By: Cate Eberly

As college application season rapidly approaches, seniors begin to narrow their sights on their top schools. Having a solidified list early allows students to make their application as prepared as possible.

Though choosing schools out of the thousands globally can seem daunting to students, Bellbrook High School English teacher Mrs. Klepacz breaks down what key factors students should consider.

“Do you want to go to a large school? Do you want a small school?” Klepacz said, “Next, I would go to the environment.”

Students may not know the answers to these questions, but touring a variety of schools can help. Even if you don’t have the time or resources to visit your top school or a lot of schools, you can analyze the size and culture of other schools to decide what you’re looking for. 

Money and financial aid are other major deciding factors for students. “Then I would move to money, scholarships, affordability, and think about your future career,” Klepacz said. “Are you going to be earning enough where an expensive school might be acceptable?”

Once students have solidified their stance on key factors, they can begin the fun: finding colleges that match!

When building this list, it is advised to place schools in categories: reach (those where your application is below the average applicant for this school), target (those where your application aligns with school standards but admission isn’t guaranteed), and safety (where your application is above average for this school and there is a high chance of admission). Try to aim for 15-20 schools in this process.

An example list might include one wildcard school (1–10% acceptance), three reach schools (11–25%), three target schools (26–60%), and three safety schools (61%+)

BHS Senior David Gregory thinks that research has been most helpful for building his own list.

 “I did some research earlier in the year, and it also really helped that I knew what I wanted to study,” said Gregory. “I also knew my strengths and weaknesses.”

Gregory feels prepared for the upcoming college application process with his list of 10 schools as application deadlines begin to approach.