Color Samples and the College Search

While gazing at the wall of color samples at the paint store, I became overwhelmed by choices. I took a deep breath and stepped back. After gaining a broader perspective, I realized that the assortment was arranged in a meaningful manner by theme and category. Within its order, I could prioritize my color preferences.

As a college consultant, I realized that much like swatches and color wheels, colleges can be categorized and classified to help narrow down a student’s college list. Through the process of taste, compatibility, and affordability, a top ten list of colleges would emerge.

Students have unique tastes which need satisfying. Enrollment figures, class size, school spirit, campus location, course offerings, and education philosophies are parts of the puzzle that form a college’s culture. Exploring colleges through their websites and campus visits will help to confirm or deny your instincts.

High school academic tracks, honorary awards, class grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities formulate a rubric that dictates compatibility. A three-tier classification of reach, target, and safety schools ensures a well-balanced and realistic list of college choices based on an applicant’s past academic performance and notable accomplishments.

Affordability, although a less romantic approach to finding a college match, is a necessary equalizer. Students should not pursue potential schools that are cost prohibitive. The net price calculator is an online tool that can generate an approximation of your predicted estimated family contribution based on basic financial information such as family income, assets, household size, and debt.

Once a heartfelt and thoughtful list is compiled, college-bound students can become goal-oriented and purpose-driven. They can undergo self-discovery and learn self-promotion to generate strong college applications for optimal acceptance rates. They can add color to their lives by painting pictures of their futures: earning college admissions and attending their chosen colleges.