Your unofficial guide to finding, and getting into, the perfect college for you.

Danielle Calodney

l

Applying to college can seem daunting—much less, narrowing down the best schools to apply to. You can stop worrying though, smarty-pants, because AC’s got you covered! We show you how to find your dream school, and give you killer tips to make your application shine! Let us know what college YOU want to go to and why in the comments below and you could win a Mobiroo app gift card worth $20 for your smart phone!

l

20 Questions

l

The first step to finding your perfect college is surprisingly simple—talk to yourself. No matter if you’re on a first-name basis with the dean of Yale, or the extent of your college research is watching House Bunny on repeat, it’s important to ask yourself these important questions:

l
What do I want in a college? Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the school of your dreams. Think deeply about this and keep tweaking the image in your head until you feel happy and calm. Then, write down the most important things that you remember.

l

This exercise will help you to envision what it is that you want. Todd Johnson, college counselor and owner of College Admissions Partners in Minnetonka, MN, a college admissions counseling service which helps students across the US find and get accepted to the best college for their needs, says that when figuring out what you want from your college experience, it’s important to stay true to yourself. “There are no right or wrong answers here,” he says, “so don’t worry about what someone else might think of your choices.”

l
Where do I want to live for the next four years? Consider whether you want to stay close to home or if you’re dying for greener pastures. “I wanted to be close enough to home that I wouldn’t need an airplane to go back,” says Mackenzie Fuller, a freshman at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. Or, you could negotiate on something in between, like Jillian Morrow, a junior at East Carolina University. “ECU is four hours from home, which gives me the distance to ‘get away,’ while still being close enough to go home for a weekend.”

ll
Think about the type of town or city where the college is located. For Janine Garcia, a junior at New York University in New York, NY, narrowing down her choices was easy because she knew the type of environment she was comfortable in. “I specifically wanted an urban campus,” she says. “And, even more so, a school in NYC because I love it so much there.”

ll
What size campus do I want? Visit different size colleges to see what feels right. “I found that I really liked campuses that were close together,” says Mackenzie. “A spread-out campus would be too hard to navigate, and I knew I wanted to be able to walk to class.”

lll
“While bigger schools generally have larger campuses with a lot of activities going on, the trade-off can be large class sizes,” says Johnson. By the same token, they’ll offer fewer class options at a smaller school, and possibly less sports action. And if you want to cheer in college, you’ll want to pay attention to the size of the athletic program.

l
What do I want to study? Every school has a tendency to excel in certain fields more than others. “ECU offered a great communications program,” says Jillian, who knew she wanted to study journalism. Look for schools that offer enticing programs in subjects that interest you. Remember, though, that many students change their major at least once, so choose a school that’ll still offer a great learning experience even if you change your mind.

l
Do I want to cheer? If you plan to cheer in college, start researching well in advance—check out the requirements, if the program aligns with your skill-level and when you need to start preparing for tryouts. “I looked at programs to see if they fit with my personal strengths and if I liked the coaches and other members,” says Mackenzie. For Jillian, the sport sealed the deal. “To be honest, cheer made the decision for me—ECU had the best program of all the schools I was considering.” While cheer may be a factor in choosing schools, be sure your choice fits into the bigger picture of your intended major and future career. Katie Lewis, a junior at University of Kansas, learned this firsthand. “A large part of what made my dream schools my ‘dream’ was their cheer programs,” she says. “But my senior year of high school I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. After this, I had to start looking for colleges that could provide the ‘typical’ college experience instead.”

l

Conduct Research

l

You wouldn’t join a new team without learning a little something about it first. The same goes for a university. Here are some great ways to start:

l
Talk It Out: Talk to people you trust and look up to, like a family member or older teammate, for advice. “The most useful resources for me were real people,” says Janine. “My brother attended NYU and loved it, so I was constantly picking his brain.” Adds Katie: “People are always more than willing to answer any questions you ever have.”

l
Ask the Experts: Work with an independent educational consultant. “They know about all the different types of colleges and can help you find the most appropriate one for you,” says Johnson. College counselors do this for a living, so you can rest assured that they’ll offer detailed and personalized information.

l
Turn to the Web: This ‘DIY approach’ offers unlimited potential. Johnson suggests using the College Navigator and College Search, which both allow you to search for universities by name, location, size, etc. From there, you can research information including admission statistics, number of students in each major and four year graduation rates. Then, visit the official site for each university on your list and learn as much as you can about student life, read professor bios, visit your major or school’s personal site and check out the sites of student organizations.

l
Hit the Books: “One of my favorite College Guidebooks is the Fiske Guide to Colleges,” says Johnson. “This guide is updated every year and lists over 300 colleges throughout the U.S. with a range of acceptance rates.”

