Key takeaways:
- Create college lists to help you identify the best schools for your education and career goals.
- Pros and cons tables allow you to visualize how potential colleges compare to one another.
- Consider costs, majors, location, campus life, acceptance rates, preferences, and more to create your personalized comparison chart.
Flickr user thebarrowboy (image cropped)
Whether you’re deciding which colleges you should apply to or choosing a school to attend after you’ve received acceptance letters, comparison charts that highlight pros and cons can help you determine the best colleges for your goals, interests, education, and more. They allow you to create a good mix of safety, match, and reach schools to improve your overall admission chances and be more confident in your choices. Below, we’ve explained the key factors you’ll want to consider when creating your pros and cons list during your college search.
Why should you compare colleges?
Comparing schools allows you to create a list of colleges to apply to and helps you determine which you should enroll in once you’ve received acceptance letters. If you’re just applying to schools based on vibes without any serious comparison or limit, you’re likely going to be spending quite a bit on application fees. And if you don’t review your options before you enroll, you could realize you choose the wrong college.
How to create a pros and cons list
No school is perfect in every way, but pros and cons lists can help you see how your top colleges stack up against one another.
We recommend making a chart or using a spreadsheet. You might want to use a master spreadsheet with all the schools you’re considering, individual charts for each of your colleges, or both. Create columns or rows for each of these aspects of college life, starting with the factors that are most important to you for easy reference:
Cost and financial aid
The cost of attendance (COA) and financial aid packages will vary between schools. A public school tends to have a lower sticker price but private colleges often have larger endowments.
While you won’t be sure how much financial aid a college will offer you until you’re accepted, net price calculators can give you a rough estimate.
Go beyond the initial numbers, too – consider how much in loans you’d have to take out at each of your schools and how much you’d owe in the long run with interest.
Major
Of course, your listed colleges so far should have your desired major, but how strong is the program?
- How do the class offerings and concentrations align with your goals?
- Is there any wiggle room for interdisciplinary or student-designed majors?
- What are current students saying about your intended major?
- How does job placement look after graduation?
Look into minors that support your area of study, goals, or passions, too. While not as important as your major, it may act as a tie-breaker between colleges down the line.
Location
Some students like sprawling rural campuses with miles of secluded hiking trails while others enjoy small campuses in the midst of a big city. Some want to stay in-state close to family while others prefer to go to the opposite side of the country. Do you want four seasons or would you prefer warm weather year round?
As you review each college on your list, consider what you love and dislike about the location as well as what makes the area unique, such as outstanding museums, outdoor activities, art scene, and more.
Campus life
Don’t expect campus life to be the same no matter which college you go to. Each school has different offerings in sports, clubs, organizations, and events. Think about what you enjoy doing in your free time and what causes you support.
Academically, how are the libraries? Research facilities? For everyday life, what are current students saying about the on-campus food and dorm rooms?
And more
Create additional columns that highlight what you’re looking for in a college that hasn’t already been covered. What matters to you in a school might not matter to the next student. For example, you might want to study abroad while your best friend doesn’t. Here are some you additional considerations you should add, depending on your goals and preferences:
- Study abroad programs and locations
- Class size
- Campus size
- School reputation and ranking
- Acceptance rate and your chances of acceptance
- Diversity
- First year retention rate
- Graduation rate
- Impressions during college visits
- Academic calendar
As you fill out your chart, you’ll be able to clearly see how the colleges stack up against one another. The winners might even become clear to you before you finish. Save your work after you’ve applied to your choice colleges – you might need this information again after you’ve received your acceptance letters.
Use College Raptor to discover personalized college matches, cost estimates, acceptance odds, and potential financial aid for schools around the US—for FREE!
