Coming up with a balanced college list can feel overwhelming. Especially when you consider that there are nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in the US. This is why it’s important to know how to research colleges properly. After all, Finding the Right University or College For You takes a lot of research and self-reflection! After you complete preliminary research, you’ll need to narrow things down by coming up with a balanced college list. This means finding plenty of “target” and “safety” schools, along with a couple of “reach” schools.
At this point, you probably have a lot of questions about the college application process, including: How many colleges should I apply to? And what are safety, target, and reach schools? In this article, we’ll answer both of those questions. We’ll also review how to research colleges effectively. So if you have questions about how to create a balanced college list, rest assured, you’ve come to the right place!
Learning about different types of college
There are lots of different types of colleges out there: from Liberal Arts Colleges and Faith-Based Colleges, to large research universities and music conservatories. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Especially if you aren’t sure what your options are!
Differences between colleges and universities
Universities tend to be much larger with more diverse student bodies. They offer both undergraduate and graduate programs. In general, they tend to have larger classes and offer a wider range of academic programs. Sometimes, they even provide undergraduate students with research opportunities — something that’s usually reserved for graduate students. In general, universities are public institutions and receive public funding.
Colleges tend to be smaller, privately owned, and more specialized. In general, there are two types of colleges: 2-year colleges, where you can earn an associate’s degree, and 4-year colleges, where you can earn a bachelor’s degree. Colleges tend to have smaller class sizes and emphasize individualized instruction. Since research isn’t as much of a priority as it is at universities, professors who teach at colleges often prioritize teaching over conducting their own research.
Differences between colleges and universities
Let’s start off with a broad question: What’s the Difference between a College and a University?
Universities tend to be much larger with more diverse student bodies. They offer both undergraduate and graduate programs. In general, they tend to have larger classes and offer a wider range of academic programs. Sometimes, they even provide undergraduate students with research opportunities — something that’s usually reserved for graduate students. In general, universities are public institutions and receive public funding.
Colleges tend to be smaller, privately owned, and more specialized. In general, there are two types of colleges: 2-year colleges, where you can earn an associate’s degree, and 4-year colleges, where you can earn a bachelor’s degree. Colleges tend to have smaller class sizes and emphasize individualized instruction. Since research isn’t as much of a priority as it is at universities, professors who teach at colleges often prioritize teaching over conducting their own research.
Exploring other types of colleges
As previously mentioned, there are lots of different types of colleges and universities, including technical colleges, art colleges, women’s colleges, liberal arts colleges, religious colleges, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about what types of colleges are out there, check out some of the following articles:
Remember, these articles only represent a sample of what’s available to you! Depending on your values and what you’d like to study, there may be other types of programs for you to discover!
How to research colleges
Finding the right college for you takes plenty of research and self-reflection. Let’s start with self-reflection. Here are some questions you should consider when you first start researching colleges:
After you’ve reflected on your answers to these questions, you’ll have a much easier time conducting research. This is because you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for!
To start off, you’ll want to use third-party websites that aggregate data from numerous colleges. These websites are helpful because you can use lots of different search filters. Here are some helpful websites to start with:
After you’ve come up with a long list of potential schools, begin visiting individual college websites. Then you can start researching more specific questions, such as: What financial aid and scholarship opportunities will be available to me? What are job placement rates for students in my intended major? And what are housing options like? Take detailed notes so you can compare colleges more easily in the future!
How many colleges should you apply to?
Now that you’ve come up with an initial list, it’s time to start narrowing down your options! This leads us to a very important question: How many colleges should you apply to?
Students should aim to apply to 7-12 colleges. If you apply to fewer than 7 colleges, you might not have enough options come spring, especially if you are mostly applying to reach and target schools. On the other hand, if you apply to more than 12 colleges, you’re likely to get burnt out.
Ideally, you should apply to 2-3 safety schools, 3-4 target schools, and 2-3 reach schools. This leads us to our next big question: What are safety, target, and reach schools?
What are safety, target, and reach schools?
Generally speaking, safety schools are schools where you are more or less guaranteed admission. Oftentimes, their overall acceptance rate is 75% or higher. In certain states, such as Texas, Florida, and Arizona, students who meet certain GPA requirements are guaranteed admission to a state school. For these students, state schools make great safety schools!
If you need help finding quality schools to add to your list of safety schools, check out our article, 15 College Safety Schools For Your College List.
Target schools are schools where you have at least a 50% chance of being admitted. This means that you fall within the 50th percentile in terms of the admitted students’ grades and test scores. In other words, your credentials are a good match for the average admitted student.
Now, What Are Reach Schools?. Reach schools are schools where you fall within the 25th percentile of the admitted students’ grades and test scores. It’s worth noting that, no matter how capable of a student you may be, schools with overall acceptance rates below 20% are always considered reach schools. For example, even if you fall within the 50th percentile of admitted Emory University students, Emory University still counts as a reach school because its overall acceptance rate is 16%.
Now, let’s take a moment to recap:
Key takeaways and moving forward
If come spring, you’re not happy with your options, you can still apply to more schools with rolling admission programs. You can also start researching how to transfer colleges, especially if you still have your heart set on attending your dream school. Or are considering attending a community college and transferring to a 4-year college later on.
Key takeaways and moving forward
In order to maximize your options in the long run, apply to 2-3 safety schools, 3-4 target schools, and 2-3 reach schools. Try your best to only apply to schools you would genuinely like to attend. And avoid spending all of your time on your reach school applications. Especially if it comes at the expense of your other college applications. The term “safety school” may have a negative connotation, but it shouldn’t. Plenty of less-selective schools have lots to offer!
If come spring, you’re not happy with your options, you can still apply to more schools with rolling admission programs. You can also start researching how to transfer colleges, especially if you still have your heart set on attending your dream school. Or are considering attending a community college and transferring to a 4-year college later on.
