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Choosing the Best College for You
here are many factors to take into consideration, but several questions stand out as particularly significant. In addition to these pointers, make sure to read our “policy on finding likely schools” in our policies section of this handbook.
We suggest you consider:
1) Size of school: small (under 3,000), mid-size (3,000-10,000), large (over 10,000) or super-sized (20,000+)
2) Distance from home: one plane ride or multiple; Region of the US, continental Europe, UK, Australia, Canada, Korea and Asia?
3) Location and setting: Urban big city, college town, rural/small town or suburban.
4) Nature of the institutions: liberal arts and sciences colleges, comprehensive colleges with graduate programs or major research universities
5) The culture of the school:
o Diversity: presence, emphasis, value in the community o Activities (extracurricular both formal and informal)
o Dormitory/residential life: Who gets to live where? With whom? And when? Is campus housing guaranteed? If so, for how many years?
o Access to airports, speakers, concerts, dances, theater, movies, shopping, restaurants, athletic events, ethnic communities, religious communities
o Depth of political, artistic, athletic, international life of a campus give your enthusiasm o Athletic atmosphere, focus on sports in the life of the college
o Greek Life (fraternities/sororities), non-Greek life, social atmosphere
6) Intellectual Life:
o Required courses: distribution requirements, core curriculum, language requirements o Number of courses needed to graduate
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o Availability of an honors program
o Is there a strong department in my area of greatest academic interest? Is a thesis required in my major? How easy is it to switch majors? Add minors? Double major?
o Size of classes? Who is teaching the classes? Who handles the grading?
o Availability and interest of the faculty in teaching undergraduates
o What are the other students like? Do they enjoy studying? Do they take their work seriously?
o Intensity; degree of independence expected?
o Availability of courses to all undergraduates and/or non-majors
o Pre-professional programs (i.e. business, pre-med, pre-law, dentistry, architecture) and their access to non- majors
o Is every dorm “online”? Is the campus wireless? Can I access the library and other significant research information from my dormitory room?
o What interdisciplinary programs are offered?
o Are there cooperative education (co-op) and internship opportunities available during the school year?
o What are the resources available for academic, social, residential, mental health advising
7) Extracurricular opportunities for study beyond the traditional classroom curriculum:
o College exchanges, linkage with other colleges’ programs o Study abroad
o “January term”, “May term”, etc. Note the academic calendar to see what opportunities are presented o How active is the college in supporting your interests?
8) It is increasingly important to know something about the placement programs (job or graduate school opportunities after you graduate) at a college. Some are very proactive on behalf of their students. Who handles the advising?
When does it start? Do they help with summer job placement?
9) Consider single sex colleges. There are fewer such opportunities for men, but many for women. The research on the success women have, both professionally and in terms of gaining access to graduate programs after attending a women’s college, is disproportionally favorable to women’s colleges.
10) Availability of financial aid and access to scholarships
Be patient with yourself. You may not be at all certain about any of the questions listed above. That’s okay! You may think one way now, and after researching several colleges, completely change your mind! Just remember not to be afraid to think about all of this. It is the best defense against the nosy neighbor who insists that you “really should be going to xxxxxx…”
Additionally, colleges are expensive. Remember to thank your parents for making it possible, first for you to attend Asia Pacific International School, and secondly even to consider the burden of undertaking college expenses.
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Do You Know The Different Types of Colleges in the US?
Students must know the differences in order to answer school-specific essay questions!
Liberal arts and sciences undergraduate colleges: (*all-female)
Definition: A college that emphasizes academic subjects such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, and the sciences as distinct from professional and technical subjects.
Amherst College Barnard College*
Bates College Bowdoin College Brown University Bryn Mawr College*
Carleton College Clark University University of Chicago Colby College
Connecticut College Dartmouth College Eugene Lang College Harvard University Manhattanville College Mount Holyoke College*
Lewis & Clark College Oberlin College Occidental College
Oxford College of Emory University Pitzer College
Pomona College Princeton University Reed College Stanford University Trinity College Wellesley College*
Wesleyan College Whitman College Whittier College Williams College Yale University
Comprehensive Universities with Many Undergraduate Colleges:
Definition: An institution of higher education and research which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects and provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education.
Boston University
University of California systems California State systems Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University Columbia University Cornell University Duke University Georgetown University George Washington University Lehigh University
University of Michigan New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University University of Pennsylvania Rice University
University of Southern California Suffolk University
University of Texas Tufts University
Washington University in St. Louis
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Jesuit Colleges: (28 total in the US)
Definition: Colleges and universities committed to advancing academic excellence by promoting and coordinating collaborative activities, sharing resources, and advocating and representing the work of Jesuit higher education at the national and international levels.
