Many high school seniors struggle to build their school list. Many students may have limited knowledge of the college process in general, especially when school counselors oversee hundreds of students each year. Therefore, students may not have the resources or insider knowledge to build a varied, tailored list.
Some students may have too many schools they’re interested in, whereas others may not have a list that’s varied enough; for example, only applying to “reach” schools can be a gamble. In Elijah’s case, we had a clean slate to help him build the ultimate list.
We started by reassuring Elijah that not knowing where to apply is a common issue for students. Afterward, we got to know Elijah on a personal level: his dreams, interests, academic standing, passions, preferences, and more. We love to learn about our clients to provide the most personalized, friendly college consulting experience possible.
School selection can be difficult. That’s why we considered everything Elijah shared with us to identify potential best-fit schools. For example, Elijah shared his dreams of becoming a physician, had no location preferences or budget constraints, and preferred an urban campus.
Based on these selection factors, we compiled a list of 30 potential schools that checked most or all of his boxes. Upon Elijah’s review and college research, he selected 15 schools to apply to (ranging from safety to reach schools to maximize his chances of success).
Out of the 15 schools Elijah applied to, he was accepted at 12, including John Hopkins, Northwestern, Brown, Duke, and UCLA. Elijah decided John Hopkins University was the best-fit school for him as a pre-med student.
