I remember in my freshmen year, people would ask me where I planned to go for college. I
would name a few ideas. Penn State, West Chester, maybe some out of state schools. The
follow up question I never seemed prepared for – Why?
Truthfully, I wasn’t ever thinking too deeply into it, I just figured if the pictures looked nice, they
had some cool majors, that was enough for me to apply. However, something you will learn very
quickly when you start your application process, is that there’s actually a lot more you should be
caring for.
Sure that university sounds great at a glance, but the campus is too small for my liking. The
academics are reported to be amazing, but students complain about having no real social
activities available. Things like this should matter to you. So here are just a few ways to narrow
down colleges based on what you are looking for!
Start Simple
I was, and still have been getting flooded with college emails and mail from the moment I
became a junior in high school. I am sure many people have the same annoying spam emails.
Even though they can be annoying, they can actually help you get a start. Look at the quick
facts, if they interest you, keep that mail, if it doesn’t catch your attention, throw it to the side,
save it for later in case you end up wanting more options. Once you sort through the mail, you
have a start to narrowing down your choices. Then you can look at what really matters to you.
Research Everything
Now that you have a few options, start looking at the details. There are websites such as
bigfuture.org, collegedata.com, and niche.com that have reports on college information. From
academics, to costs, it can tell you almost anything you want to know about a school. In
addition, they also use verified information and reviews from students and staff, to help you hear
first hand if they are true to their word. You like the idea of Penn State, but want to know about
the dorm situations. There are plenty of reviews, websites, and other information on that. I want
to go to the University of South Carolina, but I would like to know what campus safety looks like,
there’s information on that too! All these little things that matter to you will be important when it
comes to narrowing down schools.
Visiting Schools
Campus tours, open houses, and information sessions are happening all throughout the year.
Make sure to look out for these visits. Typically, all tours and dates are free along with sign up.
For me personally, two of my top choice schools ended up being schools I visited, and fell in
love with because of their campus, and all the other information I learned first hand from
professors and students. It’s an amazing way to witness everything up close, get answers to
questions, and much more. (Another thing-many schools will waive your application fee if you
attend a visit or tour at their school!)

These are just a few tips on how to find that list of schools you want to apply to. Remember,
your college list should be fully made off of schools that you want to go to. Take a moment to
think about how much you really know about that ‘dream school’ of yours. Does it sound great
when you look at the little things, it may matter to you later on, and it’s better to find out now,
then when you start attending that school in the fall!