Identify and Get Accepted to Your Ideal College

Students in search of the perfect college all have a couple of criteria in common.  They want a college that offers a great program in their major of choice that will put them on track for a well paying career.  They also want a college to which they can likely gain admission. 

There are many tools that students can use to identify colleges that offer a strong program in their chosen field.  U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” for example, lists the colleges and universities with the most reputable programs in various areas of business: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Insurance/Risk Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management/Logistics, and others. It does the same for various areas of engineering: Aeronautical, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical. There are also a host of websites that list the top colleges for a gamut of other fields.

Once students have identified the best colleges that would meet their academic goals, they need to assess their chances of gaining acceptance to these institutions. The overall acceptance rate for each college and university is listed on its website and is also included in “Best Colleges.” But students need to dig deeper to gain a more accurate assessment of their likelihood of getting a “You’re Accepted!” letter or email.  

For example, at Bucknell University, which earned top rankings in most areas of engineering, the overall acceptance rate now hovers around 31%.  However, the acceptance rate varies greatly by major.  Those applying to a program in Arts & Humanities actually enjoy a 43% acceptance rate, while those applying for an Engineering discipline face a substantially more competitive 25% acceptance rate.  

A similar scenario exists at New York University (NYU).  Its overall acceptance rate of 27% is its lowest in 16 years.  But the numbers are even bleaker for those seeking admission to NYU’s reputable Stern School of Business which reports an 11% acceptance rate.   

At this point in time, students who have not already done so have missed the opportunity to file an Early Decision or Early Action I application to their college of choice.  These deadlines are typically November 1st or 15th, and often greatly increase a student’s chance of acceptance.  However, many colleges also offer an Early Decision II deadline with the benefit of a higher acceptance rate and earlier notification date.  NYU’s Early Decision II deadline is January 1, 2019 while Bucknell’s is January 15, 2019.  The notification date for both is February 15th.  

Students should compare their SAT or ACT scores, as well as their GPA, with those of students who have gained acceptance to a particular college in recent years.  But students should not be afraid of applying to a “reach” school as they may have a talent or accomplishment that puts them in the “accepted” pile!

Susan Alaimo is the founder of SAT Smart. For the past 25 years, SAT Smart’s Ivy League educated tutors have prepared students for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP courses, and all high school subjects. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.