College Search

During the coming academic year, we will be providing you with information about conducting your college search. Basically, you first need to start by carefully looking at yourself, not a list of colleges. After you have examined your interests, attitudes, and abilities, you can focus on what factors are important to you in choosing a college. Next, you can come up with a preliminary list of colleges and universities that match your academic abilities, interests, and goals. To prepare a list, you need to research information about schools so that you can make an informed and realistic decision about where to apply. To get a range of information, we recommend you use more than one source. A mix of objective and subjective resources is useful in getting a balanced, thorough picture of each school.

Know Thyself

Sometimes students choose a college for the wrong reasons: it's close to home, it's far away, it's prestigious, it's good enough and inexpensive. The outcome can be disastrous. If you invest your time and energy in finding the right colleges for you, you'll find many schools from which to choose.

The college search is all about finding colleges and universities that are the right fit for you. But you cannot tell if a college suits your needs until you spend some real energy understanding yourself. Thus, making plans for life after high school involves self-discovery and reflection. Start with some self-knowledge. Ask yourself:

  • How do I learn best? Do I learn best on my own, or do I need direction? Do I like working in teams or by myself? Am I a passive or active learner? Do I possess basic academic skills, or do I need extra help?
  • How do I interact with the world around me? Am I a leader or a follower? Do I prefer an unstructured or structured method of learning? Do I prefer to be with people "like me" or do I embrace personal differences?
  • What goals do I have for my education? What do I enjoy learning about? Do I enjoy learning for the sake of learning, or do I want to learn what I need for my profession?

Factors to Consider in Your College Search

After you have gained some self-knowledge, you can begin to research colleges. The following factors should be considered:

  • Location. Do you want a school close to home or far away? Do you want to look in a particular geographic location such as New England or the Midwest? Do you prefer the big city, a small town, or a rural location? Is weather a factor to you? What about travel costs and convenience?
  • Size. How big is your ideal school? It is sometimes hard to visualize school size, so begin by asking yourself if you want a school larger or smaller than Mira Costa. Schools can be quite small (less than 2,000 students) to very large (60,000 students). Smaller schools usually have the following benefits: classes are smaller, there is greater access to professors, classes are discussion-based, more emphasis is placed on personal development, classes are usually taught by professors and not TA's, there are more opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities, academic facilities and classes are more readily accessible, and there is a greater sense of community. Liberal arts and sciences colleges are wonderful for students who want to gain broad knowledge. Larger colleges and universities often offer a wider range of courses, up-to-date facilities, and lecture-based classes. Large schools may offer more activities, and many have highly ranked sports teams with large followings. They can offer a student anonymity if desired, and students may be able to explore more varied areas of study. Begin to get a sense of where you will be most comfortable.
  • Academic Offerings/Environment. What are the academic demands of the school? How challenging is the curriculum? What is the relationship between students and faculty? Are the courses offered pre-professional or liberal arts focused? What type of instruction is offered? How large are the classes? Is tutoring offered? Liberal arts and sciences schools are good choices for those students who are uncertain about their careers. Many larger schools are career oriented and offer pre-professional courses such as engineering, business, and architecture.
  • Curriculum. Does the college offer the courses you are interested in? How many courses are offered in each department? What are the most popular majors? Is there a core curriculum of required courses and, if so, how extensive is it? Are independent study, study abroad, internships, and special programs available?
  • Activities/Atmosphere. Are there many activities offered related to your interests? Are there fraternities and sororities? What about clubs and other organizations, including religious and political groups? Do students stay on campus on the weekends? What are some of the more popular activities?
  • Cost. How much will this school cost? What types of aid are available? What percent of students receive some sort of aid? Are work study programs available? Is it difficult to find a part-time job?
  • Type of Students. What types of students generally attend this school (spirited, conservative, open-minded, ambitious, fun)? How diverse is the school population? Is the campus community cohesive or fragmented? How is the school spirit?
  • Housing. Are dorms available all four years? How many years are you required to live in a dorm? Does much of the campus social life center in apartments? Are there centralized dining options?
  • Special Focus. Do I want a single sex school or a coed one? Do I want my school to have a religious or ethnic affiliation? Do I want a school with a music conservatory? A particular sports team?
  • Safety. How safe is the campus? Is there available transportation around campus? Are there escort services at night? What about emergency phones? If you can't find out this information from guide books or a college's website, call the campus security office directly, or go to www.ope.ed.gov/security for data about safety at individual campuses.

