Qualities That Will Make a College Right for You

Introduction

A central question in the college search process is simple to ask but not always easy to answer:

What am I looking for in a college?

Finding colleges that are right for you begins with understanding the qualities of a college environment that will help you learn, grow, feel comfortable, and thrive. This Worksheet, from College Match by Dr. Steven Antonoff, is designed to help you think carefully about those qualities.

You will consider a number of important college characteristics, including size, location, cost, admission difficulty, academic offerings, academic intensity, student life, and characteristics of the student body. But the goal is not simply to decide that you want a large college, a city location, or a particular major. Each of these qualities deserves more thought.

Consider size, for example. A large university may appeal to you because of its activities, school spirit, and variety of people. At the same time, you may learn best in smaller classes where professors know you well. Or the reverse may be true. The question, then, is not merely, “What size college do I want?” but “What kind of academic and social environment will work best for me?”

The same kind of careful thinking applies to every quality in this Worksheet.

There are no correct answers. You may discover that you could be happy and successful in a wide range of colleges. You may also find that certain qualities are especially important to you, while others matter very little. In some environments you may thrive; in others, you may encounter barriers that make it harder to succeed or feel at home.

The purpose of this Worksheet is to help you identify those differences. Taken together, your responses will begin to form a picture—a personal template of the qualities that could make a college a particularly good match for you. You can use that picture as you research colleges and as you talk with your parents, counselor, and others who are helping you with your search.

For each quality, first read the description carefully. Then think about how it relates to you—not just to what you think you want in a college, but to how you learn, how you live, what matters to you, and the environments in which you are most likely to flourish.

The more carefully you think about yourself before you begin choosing colleges, the better prepared you will be to recognize the colleges where you are most likely to have a meaningful and successful experience.

When you see numbers from 1 to 5 sandwiched between two statements, circle the number that best reflects your level of preference. Circle 1 if you have a strong preference for the quality listed on the left. Circle 5 if you have a strong preference for the quality listed on the right. Use 2, 3, or 4 to reflect varying levels of preference.

Also be aware that a fillable PDF version of this Worksheet is available to download.

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

I would like my results to be shared with additional contacts (i.e. parents, counselors, advisors)(Required)

Yes

No

Additional Contact Email Address (1)(Required)

Additional Contact Email Address (2)

Quality 1—Size

Colleges vary in size from under 100 to more than 60,000 students. As you think about this quality, try to picture the size college that is best for you academically AND socially. The following considerations may help you.

1a(Required)

1b(Required)

1c(Required)

1d(Required)

1e(Required)

1f(Required)

Based on your responses above, select those sizes that you feel are best for you.(Required)

Small

Medium

Large

Largest

Quality 2—Academic Environment

To determine what kind of academic environment will be right for you, think about the intellectual intensity you are comfortable with, the level of academic pressure that motivates you without making you feel stressed out or frustrated, and other academic qualities.

Check those qualities that describe aspects of academic environment that interest you.

2a(Required)

2b(Required)

Which of the following academic or curricular qualities would you like your college to offer? Select all that apply.(Required)

Quality 3—Academic Offerings

The first distinction is between a liberal arts and sciences college and one that will prepare you for a specific career after four years of college. If you are uncertain about your career, then you should select a liberal arts and sciences curriculum where you can gain a broad education and prepare for many careers. On the “specific career” side of the continuum are colleges that relate more directly to careers in such areas as physical therapy, architecture, and nursing. The second continuum is similar. It asks you about your preference for general college classes versus those directly relevant to your current career interests. It is perfectly okay not to know what your ultimate career will be. Indeed, general courses can be helpful in picking a career.