Boston College Fordham University Georgetown University University of the Holy Cross Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University (Chicago, MD & New Orleans) Santa Clara University
Seattle University
University of San Francisco Xavier University
Specialty Colleges, Known for Specific Emphasis on Particular Fields:
Babson College (business) Bentley University (business) Berklee School of Music
California Institute of Technology The Citadel
Deep Springs College Emerson College
Fashion Institute of Technology
Harvey Mudd College Johnson & Wales University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rose Hulman Institute of Tech.
St. John’s University
United States Military Academy
State-funded Institutions:
Definition: A college or other institute of higher education that is supported by state funds.
Ball State University
University of California system College of William and Mary Georgia Institute of Technology MA College of Art & Design University of Michigan
Miami University, Ohio Pennsylvania State University Purdue University
Rutgers, State U of New Jersey Wayne State University
Western Washington University
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An Admissions Dean’s Promise
“Follow this advice and I guarantee you’ll get into a great college!”
The Middlebury College Admissions Office and Dan Lundquist, former dean of admissions at Union College, who has worked in selective college admissions for over 25 years, at large Ivy League universities and small liberal arts and sciences colleges, offer the following advice to students in the hope that they will have a more successful – and less stressful – college search:
o It is important that you take the lead in thinking critically to get down to a short list of colleges. A student who has been spoon fed is the one who is going to be disappointed when he or she discovers that other people’s interests and values drove the college search. Learn for yourself through the research process whether the labels and stereotypes that get attached to some colleges really are valid.
o Be realistic when developing a college list. Assess your interests, values, skills and aspirations. And gather information about the colleges themselves: the range and diversity of the world’s higher education system is wonderful, so never assume there are any universal policies, strengths or preferences. Or that what is right for someone else will fit for you. Decide for yourself.
o For most students there isn’t one perfect college. In fact, against the backdrop of so many fine options (keep in mind there are over 3000 colleges in the US alone), you probably have the talent and flexibility to succeed at a number of colleges. Please feel buoyed by the variety of options you have… rather than oppressed by competition and process. Your choice also needs to make you feel,
“This is home.”
o Applicants should redefine “best college” to “right college for me”. Concentrate on finding the right accessible college first, so you can say, “If this college accepts me, I’ll be delighted to attend.”
o Apply Early to a private college or university only if you felt like “lightning struck” during your college search… not to “get it over with” or game the system.
o The most competitive colleges turn away thousands of stellar candidates every year… because they do not have room to admit them all. Fair? No; Reality? Yes. At most colleges to which you apply, it is likely that your scores will look quite similar to those of other applicants, which means it is unlikely that they will be a deciding factor in your candidacy. Create a balanced list from which you would be excited to attend any school that admits you.
o Don’t be overwhelmed by all that you have to do senior year. Relax when it comes time to writing your personal essay(s) and let it come from your heart.
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o You control two-thirds of the process: you choose where to apply…and then where to attend.
o Since most applicants to competitive colleges are admissible due to grades and scores, it is important to understand that most offers of admission are based on the applicants’ personal presentation – their talents, their background, their ambitions and their ability to clearly and persuasively discuss the academic and personal match between them and a particular college.
o Remember that a year from now you will very likely be attending a truly excellent college where you will receive a first-rate education and have a wonderful experience. The quality of your educational experience is far more up to you than it is up to the institution that you attend.
o Good luck!
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Rating the Colleges for Selectivity
At Asia Pacific International School, we use the terms Reach, Target and Likely to rate the difficulty of admission based on historical results for students with similar credentials to yours. As we develop your college list, we will compare your grades, test scores, academic rigor, extracurricular involvement and leadership positions to recent APIS graduates and their college results. Below are the definitions:
o Reach is a college to which fewer students with a similar profile have been admitted than have not, or a school that is so competitive that is a reach for every student. Colleges that are rated as
reaches are typically schools that admit 30% or less of their applicants. (See list of some schools that had a smaller than 30% admit rate in this book)
o Target refers to a college, still highly competitive, where many applicants have credentials similar to yours; some are admitted and some are not. There is no guarantee for admission but your academic credentials will make you a competitive candidate.
o Likely is a college in whose general application pool you will be a strong candidate. In the highly competitive and unpredictable world of college admissions, there are no 100% guarantees of acceptance but it will be likely that you will be admitted.
The following pages provide a list of some US colleges and universities and their admission rates. The list, along with advice from your counselor, will help you determine if an institution is a reach, target, or likely for you. Please note that this list of colleges and universities is in no way a complete list of colleges and universities in the US.
