May 5 (edited) • 🎓 Strategy Posts
🔎 How to Research Colleges: Grab Your Worksheet + Tracker! 🤍
Most students think school research = jotting down SAT scores and rankings. But to build a strong, balanced list (and write great supplemental essays), you need to go deeper.
This process is about figuring out:
- Where will I thrive?
- What schools truly fit my goals and personality?
- How can I gather insights that make my applications stand out?
- How do I create a strategic list that maxes my chances at the best possible colleges?
To assist you, I’ve created two tools
1️⃣ Step 1 (Start Here!): Personal Reflection
2️⃣ Step 2: Track Your Research (this will be your best friend throughout application season!)
📌 Copy or download to start filling in! Instructions inside. (Btw to my MasterPath students: these are created for you!)
A Quick Overview of Your Steps 👇
1️⃣ Start with YOU
Take 10–15 minutes to complete the School List Exploration Worksheet.
It helps you clarify:
🎓 Your academic needs
🏡 Campus culture
💸 Financial & practical priorities
📌 Without knowing what you want, it’s easy to get lost. This keeps you focused.
2️⃣ Research Broadly
Start with 20–30 schools. This is your exploration phase—cast a wide net. Even if a school feels like a stretch or a fallback, add it—you’ll learn as you go.
For each school, you'll log
- Admitted student stats
- Academic opportunities
- Campus Life
- Financial considerations
❗Important: Most students start with a list heavy on Dream schools. Use your tracker to check balance early on. Make sure you’re also adding Target and Safety schools as you research to fill any gaps.
3️⃣ Look for Deeper Clues (Website Deep Dive)
For the schools remaining, go deeper:
- Mission & values: What’s their core philosophy?
- Student voices: Check social media. What’s campus life like?
- News & updates: Any exciting initiatives?
- Traditions & events: What’s the student culture?
💡 These insights are essential for writing specific, authentic supplemental essays.
4️⃣ Start Narrowing (Tracker Tabs 2 & 3)
Refine your list down to about 15-20 schools. Categorize as:
- 🌟 Dream
- 🚀 Reach
- 🎯 Target
- ✅ Safety
💡 A good final list is usually 12-15 schools: 2-3 Dream / 3-5 Reach / 3-5 Target / 2-3 Safety
👉🏼 See my post series on Building Your School List for details on how to categorize.
Timeline Tip ⏳
- For now (May/June): Focus on broad research and discovery.
- By July/August: Set your strategy for Early Decision/Early Action, and a balanced list ready for Regular Decision.
Your Turn:
- Have you already started your school research?
- What’s one thing that feels confusing or overwhelming about the process so far?
👇 Comment below—I’ll tackle the most common questions in my next post. 🤍
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🔎 How to Research Colleges: Grab Your Worksheet + Tracker! 🤍
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