3a(Required)

3b(Required)

Possible programs, majors, or subjects of study:(Required)

What career(s) have you considered? If none, say so.(Required)

Quality 4—Cost/Availability of Financial Aid

Cost and affordability are college planning essentials. Many students, however, make assumptions about cost too early in the process of choosing a college. There are many forms of financial aid available. While most aid is given to students who demonstrate financial need, aid is also available for students who have achieved academic excellence or whom a college wants to enroll. Some students take out loans to pay for their college education. Keep in mind that enormous resources are available to families who take the time to explore many colleges in order to discover financial opportunities.

4a(Required)

4b(Required)

4c(Required)

Quality 5—Religion

Some colleges have very little or no religious influence. Other schools may be related to a particular religious denomination, but are not governed or influenced by the church; these schools also tend to have very little religious influence. There are other colleges—Christian colleges, for example—that have far closer relationships to a denomination that extend to required religion classes and/or religious practices (such as chapel services).

5a(Required)

5b(Required)

5c(Required)

Quality 6—Ethnicity

Students may benefit from attending a college with a high number of students who belong to the same ethnic group. Would the presence of other students who share your heritage foster your sense of belonging? Would you feel like an outsider if you seldom saw other students of your ethnic background?

6a(Required)

Quality 7—Coeducation or Single Sex

There are about 30 women’s colleges, and fewer than a half dozen men’s colleges in the U.S. Both offer unique educational advantages. Studies have found that students at women’s colleges are more academically involved in their classes, more likely to pursue advanced degrees, and more likely to show intellectual self-esteem compared with their counterparts at coeducational institutions.

What kind of school would you consider?(Required)

Coed

Men

Women

Quality 8—Student Body Characteristics

This quality is important and worthy of taking a moment to think about. While colleges enroll a wide variety of students, identifying the characteristics of students with whom you will feel most at home can be meaningful as you contemplate your college choices. What follows is a list of words and phrases that describe people and personalities. After you have indicated the characteristics that appeal to you and picked the five that are most important, you are asked to choose between a “traditional student body” and one that is more independent-minded.

Check those qualities that describe members of the student body at a college you would like to attend.(Required)

List the five characteristics that are most important to you.(Required)

Example: characteristic 1, characteristic 2, characteristic 3, characteristic 4, characteristic 5

8a(Required)

Quality 10—Activities (including athletics)

Being involved in activities can enrich your college years. You might want to continue a high school activity, or you might want to develop new interests. For example, you might want to get involved in clubs that relate to your personal or career interests. Would you like to participate in sports? Which ones? At the varsity, club, or intramural level? Are you looking for opportunities in theater, art, or music? Are there other clubs or organizations that appeal to you in such areas as religion, international students, outdoor/recreation, community service, ethnic/cultural, politics, or academics?

Please list activities you are or may be interested in.(Required)

Quality 11—Big Name School or Best Fit School?

Which is more important to you: attending a well-known or prestigious college, or finding a school that fits you well in terms of academic quality, programs offered, characteristics of the student body, quality of faculty, location, and other factors? Both may be important, but which is the higher priority for you today?

11a(Required)

Quality 12—Admission Difficulty

Think about the level of difficulty of your courses and the extent of your curiosity, independence, and organization. Think about what your teachers say about you. When you compare yourself with others in your high school graduating class, where do you stand? From what you know at this point, what level of admission difficulty do you feel is the right fit for you?

12a(Required)

Quality 13—Location

There are several steps to this Quality. The first is to decide the relative weight of location in your college selection and the priority you place on being close to home. The second is to identify the regions and specific states that are appealing to you. Finally, select your preference for proximity to a major city.

13a(Required)

13b(Required)

Looking at the map, check those geographies you will consider in choosing a college.(Required)

Pacific Coast

Southwestern

Rocky Mountain

New England

Middle Atlantic

Southern

Midwestern

International

Specific states in which you would prefer to go to college, if any:

Finally, which of these options sound appealing as you think about the proximity to a major city. Check any or all of these:(Required)

In a major city

Near a large city, but not in it

In a small town or a rural location (or where the college is the focus of the town)

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College Match • Qualities That Will Make a College Right for You