Additionally we have also provided a document which provides a list of college and universities that send the highest percentages of undergraduate students into various Ph.D. programs. The list is broken into different academic disciplines. This list is provided to demonstrate the diversity of college and universities in the US that properly prepare students for doctoral academic work.
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Colleges That Admitted 30% or Less: “Reach Schools” For All
Alice Lloyd College Amherst College Barnard College Bates College Berea College Boston College Bowdoin College Brown University Bucknell University CA Institute of Technology Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University Claremont McKenna College Colby College
College of the Ozarks Colorado College Columbia University Cooper Union Cornell University CUNY – Baruch College CUNY – Hunter College CUNY – Lehman College Curtis Institute of Music Dartmouth College Davidson College Deep Springs College Duke University Emory University
Florida Memorial University
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Georgetown University
Hamilton College Harvard University Haverford College Johns Hopkins University
Julliard School of Music LeMoyne – Owen College Lincoln University
MA Institute of Technology Middlebury College
Mississippi Valley State University New York University
Northwestern University Oberlin College
Pitzer College Pomona College Princeton University Rice University Stanford University Swarthmore College Texas Southern University Tufts University
Tulane University UC Berkeley UC Los Angeles
United States Air Force Academy United States Coast Guard Academy United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy University of Chicago
University of North Carolina University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Southern California Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Washington and Lee University Washington U in St. Louis Williams College
Yale University
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Colleges That Admitted 31 to 50%
Babson College Bentley College
Binghamton University Brandeis University Bryn Mawr College Connecticut College Dickinson College Emerson College Fordham University
George Washington University Grinnell College
Kenyon College Lafayette College Lehigh University Macalester College Muhlenberg College Northeastern University Occidental College Reed College Rutgers University
Scripps College Smith College Trinity College UC Davis UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara UC San Diego
University of Connecticut University of Miami University of Michigan University of Rochester University of San Diego University of Texas – Austin University of Virginia Villanova University Wake Forest University Wellesley College Whitman College
Colleges That Admitted 51 to 65%
American University Boston University Clark University Georgia Tech Hampshire College Hofstra University
Illinois Institute of Technology Indiana University
Ithaca College Lewis & Clark College
Loyola Marymount University Manhattanville College Mount Holyoke College Penn State University Providence College
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Polytechnic Institute
Santa Clara University Seattle University
Southern Methodist University Syracuse University
Temple University Texas A&M Trinity University UC Santa Cruz
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign University of Massachusetts
University of Minnesota University of Pittsburgh University of Puget Sound University of Washington
University of Wisconsin – Madison Virginia Tech
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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Colleges Sending the Highest Percentage of Students into PhD Programs by Academic Field
All Fields History Biology/Life Sciences Math/Studies
Cal Tech Reed Cal Tech Cal Tech
Harvey Mudd Carleton Reed Harvey Mudd
Reed Yale Swarthmore Reed
Swarthmore Pomona Harvey Mudd University of Chicago
MIT Bryn Mawr University of Chicago MIT
Carleton Oberlin MIT Harvard
Grinnell University of Chicago Kalamazoo Pomona
Bryn Mawr Swarthmore Carleton Rice
University of Chicago Wesleyan Haverford Princeton
Oberlin Williams Grinnell Swarthmore
Physical Sciences Economics/Social
Sciences Anthropology Physics
Cal Tech Swarthmore Bryn Mawr Cal Tech
MIT Bryn Mawr Beloit Harvey Mudd
Reed Grinnell Grinnell MIT
NM Inst. Of Mining & Tech Reed Reed Reed
Carleton University of Chicago University of Chicago University of Chicago
Rice Harvard Pomona Rice
University of Chicago Pomona Wesleyan Carleton
Wabash Wesleyan Marlboro Princeton
Grinnell Oberlin Haverford Harvard
Princeton Macalester Harvard Lawrence
English/Literature Humanities Chemistry All Disciplines
(woman only)
Bard UC System Harvey Mudd Cal Tech
St. John's Thomas Cal Tech Harvey Mudd
Amherst Mt. Aloysius Wabash Swarthmore
Yale University of NH Reed Reed
Reed University of PR NM Inst. Of Mining & Tech MIT
Swarthmore St. John's Carleton Carleton
Bryn Mawr Reed University of MN Pomona
Wesleyan Amherst College of Wooster University of Chicago
Williams Bryn Mawr Kalamazoo Bryn Mawr
Oberlin Yale Transylvania Princeton
Source: Reed College Website
Additionally, the colleges and universities in the lists are in no particular order.
