by Katherine O'Brien, Certified College Planning Specialist, Founder of Celtic
College Consultants Determining the best college for oneself is a complex
process. Information overload happens early as inboxes get flooded with videos,
snapshots, stats, and more. Rankings, scores, reputations all begin to swirl
about our minds.
How do we sort it all out? Where do we start?
One option is to start with all the information. That seems logical. However, each college
and program sends different information, the information they think is most
relevant. This never lines up with what our teen’s top priorities are.
The other option is to start with our teen. Often they don’t know what they want in a college. That’s
completely reasonable. How can they know unless they start getting information
and gaining experience? I recommend 8th – 10th graders go visit colleges and
universities in their area. Visit a huge public university. Visit a medium sized
university. Visit a small college. Visit one that is deeply religious and one
that is completely secular. What do they like about each campus? What don’t they
like? As the visits continue, your teen will develop a sense of what s/he likes
and doesn’t as well as what is most important to him or her.
Remember it's not
just academics and it’s not just sports/campus spirit, and it’s not just campus
ministry. It’s also not just location or sticker price or the mix of local and
out of state/international students or ratio of women to men, athletes to non,
or Greek life (sororities and fraternities) to non-Greek on campus, either. Let
the list of top priorities FOR YOUR TEEN unfold as time goes on. Once your teen
has begun to identify the aspects of colleges that are most important, create a
table or spreadsheet. I’ve attached one to this email that you can use as a
starting point.
Keeping Track of Everything
My go-to for organizing data is a spreadsheet, email me (KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com) if you'd
like a template that you and your teen can customize and use. I’m sure you’ve
heard of AI. If you are like me, you are a bit hesitant about using it. (In my
case, being in the middle of writing my doctoral dissertation, I’m quite leery,
as I protect my intellectual work!) However, numerous colleagues have been able
to use ChatGPT in the college search process. I’ll share what I’ve learned from
them, in case that is helpful to your family. You can use ChatGPT to create a
side-by-side comparison table based on your key factors. As time goes on, your
teen’s priorities will likely change or be refined. You can update ChatGPT as
you go and receive even more useful results. This can be used throughout the
entire process, from initial interest list creation, through application list,
to comparing accepted schools in Spring of senior year.
Turn ChatGPT into your Research Assistant
You can “train” ChatGPT to focus on what’s most relevant to you. Use your campus tour and
visit notes and take aways. You can upload them and ask ChatGPT to summarize
them, noting themes across the various campuses. You can also input your aid
packages once they come Senior year and compare your net costs and ROI.
Uploading program details, the details about the courses, concentrations,
practicums, internships, etc. that matter most to you as well as the
requirements (HS courses, GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, leadership,
performances, etc.)
Narrow down your options
This process will need you to identify some possible schools. As you progress,
add, or drop, schools to the list. You can also ask AI to suggest similar
schools. Identifying possible colleges and universities is an iterative process.
Making a final decision can be helped by prompting ChatGPT with “Choose this
school if…” prompts. Here are the results a colleague shared:
• Choose the
University of Georgia if… you want a large, spirited campus with strong in-state
connections, a big football culture, and a prestigious honors college.
• Choose
Tulane if… you’re looking for a smaller, more intimate school with a strong
service-learning focus and an urban New Orleans vibe.
• Choose the University of
Wisconsin if… you want a strong research institution in a classic college town
with a strong out-of-state student presence within driving distance.
Of course,
choosing colleges to visit, to apply to, and one to attend is still a difficult
series of decisions, especially for a teenager. Hopefully these suggestions will
help shape the process. For personal assistance and accountability during the
college selection process, as well as student development, career exploration,
and personal and academic development, reach out to Katherine to schedule a
consultation to explore how working with her can assist your family, guide your
teen, lower your stress, and increase your affordable options. Email
KOB@CelticCollegeConsultants.com today.
