Building a Balanced College List

Choosing the right balance of colleges for your college list is a crucial part of the admissions process. But what exactly does a balanced college list mean? Whether you’re a student just beginning your college search, or a parent looking to support the process, this blog will give you the exact steps, tips and resources you need to get it right.

Building a balanced list of colleges means including a strong mix of safety, target and reach schools.

Step 1: Define your best-fit college preferences.

Before you dive into searching for schools, think about your personal preferences and priorities when it comes to picking a college. Consider:

• Academic fit: What are your academic interests? Do you want to study engineering, liberal arts, or something more niche? What level of difficulty and competition can you handle and do you want from your experience? Do you want to know your professors well or are you okay working with teaching assistants and on your own?

• Social fit: Do you want a large, bustling university, or are you drawn to a small, tight-knit campus? How well do you want to know the other students? What activities and opportunities do you want to get involved in? How often do you want to visit home?

• Financial fit: How will you pay for college? Will your parents be helping, and if so, how much will they provide? What is your budget for tuition and all other expenses? Will you need financial aid, including merit scholarships?

The answers to the questions above will help you narrow down your list to schools that align with your goals.

Step 2: Use college search tools to find a variety of schools to match your preferences.

Many websites provide tools to help you find colleges that match what you're looking for from schools. Two of my favorites include:

• Niche.com: Niche provides information, rankings and reviews for colleges, including details on campus life and financial aid. I love this site because it will show you how you compare to students who have been admitted to the schools you're considering.

• CollegeSimply.com: CollegeSimply is a comprehensive college search platform that allows users to research and compare colleges based on rankings, costs, majors, and admissions data. This site also has a fantastic sorting system where you can see if a school is a safety, reach or target school for you.

Step 3: Deciding if a school should be included on your list.

Before we get into categorizing schools on your list, a word about which schools you should add to your list in the first place. There are two things that I think students should consider before adding a college to their list. The first is that a student should be able to name at least 5 things that make the school a good fit, outside of majors, sports teams and location. These things could be particular activities, clubs, courses, programs, internships, support services and more. This will require you to do some deep research into the schools you're considering, but it will be definitely be worth it. The second consideration is simple: Schools should only be included on your list if you are truly excited about them, regardless of their admissions difficulty. This means that even your safety colleges should not be "fall back" schools that you will attend only if you can't afford any other options. So be sure you take the time to do your homework and really get to know each school before you apply. You'll thank me later for this one when you have multiple colleges you love to choose from!

Step 4: Categorize your colleges as safety, target or reach schools.

A balanced college list should have a healthy mix of safety, target, and reach schools. Let’s break the categories down:

1. Safety Schools – These schools should be ones where your academic and extracurricular credentials exceed the average admitted student’s. You are very likely to be admitted to these colleges. These are also typically the schools where you potentially will receive the best merit scholarships, if they are offered by the college.

2. Target Schools – These are schools where your academic and extracurricular credentials align with the average student admitted. You are a competitive applicant for these colleges, meaning you're likely to be admitted if you meet other application requirements.

3. Reach Schools – These are schools where your academic credentials (grades, test scores, etc.) may be below the school's average admitted student. Or, any college that has an acceptance rate of less than 20%, as these schools are reach for nearly every student who applies. While still a possibility, acceptance at a reach college isn’t guaranteed. Reach schools are aspirational.

It's important not to overload your list with mainly reach colleges, as this can lead to unnecessary stress if you don’t get into the majority (or any) of them. On the flip side, having too many safety schools can lead to stress if you miss out on the chance to challenge yourself at a more competitive school. Again, shoot for balance and it will save you from having regrets later on.

How many schools should be on your final list?

Great question! I tell students to shoot for 4-6 safety schools, 4-6 target schools and 2-3 reach schools; for a total of 10 to 15 total colleges. Students who are more focused about what they're looking for can cut this number down. Keep in mind, a lot can change about the way a student is feeling between the beginning and end of senior year. So I try to encourage students to apply to at least 8 schools to keep more opportunities open, regardless of changing feelings. On the other hand, competitive students who are wanting to apply to a larger number of reach colleges may have to add more target and safety schools to their list to create balance; for a final college list greater than 15 schools. It's not uncommon for students to have 16+ schools on their list if they're applying to a larger number of reach colleges.

Balancing your list for future success

Building a balanced college list is key to setting yourself up for success in the college admissions process. By including a mix of reach, target, and safety schools, you create a realistic and strategic application strategy that maximizes your chances of acceptances and scholarships. The process may feel overwhelming at first, but if you put the right amount of effort into research and planning, you'll end up with a list of schools that fit all of your academic, social, and financial needs.

If you're feeling more overwhelmed than when you started reading, you may benefit from more guidance around building a best-fit, balanced college list. Set up a free 30-minute consult today and learn how RingTrue can help!