What makes a good college list?

From: http://www.examiner.com/article/what-makes-a-good-college-list

The fall of the senior year is the best time to put the finishing touches on a solid college list. At this point, hopefully students have had the opportunity to visit a few colleges, talk to friends who have moved on to new places and had the important conversation with mom and dad about where they might spend the next few years. Now is the time when counselors will work with students via Naviance or provide other resources to help them track student lists and application progress. With many deadlines falling in December and January, counselors want to make sure students are narrowing down the list and submitting materials before the holiday break.

Seemingly every admissions season, colleges experience record application numbers. The Common Application and general hype around college admissions leads students to apply to ridiculous numbers of colleges. At the end of the process, students may end up with few options or with colleges that simply aren't financially possible for their family. With those considerations in mind, below are a few suggestions for helping your student create a well-rounded college list.

1) Number of Colleges. A solid and well-rounded college list should include between 7- 10 colleges in total. There should be 3-4 "safe" colleges, 2-3 "match" colleges, and 2-3 "reach" colleges. Every counselor has a different definition of what these categories mean, but the standard definitions are as follows:

Safe - The student is in the top 25% of admitted students to this college based on their academic profile.

Match - The student falls within the middle 50% of admitted students.

Reach - The student is in the bottom 25% of admitted students OR this is a highly selective university (fewer than 30% of applicants are admitted).

Ideally, students will feel comfortable and excited about all of the colleges on their final list and should not just include colleges at random. When application fees average $50 and students may have to pay to send test scores or additional documents, the cost of applying can add up.

2) Financial Feasibility. Counselors and parents should help students with this part of the college research and use it as a time to educate students about loans, budgeting and expectations. If students will be expected to take on loans and/or get a job to help finance their education, mom and dad should establish these guidelines. For families who require need-based financial aid, the college list should include colleges that meet a high percentage of this need through grants and scholarships, not just loans. For wealthy families that will not qualify, the college list should include colleges which award merit scholarships to top students. Students should check-in with their counselor to identify appropriate colleges. Families can also seek this information out on their own using sites like Big Future, College Navigator, Common Data Sets for each college and visiting the college's financial aid and scholarship websites.

3) Location. Students should always include at least one college in their home state or within a short drive, if possible. This provides options in case a family situation arises which requires the student to be close to home. Additionally, a local college option may end up being the most affordable if the student is able to live at home or live off-campus with a friend.

These are only a few of the many aspects students and parents should take into account when creating a college list. Cultural and social fit, majors offered, location, size and employment statistics are are few of the other factors that should come into play. These are a bit more difficult to research and pinpoint, of course. However, students do have the opportunity to visit colleges for admitted student events in the spring if they want to experience that college culture first hand before making the big decision.