Building the List
Your college list needs to reflect who you are. Even if you want to aim for the top, the Ivies aren't all the same. Some personality types are more likely to be happy at Brown rather than Princeton (and vice-versa). Each of the California schools has a different feel from the others: if UC-Santa Cruz has your kind of vibe, UC-Santa Barbara probably isn't right for you (and vice-versa). You might be comfortable in a big city and able to handle a place like Columbia, NYU, or University of Chicago. Or, you might prefer small town, New England liberal arts campuses like Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wesleyan, or Smith. Maybe you want to focus on southern schools such as Vanderbilt, Emory, Rhodes, Elon, Wake Forest, Davidson, and Furman. You might be looking for a specific characteristic--a historically black college like Howard or Spelman; a trans-friendly school with gender inclusive living options like Ithaca College, UMass-Amherst, UMichigan, or UOregon; a university known for its athletics like UAlabama or Ohio State; an environmentally conscious institution like Reed, UC-Davis, UCSC, or Colorado State. There are also hidden gems that don't get enough press but have outstanding job and grad school acceptance rates, such as College of Wooster, Rochester, Grinnell College, and Babson. After giving you personality assessments and questionnaires to get you started, I talk to you one-on-one and guide you through introspective exploration. I then supervise as you research and refine your list.
Before you research schools, you need to have a sense of who you are and what you want out of college. I help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and geographic location and campus size preferences before researching far and wide to learn about what's out there. While it's too early for most high school students to be certain of post-college goals, I also factor in issues such as career hopes and future plans to attend graduate school.
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In addition to college websites and guides such as Peterson's and Princeton Review, social media like Instagram and TikTok can offer a peek inside college life from current undergrads. Research student life, courses, majors, minors, professors, athletics, activities, living & dining options, clubs, and political atmosphere. There's almost too much information out there between the lists, the rankings, the press, and social media. It can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible to keep track of. I offer templates, checklists, and timelines to track all the information.
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Ultimately you want to wind up with a balanced list of reach, target, and likely schools--every single one of which you'd be happy to attend. I'll help you look beyond the rankings to refine and narrow your list until you (and your parents) are satisfied. Together, we'll consider issues such as majors, internship programs, sports, Greek life, opportunities for study abroad, and housing options, as well as preparedness for post-college life.
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