I am seriously stuck on how to build college list in a way that is actually smart and not just me adding schools because I have heard the names before. Right now my list feels super uneven, and every time I think I know how to build college list, I find another factor I forgot.
I know the basic advice about having reaches, targets, and safeties, but I am confused about how people decide the actual balance. Is it better to start with academics and then cut by cost, or start with cost first and only look at schools that are realistic financially?
I also keep getting stuck on things like:
- how many reaches is too many
- whether out-of-state publics are even worth keeping
- how much to care about campus vibe before visiting
- if acceptance rate is making me overreact to schools that might still fit me well
If anyone has a method that helped, I would really appreciate it. Did you use a spreadsheet, rank your priorities, make separate lists first, or something else?
I would love to hear how other people built a balanced list without ending up with 20 random schools.