Step 4: Making the List
Now that you have an idea of around how many schools you want to apply to and the important criteria for choosing a school, it’s time to sit down and actually make the list of colleges.There are several major approaches to making the list of colleges. The first approach is top-down, meaning you start with general criteria and rankings and from there start finding schools. This approach is best for people who don’t care as much about the specific characteristics of a school and only care about major characteristics such as ranking, financial aid, etc. The second approach is bottom-up, meaning you start with one or two schools that you might have an interest in, determine what characteristics about these schools attract you to them, and find other schools with similar characteristics. To be stereotypical, this method appeals to students who would be more likely to attend smaller liberal-arts colleges or colleges with very unique or interesting characteristics. Obviously, trying both or a combination of both methods is okay too.
Link: Top Down Approach
Link: Bottom Up Approach
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