Choose a College
Finding the right college for you can take a little work. Fortunately, many great websites are available that allow you to plug in your interests, your SAT scores, your grades and a bunch of other things to get a list of schools that match who you are as a student.
Make sure to talk to adults you trust about the colleges you are interested in. You should plan to meet with your high school counselor during your junior year to talk about colleges that might be a good fit for you. If you want another opinion you can also visit a College Access Center to talk with a college counselor.
Three-Three-Three rule
An easy rule for deciding what colleges to apply to is the three-three-three rule. You should apply to three colleges you will definitely be accepted to, three colleges you will probably be accepted to, and three colleges that might be more difficult to get into.
Applying to a wide variety of schools increases your chances of being accepted somewhere, but also allows you to apply to colleges that are more likely to challenge you academically. Additionally, different types of schools often provide different amounts of financial aid, so the more schools you apply to the more financial aid packages you will have to choose between.
There are often fees for submitting applications, however, these fees can usually be waived if you have “financial need”. Ask your high school counselor if your high school is eligible for fee waivers. If they don’t know, contact the admissions officer at the colleges you are applying to directly.
College Fairs and Campus Visits
College fairs and campus visits are great ways to learn more about colleges you might be interested in and talk with admissions officers, students, and faculty. Check out the websites below for more information. If you are interested in visiting a college that is far away contact the admissions office and ask if they help applicants pay for travel to their campus.
Click here for information on touring Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
For information on upcoming college fairs visit: www.nacacnet.org.
If you can’t make it to a campus, take a video tour on unigo or youniversitytv.
College Search Tools
The Center for Student Opportunity offers an online search engine that allows you to complete a profile, and then finds colleges that match your needs and qualifications. By creating a profile you become an “Opportunity Scholar” which qualifies you to apply for $1,000 scholarships the organization offers.
College Board offers a detailed college search engine.
College Navigator guides you through a college search process and allows you to save
“favorites.”
Click here for information on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Click here for a list colleges in Philadelphia.
If you are thinking about starting at a community college make sure the classes you take will transfer to other colleges and universities. Community colleges only offer Associates Degrees, if you want to get a Bachelors Degree you will need to transfer to a college or university after completing two years at a community college.Click here for more information.
Decide Where to Apply
First, think about what you want in a college:
- Where would you like to go to college? Do you want to be close to home or far from home? In a city, a suburb or a rural area?
- What are you interested in studying? What activities would you like to participate in?
- Is it more important to you to have the small classes and personal relationships a small school offers or the large student body and wider variety of activities and classes a large school offers?
- Is racial, economic, religious, etc. diversity important to you?
Second, ask the tough questions:
- Ask college administrators and current students about the types of support structures in place for new students. Make sure colleges you are interested in won’t let you fall through the cracks.
- Ask for contact info from current students so you can talk with them and find out what the school is really like.
- Does the college seem to have a strong financial aid program? What percentage of students receive financial aid, and what is the average amount they receive? Ask financial aid officers if the college offers scholarships.
- What are the college’s academic requirements for admission? Test scores? Grade Point Average (GPA)? Think about how these requirements match your qualifications, which category of the 3-3-3 rule does this school fall into?
Third, make a list:
- After thinking about the factors above, make a list of pros and cons for each school.
- Try to judge colleges based on how what they offer matches up with what you want. Your gut feeling about a college also matters, but its important to take the time to look at each college objectively too.
- Remember to compare colleges to other colleges in the same category of the 3-3-3 rule, and make sure you are choosing a variety of colleges to apply to.
Apply!
The Recommendation: Most colleges require recommendations with the application, in the fall of your senior year start identifying adults who would be able to write your recommendation. You should ask for recommendations several months before application deadlines so that your recommenders have plenty of time to complete the forms. Teachers, guidance counselors, or other adults you are not related to but have worked closely with are good people to ask. Make sure to pick people who see the best side of you, and who would be able to honestly write a positive recommendation.
The Resumé or “Activities” Section: Brainstorm everything you have done for the last four years, make sure not to miss anything! You should list work experience, volunteering, school clubs, church groups, sports, music, etc., anything you do when you aren’t in school could be something to list. Don’t sell yourself short, this is your chance to brag about all the great things you have done!
The Essay: Do more than just list information in your essay. Try to express your emotions and yourself in your writing, colleges want to see more than facts on paper. Take time to think about the question and make sure you are answering it completely. The essay is your chance to show who you are besides your grades, test scores and resumé, this is your chance to get personal and show yourself as a whole person.
Proofread: Make sure to proofread your application and essay carefully, spellcheck doesn’t catch everything and small errors can be a big deal. Ask someone you trust to read your application and essay, and give you feedback. Another person is more likely to notice errors, and they can also let you know if there is a part of the application that could be written more clearly, or make you look better. Don’t be afraid of constructive criticism!
If you have any questions or problems during the application process make sure to ask for help!
- Contact the admissions department at the colleges you are applying to and explain the problem.
- Contact the PhillyGoes2College Office: 215-686-0315
