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, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Insurance/Risk Management, International Business, Management, Marketing, and others. It does the same for various areas of engineering: Aeronautical, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical, and more. 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 38%.  However, the acceptance rate varies greatly by major.  Those applying to a program in Arts & Humanities recently enjoyed a 43% acceptance rate, while those applying for an Engineering discipline faced a substantially more competitive 25% acceptance rate.  

A similar scenario exists at New York University (NYU).  Its overall acceptance rate of 21% is one of its lowest in years.  But the numbers are even bleaker for those seeking admission to NYU’s reputable Stern School of Business which recently reported an 11% acceptance rate.     

When assessing their chances of gaining admission, 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 and director of Collegebound Review that, for the past 25 years, has offered PSAT/SAT® preparation and private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362