By examining these factors you will be able to compare colleges based on what is most important to you.

College List

After performing several college searches, you must now come up with your college list. Make sure to apply to a broad range of colleges. Include a few so-called safety schools – colleges you would be happy to attend and that are very likely to accept you. Choose a few match schools where your standardized test score and GPA fall within the middle range of the school's profile. And apply to a few reach schools – schools where you have a chance of getting in but your test scores and GPA are a bit low when you look at the school profile. The top or most competitive schools should be considered reach schools for almost everyone, because even perfect test scores and grades will not guarantee acceptance.

Number of Applications

Sometimes, students apply to far too many schools. This is inadvisable for several reasons. Colleges are considering "demonstrated interest" as an important factor in admissions. You can demonstrate your interest by visiting schools and corresponding with admissions officers and representatives. It is difficult for you to develop a relationship with a large number of colleges. Second, the time you spend on so many college applications can detract from your school work and you may not be able to make every application the best it can be. Third, applying to a large number of schools can get expensive. So apply only to those schools you would be happy attending. What is the right number of schools to apply to? If you apply to schools where you have a good chance of being accepted, you don't need to apply to as many schools as you do if you apply to schools beyond your reach.

Resources

  1. CCC. There are many useful resources in the CCC, from college brochures, to guidebooks to DVDs. We meet with every English class each year, and workshops are held throughout the year.
  2. College Guidebooks. In general, college guidebooks reveal a subjective look at colleges. However, they are fun to read and informative, as long as you realize they contain personal opinions. The CCC has many college guidebooks. A few of the more popular ones are:
    • The Fiske Guide to Colleges (updated annually)
    • Colleges That Change Lives - Pope
    • The Best 357 Colleges - Princeton Review
    • Cool Colleges - Asher
  3. Internet.
    • Naviance. Naviance contains a college search feature for use by students and parents. You can discover useful information about schools you may not know much about. Naviance also contains links to the websites of these colleges for more detailed information.
    • College websites. A college or university's own website is a wonderful, accurate, and up-to-date source of information. Most are amazingly detailed and informative.
    • College Navigator. College Navigator, sponsored by the US Department of Education, is another great college search vehicle. For step-by-step instructions on performing a search, see College Search Activity.
    • Additional College Search Engines. See below.
    • College Catalogs and Course Guides. Colleges send lots of information to prospective students. Be aware that much of this information is part of a marketing campaign. For detailed information about a school, look at the school's catalog of courses, admission requirements, and more. We have some college catalogs in the CCC.
  4. College Representatives. College reps are a great source of information. Many are graduates of the school. Meeting with a college rep is a convenient way to get specific questions answered. College representatives will be here throughout the fall. See College Representative Visits
  5. College Visits. Your first college visit may well be a cyber-tour on a website. But you will want to try and visit your top choices to see if the fit is right. See Making the Most of College Visits

Remember Your Vowels

  • A → Action
    The college search and selection process requires you to take an active role. Don't just read the college pamphlets that arrive in the mail or ask your friends where they plan on attending. Do your own research and learn as much as you can.
  • E → Evaluation
    First off, learn about yourself, how you learn best, and what factors are important to you in your college decision. After you have evaluated your individual needs, you can then evaluate which colleges will best meet those needs. Keep an open mind. Don't dismiss a college because you and your friends don't know much about it.
  • I → Information
    There is a tremendous amount of information about colleges and careers. Utilize books, the internet, the opinions of people you respect, and the CCC to gain as much information as you need. Don't let any one source of information overly influence your opinion about a specific college.
  • O → Organization
    Develop a system to keep track of all the information you gather during you college search. Keep a folder for each college you are considering and put information in the proper folder. Keep your user name and password for each school on the front of each folder.
  • U → Understanding
    Understand that there is some serendipity in college admissions and colleges are trying to build well-rounded classes. Understand that colleges do give preferential admission to some groups. But also understand that with some thought and effort, you will find the right school for you.
  • And Sometimes Y
    In the end, it's all about you. Although you will seek advice from parents, friends, counselors, and admissions officers, you are the one going to college. Make sure the fit is right for you. To do that, invest your time and energy into doing the research, conducting your college search, taking the standardized tests, visiting campuses, and completing the applications. You can do it!

Additional General Search Engines

Specific Search Guides