Building Your College List

Your college list is the foundation of your entire application strategy. Apply to the wrong schools, and even a perfect essay won’t help. Apply to only reach schools, and you might end up with nowhere to go. AI helps you build a list that balances ambition with realism.

The Balanced List Formula

Total: 8-12 schools. More than 12 means unfocused applications. Fewer than 8 limits your options.

School Research Prompt

Help me research colleges for my profile:

My academics:
- GPA: [unweighted and weighted if available]
- SAT/ACT: [score, or test-optional]
- AP/IB courses: [list with scores]
- Class rank: [if available]

My interests:
- Intended major: [or top 2-3 areas of interest]
- Career goals: [if known]
- Extracurricular strengths: [top 2-3 activities]

My preferences:
- Location: [region, urban/suburban/rural, distance from home]
- Size: [small <3K / medium 3-10K / large 10K+]
- Campus culture: [liberal arts / research / preprofessional / other]
- Financial needs: [need significant aid / some aid / can pay full]

Find 10-12 schools that fit, categorized as reach/match/safety.
For each school, include:
- Acceptance rate and middle 50% GPA/SAT
- Why it fits my profile and interests
- One unique feature (program, research, tradition)
- Average net cost for my income bracket

✅ Quick Check: You found a safety school where your GPA and SAT are both above the 75th percentile. But the school doesn’t offer your intended major. Is it still a good safety? (Answer: Not really. A safety school should be somewhere you’d genuinely attend and enjoy — not just a guaranteed acceptance. If it doesn’t offer your major, you’ll either transfer (costly and disruptive) or switch fields (risky). Find safety schools that match academically AND have programs you’d actually want to study.)

Research Tools

School Comparison Prompt

Compare these colleges for me:

School A: [name]
School B: [name]
School C: [name]

Compare on:
1. Academic fit (programs in my intended major)
2. Admission probability (based on my stats: GPA [X], SAT [Y])
3. Net cost (estimated after aid for family income ~$[amount])
4. Outcomes (graduation rate, employment rate, median salary)
5. Campus life (size feel, housing, activities, diversity)
6. Location advantages (internships, weather, proximity to home)
7. Financial aid generosity (meets full need? merit scholarships?)

“Why This School” Research

For schools that require supplement essays, AI helps you go deep.

Research [School Name] for my "Why This School" essay:

My intended major: [major]
My main extracurricular: [activity]
My specific interest: [what I want to study or do]

Find:
1. Specific programs, courses, or concentrations in my field
2. Professors doing research I find interesting
3. Unique traditions, organizations, or opportunities
4. Recent news about the school relevant to my interests
5. What makes this school different from similar schools
6. Anything a generic applicant wouldn't know

Practice Exercise

1. Use the school research prompt with your actual profile — does the list surprise you?
2. Run the Net Price Calculator on your top 3 schools — how does estimated cost compare to sticker price?
3. For one school on your list, research it deeply enough to write 3 specific reasons you’d want to attend (not just “great academics”)

Key Takeaways

• Build a balanced list: 2-3 reach, 4-5 match, 2-3 safety — totaling 8-12 schools
• Every safety school should be somewhere you’d genuinely attend and that offers your intended major
• Use Net Price Calculators (not sticker prices) to estimate true costs — they can differ by $20,000+
• Research schools deeply for “Why This School” essays — specific program knowledge demonstrates genuine interest
• 40% of colleges track demonstrated interest — attend info sessions and engage with the school before applying
• AI excels at comparing schools across multiple dimensions simultaneously, surfacing options you might not have considered

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll write your application essays — using AI to brainstorm angles, structure your story, and edit for impact while keeping every word authentically yours.