OCTOBER 2022
This is a blog post about how to create a “College List.” But let me beat this drum for a moment. . .
U.S News OR You?
Every September students face a terrible temptation: the publication of the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges. Will you drink the Kool-Aid of this cult of rankings?
Please. Please! RESIST! That publication can be a valuable information resource, to be used alongside many others. But get out your fattest Sharpie Pen and black all their rankings. Numerous studies demonstrate that college happiness and career success do not depend upon “better” schools. It depends on you. What’s in your college backpack. . .
· your intellectual curiosity?
· your ability to cultivate mentors and study friends?
· your enthusiasm to contribute to campus life?
· your management of studies and life without a parent’s supervision?
· your vision for your future?
Now, back to business: how do you begin that College List?
Corsava
First, begin to sort out what you really desire in a college – from its place, its climate, its campus clubs to its courses that advance career goals.
Corsava is a brilliant, free, on-line app that helps identify those things that really matter to you. Corsava takes you through a kind of game, called the “Card Sort.” You’re presented with a series of digital “cards” that ask you to grade features like “Greek life,” “Big Time Sports,” “Discussion-oriented classes,” “Great Food,” “Small town close to Big City,” etc.
I suggest you bring your parents and counselors into this process. It will certainly help parents see you in a new light. (I never realized my daughter would want to join a sorority and go to football games – really?)
Based on the Card Sort, Corsava will generate a preliminary list of possible schools for you to put on your College List – but this feature is still in development and needs a counselor to generate it. So I suggest you use Corsava as a powerful clarifying exercise. And, as you grow in clarity throughout your High School days, return and redo your Corsava Card Sort.
Expert Lists
After your Corsava Card Sort, “Cast your bread upon the waters. . .” Time to Research!
Do random online searches on what experts say about schools that excel in your desired area of study or career. For example, google “best colleges Italian language USA” or “best colleges music event management.” These lists are usually put together by real experts in those fields – unlike US News’ rankings.
Look at the expert-curated lists on College Express, where a burgeoning number of lists are located. On College Express’s home page click on “Lists and Rankings” and enter a desired feature. It can be a desired field of study, or campus housing, or even the quality of campus food. Think about the features that were “must-have’s” from your Card Sort.
Finally, consider personally consulting with an expert in your desired field of study. I detail how to go about this in another post; I can guide you through this research and outreach.
Time for a Spread Sheet
Beginning to feel overwhelmed? Keep track of your college picks by creating a spread sheet that you regularly update and edit, as your self-understanding evolves.
Ethan Sawyer (aka “The College Essay Guy”) has created such a spread sheet, free and downloadable. In a terrific YouTube video he shows you how to populate this spread sheet. He advises you watch for colleges that keep showing up across your various columns of desired features. Pay attention to those repeaters – they're colleges that belong on your final list.
What About Matches and Money?
What about the common advice to choose schools based on “safety,” “match” and “reach”? I suggest you use those categories after you’ve developed a rich list of possible schools you’d love to attend. Don’t prejudice your search by looking down at a safety school or feeling spooked by a reach.
And what about college costs? You will not know the real cost of attending most schools until you’ve received an award letter. You can, however, determine generally what you might pay. I can help you research the average, real cost paid by students – it’s public data but not easy to find.
How do you create a College List?
Play with those Corsava Cards, Research Real Expert Lists, and Work your Excel Spread Sheets!