8 things to think about when selecting US schools to apply to
American Admissions Special
You’re about to enter your last year of high school and you’re really excited to apply to colleges in the US.
The problem: how are you supposed to choose among the many hundreds of schools you could be applying to?
We have identified the 8 most important factors to consider when selecting a list of American colleges and universities to apply to.
1. Balance your list
Many American colleges are famous for being difficult to get into. Not everyone who applies will be accepted to Harvard, even if they’re well-qualified. All students – even if they have perfect grades and test scores – need to know they might not get into their first choice.
You should pick your list of approximately 8 to 12 schools with this in mind. Pick 3-4 colleges that might be hard for you to get into, and are top universities. Select another 3-4 that feel like they are at your level, and finally, another 3-4 that are your “safetys” – colleges that, given your academic achievements, should be easy to get into.
The trick is to find something you love about each school. You should be happy about every university you are applying to, even if it’s a “safety,” so that you are not disappointed if that school is the only one you end up getting accepted to.
2. Requirements
Some schools you can exclude from your list because of the requirements for admission. Maybe you’re at least 50-100 points below the lower range of the SAT score they recommend for entry. Perhaps your GPA is a 3.0, and they want their applicants have at least a 3.5. Your TOEFL score just came in at 105, and one college wants above a 110.
Checking out the specific requirements of the schools you are interested in and how close you might be (or not) to them is a good way to narrow down your list.
3. Academics
You might already have an idea of what you want to study at college. If you are really passionate about political science, you could check the rankings for the top 10 poli sci universities in the US. Or maybe you want to study social policy as a major, and there are only a few schools that do this. You recently read an article from a really renowned professor you’d like to study with, and he teaches at Dartmouth College.
Tapping into your academic interests is a great way to figure out which schools should be on your list.
4. Extracurriculars
Similarly, extracurriculars are a hugely important part of American college life. US universities will want to see you have hobbies and passions outside the classroom when assessing your application.
If you play water polo, make sure you include schools on your list that have a water polo team. Maybe you have been volunteering for the Red Cross your entire life; the colleges on your list should have a Red Cross Club and be affiliated with your local chapter.
5. Location
The exact location that you want to study in can play a big part in what schools are on your list. For some people, they have had a lifelong dream to live in California, which means UC-Berkley, UCLA, Stanford, and more will be sure to feature on their list.
You may have been living in a city their whole lives and would like a break, so you look at colleges in rural areas. For others, the opposite will be true – they want to study in a city and access to all the work and extracurricular opportunities that urban life offers.
6. Size
Often going hand in hand with location, size is also a really important factor when thinking about what school you would like to spend four years of your life at. Maybe you want a setting where class sizes are smaller. A rural liberal arts college with a few thousand students would be the perfect place.
Or maybe you are looking for that perfect combination of a small to mid-sized university within a huge city, so that you have a campus to come home to, but the world at your doorstep. Ivy league schools within urban areas like the University of Pennsylvania are perfect for this. Other people like to be a short train or car drive away from a big city, but still live on a secluded campus.
And finally many students are excited to attend a university with tens of thousands of students, where there are limitless opportunities to socialise, meet new people, and interact with a wide breadth of programmes and courses.
7. Philosophy
Many US colleges also have a particular philosophy or mission that guides their activities and overall campus feel. Columbia University, for example, has a “core curriculum” that every student must take; perhaps you believe in their mission of training well-rounded and highly knowledgeable students. The University of Notre Dame is Catholic and faith is very important to a large percentage of the student body. Williams College is well-known for running a tutorial system, where you and one other student receive direct instruction from a professor in an intensive academic setting.
Think about whether some of these more specific academic experiences would appeal to you when compiling your list.
8. Student experience
There are other elements of the student experience that should factor when selecting which colleges to apply to. If study abroad is important to you, make sure you select colleges that have good study abroad programmes in the locations you are interested in. Maybe Yale’s residential house system sounds fun to you, or Northwestern University is offering a unique mentorship programme in the sector you eventually want to work in.
The best way to judge the overall student experience and feel of the campus is usually through visiting. Given current Covid-19 travel restrictions it may be difficult, so contact the admissions offices of the top 20 or so schools you are interested in to see if you can arrange virtual tours or Skype calls with current students.