In a previous post, we talked about how to make a college list without test scores. But now, you have your scores and you want to start making a strategic list that accurately reflects your standing. While you take into account your personality, the college’s size and location, and student culture, you also need to have an eye on where you fit into these schools’ admissions data. From there, you can determine which schools make up your safety, target, and reach schools. If this sounds a little too ‘heady,’ don’t worry – we can help you sort through the numbers and find your fit.

Most schools publish their admissions data in terms of percentiles. They will provide a profile of their most recent accepted class that includes 25%, 50%, and 75% ranges. One of the sure ways to see if you’re what they’re looking for is by having a test score in the 50th-75th percentile range. So, if the is 32-35, then you should aim to have your ACT in that range. But here’s the catch – for schools like Stanford that have extremely rigorous and selective admissions processes, you need to stand out even more.

Schools with a less than 20% acceptance rate are seeing thousands upon thousands of applicants with excellent test scores. 35s and 36s abound! There are hundreds of thousands of high school students in the United States, which in turn means steep competition for you, no matter who you are. Now, you must prove yourself to the schools in other ways besides excellent scores and excellent grades in the most challenging classes.

The best way to do this is with your extracurriculars. Now wait a second, don’t go sign up for every single club your school offers. Long time readers of the blog will know that colleges don’t like quantity, they like quality. Basically, you have to identify your niche. If you’re dying to study business, being a member of the Investment Club isn’t going to have the same effect on the admissions committee as you actually starting your own business. If you want to study biomedical engineering, AP Bio doesn’t have the same ring as an independent research project where you designed your own medical device. You have to think creatively – because you have to prove to a committee of adults that you’ve taken tangible steps to achieve your academic goals.

Not only should you create high-intensity opportunities for yourself, but you also need to show that you’re a leader in those activities. Create your own club, run your own organization, forge your own path. Schools love to see students who have created that niche for themselves and have taken steps to make their goals happen. Show them you’ve spent time engaging with your passion, like working with a local professor or winning awards in your field. Use what you’re passionate about to your advantage.

Okay, so now we have to be a little bit of a downer. You need to be very honest with yourself about where you stand in these schools middle 50%. And you need to be on the higher end of that 50% to really stand out. Not only do your scores need to be near-perfect, but you also need to have great, great grades and extracurriculars that make you seem like an expert in your field. If you feel that one of these are lacking, and you want to go to a Top 20 college, then do your best to improve these stats.

Work with a tutor to improve your GPA or SAT/ACT scores. There are free resources online and usually at school too if you need that extra help and don’t have the ability to pay for them. Study with friends, talk to teachers, see if there’s extra credit or opportunities to add challenging classes to your schedule. You can take the SAT and ACT again if you don’t absolutely nail it the first time.

It's better to be realistic when making a college list. If you stuff a bunch of reach schools in your list, you set yourself up for more disappointment than joy come decision time. By creating a balanced college list, you give yourself so many more options! And we know it’s hard, and it can bring up a lot of feelings and take a lot of time. Thankfully, we are here to help if you think you need an extra person on your team.

If you need more ideas for extracurriculars, or help making a list, reach out to us today to get connected with one of our counselors.