What’s a Starter Custom College List? Well, basically it’s not your final list. A starter college list is recognition that coming up with a list of colleges to apply to is a process, a journey even. The colleges that students ultimately apply to are those that have been vetted for academic, social, and financial fit. They have been compared and contrasted with other possibilities and found to be the most likely to provide the best opportunities desired by the students. It’s a critical process so that every college students apply to are ones that they will be happy to attend.
Where You Start Your College Search Journey
But all of this implies that there was some greater list of colleges that were considered at the beginning of the process. These are schools that were initially targeted as possible matches for the students. These colleges were explored by students and their families, evaluated based on some predetermined criteria, and eventually set aside for better opportunities.
Some might argue that wouldn’t it be nice if students could just skip the schools that don’t make the list and just spend time on the final matches? But it’s by going through the process that often forms the critical criteria for accepting or rejecting colleges for the final list. A student might want to study business but it’s only after visiting the various college’s business websites does she realized the variety of opportunities available. These are the things that don’t show up in the rankings and are often missed in the various college profiles.
The Starter College List is Where You Start
Still, there are over 1500 four-year colleges with at least 500 full-time undergraduates in the country, no one has the time to go through them all. That’s where the Starter College List comes in. A Starter List contains 50-to 60 colleges that meet some broad parameters and gives families a place to start. A Starter College list will likely include colleges that students have never heard of before. This is a good thing. It’s too easy to fall into the trap that if you’ve never heard of a college before, why would you go? That’s what the exploration is for, to find out if maybe there is reason to go.
For families where finances are a concern, a Starter College List allows families to start addressing the tradeoffs between costs and other preferences. The advantage of a good Starter College List is that it can provide a variety of quality colleges to explore that meet some basic financial concerns.
DIY College Rankings is now offering Starter Custom College lists to families directly. Families can now order a Starter Custom College List to begin the process.
What’s on the Starter Custom College List
All Starter Custom College Lists will include all public schools for the state where the student will pay in-state tuition. You can also include an additional 10 colleges that you want to include on the list regardless of any other criteria.
The list will include the following information:
- Number of Full-time Undergraduates
- 4-year Graduation Rate
- % Admitted
- 75th% ACT and SAT test Scores
- % Freshman Receiving Institutional Grants
- Average % Grant of Total Cost
- % Freshman without need receiving merit aid (if available)
- Average amount received (if available)
- Average Net Price
- Total Price (in-state and out-of-state)
- Income Category Information including Average Net Price
- Best bets for merit and need based aid
Schools will be identified that:
- Require the PROFILE Financial Aid Form
- Test Optional
- Have a high % of freshman with non-federal loans or PLUS loans
- Claims to meet financial need
The list will be based on factors selected by the family including:
- State Location
- Minimum and maximum size
- Academic qualifications
- Financial priorities
- Offers health profession or engineering related majors
This is a jammed-packed report full of critical information for evaluating and selecting colleges. The Starter Custom College List:
- Provides families with a concise list that makes it easy to compare colleges on critical information.
- Saves time by helping families figure out what they don’t know.
- Helps families become more targeted in searching for colleges.
- Explains how all the included information can help more effectively compare colleges.
Consider the list similar to the basic list of houses a realtor would provide for house hunting. It meets the general location, size, and cost requirements but you still need to see the house, virtually or in-person.
Starter Custom College List Value
Couldn’t you generate the list yourself? Of course you can. There are plenty of websites that let you search for colleges but few let you compare them in meaningful ways. And none will provide the concise, information filled list that you’ll find in the Starters College List.
Instead of spending days figuring out which colleges to put on your starter list, wouldn’t you rather spend your time researching a select number that you already know are viable options?
These lists are so useful in starting the college search that private college counselors purchase them for their clients. Instead of starting with over 1,500 four-year colleges, they save time for themselves and their clients by focusing their efforts on diving into a list of 50 to 60 schools. Why wouldn’t you?
The Starter Custom College List is $350. For an additional $50, you can specify two majors to include.
How does this work?
Once you purchase the list you will be directed to an intake form. You will need to complete all of the questions on the form before submitting. After submitting the form, you will receive your Starter Custom College List within 3 working days.
After you receive your Starter Custom College List, you can schedule a 45 minute online session to ask any questions you have about the list. I strongly suggest you email me your list of questions before the session so that I can be better prepared to answer your questions.
That’s it! At this point you’ll be ready to start your college search with a manageable list of colleges. These colleges will serve as benchmarks as you decide what factors to consider for including colleges on your final list. The Starter Custom College List provides your family with a head start on the college search process. Furthermore, it helps put control of the process back with the family, rather than rankings or social pressure, where it belongs.
PURCHASE NOW
If you have any questions, feel free to email at [email protected].