l

Decoding Reach, Middle, and Safety Schools

l

Make sure you have schools with a range of acceptance rates on your list. “If your test scores are in the bottom quarter of a college’s average test scores, it’ll be a reach for you,” says Johnson. “Make sure you also apply to colleges where you’re 100 percent confident of acceptance, and that these are colleges you’d be happy to attend.”

l

The College Tour

l

After you’ve narrowed down your list of schools, it’s time for the fun part—college tours! “You don’t need to visit every one you apply to,” says Johnson. “But, always plan on touring a college you’ve been accepted to if you’re considering attending.”

l
Remember, pay attention. You only get two or three hours to decide if that campus will make you happy for the next four years. (You get more time to pick out your prom dress!) Pay attention to:

l
The “Feeling”: What’s the general “feel” of the campus? “I paid attention to the overall feel of the school,” says Mackenzie. “I wanted a big sorority and fraternity life, and a place that supported their athletic teams. After all, I’ll be living there for four years and need to feel comfortable there,” she says.

l
The Students: The students walking around provide amazing clues as to whether you’ll be happy there. “Just look at the people around and see if you feel like you’ll fit in,” says Mackenzie. Take advantage of this valuable resource and ask questions! “Ask for a tour of their dorm rooms and a student’s view on social and Greek life, because they aren’t going to tell you where the kids party on the weekends [on the tour],” says Katie. Ask current students what they like, and don’t like, about their college.

l
The Layout: The layout and accessibility of a campus are importance—a convenient, enticing environment will make walking to class or the library a breeze. “I looked at the locations of all the buildings,” says Mackenzie. “And paid attention to how accessible the campus was to student housing.” Adds Katie: “I noticed all the gardens that looked like they’d be nice to study in.”

l
When to Visit: “It’s very important to go when classes are in session,” says Mackenzie. For Jillian, visiting when she could attend a football game and stay in the dorm with friends was crucial. “The football game was the deal-breaker for me,” she says.

l

The College Application

l

At this point, you’ll have narrowed down a list of your favorite universities. Now, it’s time for the schools to pick you. Notice how on their tours, websites and brochures, each school showed you how special they were? Treat your college application the same way by showing off what a unique candidate you are. They want to know that you’re the type of student who’d make the school a better place.

l
When to Apply: Each university varies on this. Some offer early decision, which allows you to apply early, but if accepted, you have to commit to attending. According to Johnson, this may increase your chance of acceptance, but it’s only a good option if it’s your first choice, and if your family doesn’t care about comparing financial aid offers.

l
Some colleges offer early action, which again allows you to apply early, but, unlike early decision, it isn’t binding. “If accepted under this plan, you can still wait until May 1 to decide,” says Johnson. “I generally recommend this because it’s always nice to receive an admissions decision early in the process.”

l
Even if you don’t have your final list, start researching application deadlines in July and mark these dates on a calendar. This way, you can start preparing your applications with plenty of time without risking missing any early action/decision deadlines, which happen many months before the regular deadline.

l
Scholarships: Starting a log early on of application deadlines will be imperative with scholarships, as well. Generally, these happen earlier than regular application deadlines, and sometimes require entirely new essays and resumes, which are time-consuming. But scholarships, no matter how small, really add up; so take these applications seriously and plan enough time to make them perfect. (Check out AC’s Complete Scholarship Guide online at americancheerleader.com for a list of all the scholarships exclusive to the cheer world.)

l
How to Approach the Essay: Cue the horror music. While the essay may seem like the most intimidating part of the application, with a few of these tips from Johnson and a little bit of patience and creativity, you’ll be an essay dynamo.

l
Think small. The essay’s generally looking for some small bit of information about you that the admissions counselor can’t otherwise get from your application or resume. Think about this question: How would your friends or family describe you?] Then ask yourself, why am I that way? If you can write about some small event that’s affected the way you think, act or behave, that may be something to write the essay about.

l
Check grammar and spelling. “Have your English teacher edit your essay for you and give you advice,” says Mackenzie. “My teacher helped me tweak mine so they’d be perfect,” adds Katie.

l
Don’t use big words. Remember, keep it simple.

l
“If you follow these small tips,” says Johnson, “you’ll be ahead of most of the students submitting college application essays.”

l

The Big Decision

l

“Once you start getting your letters in, make sure you’re making the right decision for you,” says Katie. College will be the stepping stone for the rest of your adult career, not your mother’s, boy friend’s, BFF’s or cheer coach’s, so make sure that your choice is true to who you are and all the fabulous goals you hope to achieve in life.

Be Sociable, Share!

•