.
If possible, students should visit their top priority schools during the school year. An in-person visit during the semester will provide the most accurate view of life on campus. Your student should be sure to speak to both faculty and students.
Most schools also offer web-based virtual tours. Virtual tours made by students can easily be found on YouTube, TikTok, and Campus Reels. Keep in mind that a virtual tour created by a school is marketing material and tours created by students will be of greatly varying quality.
Adapted from an article by A Starting Line coach Karen Droisen.
The best advice parents and guardians can give their student(s) is to choose their colleges based on “fit” – how well colleges would meet their criteria, including cost. Perceived college prestige or rankings are not relevant to “fit” and arguably should not play a role in choosing a school. Students will excel at schools where they are challenged, supported, happy, and fulfilled.
There are many online self-assessments that students can take to identify the types of schools best for them. Stephen Antonoff’s materials are generally considered among the best, and begin with a look at the student’s level of independence, enthusiasm for different kinds of work, and personality.
Basic questions and the results of the self-assessments will kick off the search. As they narrow down the list, students and their family should consider if they:
There are two types of financial aid: merit-based and need-based. Merit-based aid is given by the school and is based on a student’s performance in high school. Colleges will offer merit aid to the highly qualified students they want to enroll. Need-based aid is given by schools based only on demonstrated financial need, not on merit. Generally, the more selective the school is, the more likely it is to offer only need-based aid. Some schools give a mix of merit and need-based aid.
Most schools will use information submitted by the student via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); a few use the College Scholarship Services (CSS) profile. Both will require the submission of tax returns and a great deal of other information. The FAFSA will produce an estimated family contribution (EFC), the amount a family can be expected to pay for college costs, according to the government’s algorithm. However, this number is not a guarantee of aid. It is simply a data point used by colleges when calculating a financial aid package. Each college will have a Net Price Calculator (NPC) on their website that provides the most accurate information on a family’s expected contribution. Unfortunately, there is no standard NPC: each college has its own. If families need to take loans to cover a gap between the financial aid offered by the school and what they can actually afford to pay, they should think very carefully about how much debt they want to take on, and what type of loan would be best. Financial aid award packages can be appealed if families do not think they are accurate.
The college your student attends will be the largest source of aid. There are other sources, including thousands of private scholarships, but they are typically small, difficult to find, and time-consuming to complete. Some students may decide that the time it would take to find and apply for private scholarships is not worth the relatively small amount of money they might receive if they win. Scholarships from a state for its public colleges can be substantial, so if financial aid is a major concern, be sure to look into state schools.
