IS the Naviance "Scattergram" or the "U.S News" rankings creating your college list?

If you answer yes, you are allowing marketing statistics and comparison data to choose your journey.

Both resources are relevant tools to assist you in researching schools, but building your list should begin with your needs and your wants in academic and social settings. The environment that will support your transition to adulthood, personal growth, and professional goals is the right school for you.

Let’s break down what these tools really do. Scattergrams are based on historical data from your high school. While it's an effective tool, however, you may be missing the conversation and context that your school counselor can provide. Also considering that the last three have been unprecedented, unpredictable, and a downright scattergory of an admissions cycle…metrics could be misleading and distracting.

Likewise, the US News and World Report and Niche’s Best Colleges in America, as well as other ranking services, are marketing tools that reduce each college down to a number for comparative value. It is too limiting to add or remove a college based on an artificial number before considering if the college matches your preferences. 

Feeling pressured to look at only top 10 schools or feeling guilty about not adding a school in the top 25 is a poor strategy for finding your home and professional pathway. Sometimes “you” is the factor that makes the school and not the other way around.

This is your journey and college education, so it should begin with you. Take stock in what you know about yourself–your academic strengths, interests, curiosities– to find the best match to support all aspects of your life. Finding the right environment will mean finding your people, expanding your circle to include people from around the world that are going to challenge you, humor you, and inspire you. This is where your college search begins.