how to research colleges 7/7/25
Researching colleges is something I genuinely love to do. I enjoy college tours, Reddit deep dives, and YouTube walkthroughs to uncover the real student experience. But I get it—for many students and parents, it can feel like sorting through a mountain of options. With over 3,000 colleges in the U.S. alone, narrowing the list can feel endless.
Here’s a few tips to make it less daunting:
Assessing Your Chance of Admissions
Take a look at your grades and test scores.
Reach Schools are the hardest schools for admission and everyone should consider acceptance rates of 25% and below a reach. However, most students should consider 35% and below as reaches.
Your target schools, where you’ll have a 50/50 chance of admission, will have acceptance rates from around 40% to 70%.
Likely schools will have acceptance rates above 70%, and you can expect to have a better chance than not of getting admitted.
Check Your Preferences
Confirm your preferences in terms of size, location, weather, majors available, price, etc.
Determine which are non-negotiables and those that you are more flexible on.
Start Your List
Pick up the Fiske Guide and start looking at schools. Using your ranges and preferences will make this a lot easier.
At this point, you should have a list of about 15-20 schools
Now take a look at the colleges’ websites. They will have admissions information, majors offered, virtual tours, price calculators, missions statements, and much, much more. The Fiske guide only lists the most popular majors, so you’re going to want to check the website to make sure they offer the one(s) you want.
You should also check the typical gpa and test scores of accepted students by looking on Google to confirm where the college fits on your list.
Try to find the acceptance rate for your specific major. Be prepared as it could be much different than the overall.
Experience the Colleges
At this point, touring is a wonderful way to learn more. You can either attend a tour on campus or virtually.
If the school seems like the perfect match, you can set up meetings with admissions officers and/or professors. If you’re not so sure how serious you are about the school, you can wait and email them with questions.
Finishing Your List
You want to get down to 12 colleges, balanced between reach, target, and likely. So, go back to do more research if needed. And check if any supplementary materials and/or interviews are required for admission.
The last part of the research is looking at supplemental essays. Here is where you’ll usually find what type of student the school prefers, which should correlate with the mission you found earlier.
Final Tip: You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
I know this process can feel like a full-time job—especially when you're managing school, extracurriculars, and everything else. That’s why I’m here to help. I can create a balanced, thoughtful college list tailored to your student’s academic profile, preferences, and goals.
📩 Reach out today—it's not too late to start!