Finding the

Right Fit

Cara Tebo | BHS Counselor

Agenda

1. Welcome

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1. BHS College Counseling Philosophy on “Good Fit”

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1. Priorities/Factors to Consider in a College

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1. Activity

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5. Resources

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BHS College

Counseling

Philosophy

Social Fit

Academic

Fit

Financial

Fit

Right Fit Elements

• Can you afford it financially?
• The best level of academic rigor
• Will you fit-in socially?
• Think about…campus size, campus culture, kinds and level of activities, internships, research opportunities, career services, study abroad

It’s perfectly OK

not to make decisions today.

GOAL - Now’s the time for research, reflection, and then action.

College Research: Where do I start?

Factors/Priorities that Will Make a College Right for You

Start with these Questions

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1. Do you know how much you can afford?

2. Are you applying

to in-state Public Colleges?

3. Are you applying to Private Schools? If so, in-state, out-of-state

or both?

Types of Schools/Programs

• 2 Year Community College (transfer)

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• 4 Year College or University

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• Co-ed

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• Single sex (ex. Wabash or Smith)

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• Preprofessional Program

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• Direct Entry (ex. Engineering & Computer Science at UW)

Further Information

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Why a men’s college?

Why a women’s college?

School Size - this is huge

(pun intended)

• (Really small)
• Small
• Medium
• Large
• (Humongous)

BHS serves about

1275 Students

Small Schools

• Easy and often expected access to professors
• Professors hired for both academic and teaching talents
• Easier access to services and activities
• An emphasis on creating and participating in a community
• For some, can become a bit claustrophobic

under 5,000

Further Information

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What is a liberal arts and sciences college?

Medium Schools

• Wider choice of academic offerings while

still maintaining a more-personal feeling of larger schools

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• Undergraduate professors expected to enjoy teaching (as opposed to being researchers)

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• A community, but not as tightly-knit as smaller schools

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• Access to professors in and out of class varies - you’ll want to check if this is important to you

5,000-15,000

Large Schools

• “Feels like real college”
• Widest choices of programs, chance for more-specialized undergraduate degrees
• Blend of high-end and more-relaxed activities
• You may need to wait until third year before having much full professor contact time – important to check
• Bureaucratic – need to advocate for yourself, stay on top of things
• Sporty vibe

15,000 - 30,000

Curriculum/Academic Program

• Prescribed (no choice or almost no choice)
• Highly-structured (limited choice)
• Moderately-structured (moderate choice, duh)
• Loosely-structured (few requirements)
• Minimal structure (hardly any requirements)
• None (yes, such schools exist)

Methods of Instruction

How do you want to learn?

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• Lecture (sometimes a smaller break-out session with a graduate school assistant)
• Seminar
• Tutorials
• Block Plan

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Bonus Method of Instruction

Study Abroad - For a semester or a year

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Co-Op Programs

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“J-Terms,” Winter Terms

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Block Schedule

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Undergrad Research

Activities

• Semi-pro/restricted access - Previous experience

(and sometimes excellence) required

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• Need to apply, but fairly open

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• Intra-mural sports

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• MUN, Quidditch, Newspaper

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Location�Beware of the location trap

• Urban

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• Suburban

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• Small city

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• Small town

​

• Rural

Facilities

Science

Labs

Dorms

Recreational

Dining Halls - FOOD!

Student Services

• Free Tutoring
• Writing Labs
• Orientation Program
• Career Counseling and/or Job Placement
• Assistance with Graduate School Applications
• Academic Support/Accommodations for students w/ Learning Disabilities
• Personal/Mental Health Counseling
• Health/Medical

Academic Climate

• Competitive: Students actively try to out-do the rest, talking about grades common

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• Cooperative: Students working to do their best, will often help others get there. Talking about grades diminished or even regarded as socially unacceptable.

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• Completely independent: Usually at schools with no grades, usually cooperative students or those who very much enjoy being on their own.

Cost

• Up to US $90K in the US

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• Education is an investment, invest in grad school instead?

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• US Financial Aid: The most aid goes to students who show academic merit/a good fit for the school, and financial need. Highly selective schools are often the most-generous because they can afford to be.

Social Climate

• Extremely conservative (usually religious-based)
• Conservative
• Moderate
• Liberal
• Beyond liberal

What Now? ACTIVITY! 5 STEPS

How to Create a

Great College List

Start by watching this YouTube video

from the College-Essay-Guy

Step 1: Figure out what you want in a college by taking a self-assessment

Step 2: Figuring out which colleges are strong in your “must have”areas

Step 3: Find which schools overlap on several of your lists

Make a copy of this and rename

Step 4: Assess cost of attendance and financial aid for each of your overlap schools.

Use the net-price calculator (collegeraptor.com or the college’s financial aid website)

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Find your estimated EFC (Expected-Family-Contribution)

Step 5: More Research

• Take additional self-assessments
• College Tours
• College Visits
• College Websites
• College Books
• Look for over-laps and themes!

Resource Tab on the College Tracker Spreadsheet

It’s Official!

You’re

Researching

Colleges

Naviance = “Super Match”

Campus Visits

Books

Websites

Questions?

Ask your friendly

Counselor

Counseling Secretary – Rilla Hughes

Registrar – Laura Lewis