How to prioritize a college list

Once you have a college list together, you can build a pretty basic spreadsheet to prioritize the colleges based on criteria that you decide upon. Some obvious metrics would be distance from home (either too far or too close could be seen as “bad,” it is up to what you want), cost, reputation of college, reputation of preferred major, quality of other possible majors (variety) - if you are undecided, activities (clubs, etc.), Sports (clubs or varsity), college vibe, Food (either just perception of quality offerings or if needed focus on needs like gluten free, etc.). You may have other criteria to asses as well, like scholarship or financial aid options (you may add these after you have been selected to several schools). Let’s look at an example of a prioritization sheet.

Engineering College Fit: A Visual Guide for Students with a 4.0 Weighted GPA

Finding the right college fit goes beyond rankings. For students interested in engineering—and especially for those with a strong academic profile like a 4.0 weighted / 3.9 unweighted GPA—it’s important to balance academic rigor, campus vibe, cost, and personal preferences like college size, distance from home, and environment.

Table 1 below evaluates 16 top engineering colleges on the East Coast using nine fit factors, including engineering reputation, specialties offered, location, dining, and more. We then categorized schools by admissions likelihood. As you can see, this sheet is more than just a ranked list. Each college has been scored on each rating factor using a 0 to 100% scale with 0 being “bad” and 100% being great. Those factor scores are then averaged to create one score for each college. Those scores are then sorted from high to low within each of three “Fit Ratings” (Safety School, Reach Schools, and Dream Schools). Theoretically, that gives you your list. But, you may subjectively love one school so much that it rises to the top for you anyway. This is just a tool to help you narrow you list.

Another thing that we have done here, is to color code by the “Fit Ratings.” The list is Table 1, shows unweighted prioritized lists for “Safety,” (red), “Reach” (yellow), and “Dream” (green) schools. Looking at this list, you would be able to drop (on numbers alone), WPI, Lehigh, Bucknell, U of Rochester, and MIT, and maybe Northeastern from your overall list. That would give you 10 total schools to apply to (3 safety, 4 reach, and 3 or 4 dream).

Table 1

- Red = Safety School / Yellow = Reach School / Green = Dream School

However, if you decide that some factors are more important than others (as they should be), you could apply higher weights to those. Table 2 below represents the prioritized list applying weights that assume Cost, Overall Reputations, Offering Engineering Specialties (Mech, Chem, Civil, etc.), and Campus Vibe are the most important factors. Applying these factor weights change some of the priorities, especially among the top colleges on the “Reach” and “Dream” schools. That said, based on the numbers alone, the colleges that would be recommended to drop from the list remain essentially the same (unweighted vs weighted), but Northeastern goes from questionable to the top of the “dream” list, with only MIT dropping from “dream” (for a total of 11 still on the list (3 “safety”, 4 “reach,” and 4 “dream”). Your actual weights might be different though. It depends upon what is most or least important to you. Also, you may still need to drop additional schools, perhaps based on other factors, or if sticking with the numbers, maybe the lowest remaining in each category (Penn State, Villanova, and Columbia) for a total of 8 schools) - application fees add up fast.

- Red = Safety School / Yellow = Reach School / Green = Dream School / Gray = Drop

• Green = Reach: Dream schools. Competitive admits where even top students face tough odds.

• Yellow = Target: Schools where a student with this profile has a strong chance of admission.

• Red = Safety: Schools where admission is likely, but still a good academic and personal fit.

While each student’s preferences will differ, these examples (unweighted and weighted) provide a clear and practical way to evaluate schools holistically—not just by prestige, but by what will help you student thrive. This is just an example. Depending upon your student’s profile (grades, SAT/ACT, etc.) and interests (planned major, priorities, etc.) the starting list would differ, not too mention if there is a regional focus to start (the list above is for northeast engineering schools and a student that is strong, but not the strongest).

Finding that College Fit for your High School Student

Choosing the right college is one of the most important decisions your student will make—but it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. At GradQuest, we believe the college admissions journey is about discovering a school where your student will thrive—not just get in.

Here’s how to guide your high schooler toward a college that fits academically, socially, and personally.

1. Start with Self-Discovery

 Before diving into college research, take a step back. A strong college fit begins with a student understanding themselves. Ask:

• What are their academic strengths and interests?

• Do they prefer a big campus or a smaller, tight-knit environment?

• What clubs, sports, or activities matter to them?

• Do they need extra academic support or accommodations?

• What is their and your tolerance for distance from home (too close or too far)?

• Do they have food/dietary requirements (alergies, food intolerance - i.e., gluten, dairy, etc.)?

At GradQuest, we guide students through a reflective process to uncover these answers—and build confidence from the start. We then begin to build a list of potential colleges and a simple tool to prioritize and score each potential college.

2. Look Beyond the Brand Name

 It’s easy to get swept up in college rankings or big-name schools, but the “best” school is the one where your student will feel engaged, supported, and successful.

What to consider instead:

• Campus culture and values

• Academic flexibility and advising

• Accessibility of faculty and class sizes (consider if it may be better to be a “Big fish in a small pond” or if your student may thrive in a larger and/or more competitive / selective environment?

• Internship or research opportunities

We help families uncover hidden gem schools that align with their student’s goals—many of which fly under the radar.

3. Create a Balanced College List

 A smart list includes a mix of:

• Likely schools (where your student’s profile is above average)

• Target schools (strong match academically and personally)

• Reach schools (more competitive, but still a good fit)

We believe students should be excited about every college on their list. That’s why we build lists based on fit first, then selectivity.

4. Visit (or Virtually Explore) Campuses

Campus visits can be powerful—when done right. Encourage your student to take notes, ask questions, and trust their gut feelings. You only need to visit the strongest contenders. Once the list is built, the list scoring is followed by further discussion with your student to balance, “the numbers” with their emotions and “vibe,” associated with the remaining schools under consideration. Only then, should college visits be considered.

Can’t travel?

Take advantage of virtual tours, info sessions, and student panels. At GradQuest, we help students reflect on what they learn and compare options with intention.

5. Consider Special Circumstances

Every student is different—and their college path should reflect that. GradQuest offers specialized support for:

• Student-athletes navigating recruiting

• Students with learning differences or IEPs

• Families planning early (middle school or early high school)

• Private and prep school students seeking strategic guidance

Final Thoughts

 The “right fit” isn’t just about where your student gets in—it’s about where they’ll succeed, grow, and love the journey. If you’re looking for a partner in this process, we’d love to help.

Book a free consultation and let’s find the college that fits your student—not just the other way around.

A Fun Way to get Started with Thinking about College Lists: A Quiz

A fun way to get started in the college search process is to take one of many quizes to be found on the internet. This one will help you to begin to focus in on types of colleges (Large vs Small, Private vs Public, Liberal Arts vs Traditional, etc.). Click on the link here. You can let us know what you get if you schedule a 30 min call to discuss our process.

https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=where-should-you-go-to-college

Did you get a small liberal arts college, a large state university or what? Let us know what the quiz returned for you and we can discuss if you agree or disagree and why. There are other fun quizes on that site, so have at it. We do not recommend basing your college and career future off an internet quiz though. It is just a starting point.