How do you know where to go to college?

Choosing where to apply for college feels overwhelming. How do I balance location, program strength, and campus culture? What tips do you have for narrowing down my list of potential schools?

Balancing all these factors can indeed be a bit painstaking, but with an organized approach, it becomes doable. One method you can use is the "fit" approach, where you prioritize different factors and use them to sort through colleges.

First, identify key factors that are most important to you, like program strength in your intended major, campus culture, location, size, or cost. Then, see how each school on your initial list stacks up for each of these factors.

You can also use school rankings to a certain extent, especially for program strength, but remember that rankings aren't everything and they certainly don't take into account individual fit. For understanding campus culture, you might want to explore school websites, talk to current students or alumni if you can, and visit if possible.

Another aspect to consider is the selectivity of the schools. You should have a blend of "safety," "match," and "reach" schools. Safety schools are those where your academic profile is stronger than the middle 50% of students they admit; match schools are those where your profile fits within this middle 50%; and reach schools are those where your profile is below this midpoint.

You can narrow down the list once these factors are weighed in. It's often suggested to apply to around 8 to 12 colleges, but this number can vary.

Of course, if financial aid is a factor, using each school's net price calculator can provide an estimate of how much each college may cost based on your family's financial information.

As you work through this process, remember that there isn't one perfect school for anyone, and most students end up happy at a range of schools. Best of luck in your college search!