With thousands of U.S. colleges and universities to choose from, organization is critical for prospective international students during their college search process.
Experts say using a spreadsheet to catalog information about various schools is a great way to achieve this goal.
“You’re going to be bombarded with so much information that if you don’t organize it, if you try to just keep it in your head or if you try to maintain it sort of piecemeal in these different places, you’re going to lose track of everything,” says Erick Hyde, college counselor for the University of Pennsylvania‘s English Language Programs.
[Start a U.S. college search as an international applicant.]
By creating a college spreadsheet, you can quickly and easily compare schools you are interested in. This tool can also help you keep track of application requirements and deadlines, which vary by school.
Ultimately, having data about many schools in one place can help you determine which institutions are a good fit, says Umair Khan, country coordinator for EducationUSA Pakistan. EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State-supported network of advising centers that offers free assistance to international students who want to study in the U.S.
College List Spreadsheet Template
International high school counselors may offer students a premade spreadsheet template. But this isn’t always the case, so some prospective international undergraduates might have to create or find their own document.
U.S. News created a college list spreadsheet template for prospective international students based on the guidance that various experts offered.
Download the spreadsheet template here . You can tailor the spreadsheet to your needs and interests by adding new columns with different categories of information.
Researching and Compiling the List
Before you begin collecting data, do a bit of self-reflection, says Jennifer Ann Aquino, an author and independent educational consultant. She recommends first thinking about the factors that are most important to you in a school, such as academic offerings, cost and the size of the international student population, to name a few. Having a sense of what you’re looking for will help you narrow down options.
Experts say researching schools online is a good way for international students to begin learning about U.S. institutions.
[Get tips on researching U.S. colleges as an international student.]
As you research colleges, visit multiple websites, Hyde advises, because each online resource offers different types of valuable information. “Research is not one-stop shopping,” he says. Some online college information resources experts recommend include the College Board, CollegeView, Peterson’s and colleges’ own websites.
When you come across a school that interests you — perhaps because it’s a good academic fit or it offers scholarships to international students — add its name to your spreadsheet. Then fill in details about the school, its application process and the academic profile of its students, experts say. You can browse the U.S. News spreadsheet template to get a better sense of what types of information to include for each school.
However, during the search process, Aquino cautions students not to disregard too many schools too soon. Exploring a range of institutions — particularly in terms of school type, location and size — will help you better understand how U.S. schools actually differ and inspire further reflection about what would be the best fit, she says.
Strive for some variety in your college list, Aquino says. For example, even if you’re interested in liberal arts colleges, be sure to include a few larger national universities too.
[Discover why students should consider both liberal arts colleges and national universities.]
Khan, of EducationUSA, also encourages students to keep an open mind during the research process. He says students should consider lots of factors when looking at schools instead of looking only at a single data point such as a school’s rank or tuition price. “Have a more holistic approach where you’re thinking about multiple things,” he says.
Experts recommend students aim to have around 20 schools on their initial list. However, they don’t recommend applying to all 20 schools. Instead, talk with a counselor after creating your list and choose six to 10 schools to submit applications to.
The start of students’ second-to-last year of high school is a good time to begin putting together a college list, Aquino says. And the list may continue to evolve over time, as you realize new things about higher education in the U.S. and what actually matters most to you in a school — it’s okay to change your mind , she says.
Aquino says when she talks with students about their initial college list , she tells them , “You may apply to two of those universities, you may apply to seven, you may apply to none of them. But it gets you moving into the research phase.”
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International Students: Use a Spreadsheet to Compare U.S. Colleges originally appeared on usnews.com
