Questions to Ask Your Rising Junior to Jump-Start Their College List

Congratulations, your student has made it through sophomore year! As they transition to summer as a rising junior, you’re probably hearing their friends, classmates, and teachers starting to ask about college. What do you want to study? Where do you want to live for four years? What is your dream school? While those questions may feel overwhelming for students, now is a good time to get them thinking about where they want to apply next fall.

What is a college list?

The college list is just that – the list of colleges your student will be applying to! While your student’s list doesn’t have to be set in stone yet, beginning to explore schools now will provide a helpful foundation for the next year. 

Students should create a balanced list, which includes “likely,” “range,” and “reach” schools:

• Likely schools are those where your student is almost certain they’ll be admitted.
• Range or target schools are those where your student is academically qualified and has a good chance, but where admission is not guaranteed.
• Finally, schools are reaches if your student’s academic statistics (like GPA and test scores) fall below the average for admitted students, or if the school has extremely low acceptance rates (colleges that aren’t likely for anyone, like CalTech, Yale, or Stanford).

While there is no set length for a college list, many of our students apply to 10-12 colleges. It’s important to apply to multiple schools to ensure your student has options to choose from at the end of their senior year, but remember that the more colleges they add, the more essays they will have to write!

What questions should I ask? // How do we create a college list?

It’s hard to know where to start when exploring colleges and building a college list! Here are some questions to ask your junior to jump-start their reflection on their ideal college environment:

• What are you interested in studying in college?
• If you’re undecided, what topics have you enjoyed learning about in school or experiences you’ve had outside of school that you’re interested in exploring further?
• Do you prefer an academically rigorous college experience or a more balanced one? 
• How do you hope college will be different from high school?
• How close or far from home would you like to be? 
• What areas of the country interest you?
• Do you prefer small, discussion-based classes or large lectures? 
• Would you enjoy or dislike a college where you can blend in with the crowd?
• What does your ideal college campus look like?
• What kinds of extracurricular college experiences are you interested in? What are “non-negotiable” activities? 
• How important is the “name” or “prestige” of a college?
• What types of students would you like to meet in college? How are they different from or similar to you?

Where do we start our college research?

There are many great resources to help your family learn more about potential colleges. Tools like CollegeBoard’s BigFuture college search engine allow students to discover schools that fit their criteria, including selectivity, majors, distance from home, campus setting, and more. You can also read Galin’s recent blogs for themed lists of schools and college highlights. 

Once your student finds an interesting college, check out the school’s website for basic facts: location, academic programs, student body size, activities and sports they offer, and more. To get an even closer look, sign up for an online information session or a campus tour. Visiting college campuses and interacting with university staff can provide helpful insights on specific programs and the school’s culture.

However your family begins your college search, it pays to start sooner rather than later. Giving students a head start on their application journey will lead to a less stressful college application process over the next year!

Looking for more support? Galin’s college counseling programs provide personalized structure and guidance for families navigating the college search process. Learn more about our programs and results here.