How To Start Your College Search

As a high school junior starting your college search, you may feel lost or overwhelmed. You may have little guidance about how to approach the admission experience. Or you might be getting more unsolicited advice than you care to receive–friends, relatives, and that inquisitive passenger next to you on the plane are eager to weigh in. Regardless of which category you fall into, you can benefit from the wisdom of admission officers and counselors with decades of combined experience. Recently, I shared both a month-by-month preview of the year ahead and a compilation of resources to help navigate the search and application process. Now, listen to the voices of professionals who work with students and their supporters every day.

Ask the right questions

“At every moment in the months ahead, every time you think ‘where,’ don’t neglect ‘why.’”—Jonathan Burdick, Vice Provost for Enrollment, Cornell University

Grains of salt

“I am an avid reader of Reddit, and the contributors on there make me anxious. I don’t think they understand that putting forth an application loaded with formulaic extracurriculars is not the best way to represent their authentic self. I would recommend that juniors take what you read there with a grain of salt and not get too invested in the discussions.”—Jody Glassman, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and University Admissions, Florida International University

Strap on your seat belt

“You are the driver of the process. Yes, there will be people analyzing your applications, and you will get great feedback from parents, counselors, and reputable sources. You may also get some not-so-great feedback. Ultimately, however, you should be at the wheel. Never be afraid to disagree or question advice (respectfully, of course). Your comfort/excitement level surrounding a school should dictate whether it ends up on your list—and nothing else.”—Brian Ford, Dean of College Advisement & Student Advancement, Archbishop Williams High School

Don’t worry, be happy

“You will need to be happy with the thought of attending any single school on your list. I do not want you to apply to a college where you cannot see yourself for four years. This is critical for me. If you are not happy with the potential of attending each of those colleges, we need to have a conversation and come up with more options. I have found that students who heed this advice generally have a much smoother, more enjoyable process than those who do not.”—Alison Abrams, Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at Germantown Friends School

Be an adventurer

“Consider this process a time of adventure, growth, and possibility—not something to dread.”—Stefanie Esposito, Director of College Counseling, Dawson School.

Bright Futures

“Have more confidence in yourself. You can be successful at more than one or two schools. College campuses are amazing places full of optimism, curiosity, and energy. Enjoy visiting, exploring, and spending time in the communities. If you’re not enjoying the search, you are not doing it right. The college search and selection process is like a case study or project-based class. Almost everything you do within it (testing, interviewing, reflection, showing appreciation, networking, following up, representing yourself, making hard decisions, dealing with bad and good news, meeting deadlines) are things you will use in your future. They will hope you grow and better prepare you for success in your future.”—Chris Boehm, Director of College Counseling, Archmere Academy

Privilege unranked

“AVOID THE US NEWS RANKINGS!!!! Under 10% of people in the world earn a bachelor’s degree, so going to college, any college, is still a huge privilege and a huge advantage for future earnings and advancement. It doesn’t even have to be a well-known or highly selective university. What makes the biggest difference is you and what you do while you are there. So enjoy the process, dig deeply into college webpages, explore college YouTube videos, and learn what will make college a great learning experience for you.”—Sharon Bikoundou, Associate Director of College Counseling, Carrollwood Day School

Look inward

“Before you even start looking at colleges, start with a self-assessment of your wants, needs, interests, strengths, limitations, etc. Then, once you have those things on hand, you can find colleges that will be good academic, social, and financial fits, rather than picking random colleges because of name recognition, magazine rankings, or what everyone else around you is doing. That doesn’t make the process personal, and this is a personal decision!”—Christopher Chiakulas, Postsecondary Counselor, John Hersey High School

Prioritize

“Identify three “must-have” characteristics of your future college/university. Keep those three factors front and center as you explore schools. It’s too easy for perfect (or awful) weather and charismatic (or less than engaging) tour guides to make you lose sight of your goals for your desired school. These goals may evolve as you explore schools, and that’s okay. But most of all, it’s so good to keep priorities in sight.”—Molly Prince, Director of College Counseling, Louisville Collegiate School

Trust your gut

“It is a ‘process.’ Starting out, since you can’t apply until the fall, what you want to think of is that you are just ‘looking at’ and ‘visiting schools,’ similar to going to Open Houses when looking for a home. Although there is a lot of data to consider, using your intuition – ‘what feels right with a college’ – can be instrumental as well.”—Brian Doherty, School Counselor, Westford Academy

Communicate

“There are a lot of right answers – not just one. Try to enjoy the process of exploration as much as possible. And keep lines of communication open with school staff and family members to ensure that everyone is on the same page as far as supporting – and paying for – the college process.”—Lara Sandora, Lead Counselor, TIDE Academy

Keep it in-check

Be open-minded, advice from friends, neighbors, and family members should be checked against what the admission officers and college counselors know about the process. There’s a lot of misinformation out there.”—Joe Latimer, Director of College Counseling, Northfield Mount Hermon School

Start local, think global

“Look at a variety of different types of schools (small, medium, large, etc.). Always start your search locally even if you plan on going far away and figure out what type of college/university fits you.”—Dan Raffety, Director of College Counseling, Elgin Academy

The only constant is change

Realize that the landscape is ever-changing. We get updates seemingly daily about who is now requiring scores and who isn’t. Realize also that with test-optional, the middle 50% scores are skewed heavily.”—Dave Frick, Counselor, Christian Brothers Academy

Ultimately, the college search and application experience will be uniquely yours. Allow the wisdom shared above to help set the stage, but you get to write the script. Enjoy the journey ahead. This time next year, you will have advice to add for those who come after you.