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College Planning Resources
It is important for students to start the college search process early but no later than junior year. We encourage all students to apply to 8-10 four-year colleges and at least one community college.
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Planning for College
Freshman & Sophomore Year (students)
Freshman Year (for parents) Sophomore Year (for parents)
Junior Year (for students) Junior Year (for parents)
Senior Year (for students) Senior Year (for parents)
Reach, Fit and Fallback
When creating your "college list", we encourage you to include schools that fall into these three categories: Reach, Fit and Fallback. When deciding on your Reach, Fit and Fallback schools, these should also be schools you'd be happy to attend, if admitted.
Reach - A reach schools is one where your academic record falls below the school's average range for recently admitted students. These schools might be a long-shot but they should still be possible.
Fit - A fit school is one where your academic record falls within the school's average range for recently admitted students. There are never guarantees, but it is not unreasonable to expect to be admitted into your fit schools.
Fallback - A fallback is one where your academic record exceeds the school's average range for recently admitted students. We encourage students to always apply to at least one community college as a fallback school.
Visiting College Campuses
One of the most important parts of your college research is the campus visit. Visiting the colleges on your "college list" will give you a firsthand feel of the students, faculty, facilities and programs. While visiting a campus, you can learn about admissions requirements, get a sense of the community on campus, talk with students and faculty and much more.Here are some helpful tools to help you with your college visits.
