Researching Colleges
Junior year of high school can feel like a blur—standardized tests, AP classes, extracurriculars, and looming thoughts of college applications. While it might be tempting to put off thinking about colleges until senior year, starting your research early gives you a major advantage. It can help you make smarter decisions, reduce stress and even increase your chances of getting into a school that's a great fit.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start your college search!
1. Know Yourself First
Before you start googling rankings or obsessing over acceptance rates, take time to reflect on your preferences and goals. Ask yourself:
What do I enjoy learning?
Do I want a big university, a small liberal arts college
,or something in between?
Would I thrive in a city, suburb
,or rural setting?
How far from home am I willing to go?
What extracurriculars or campus culture am I interested in?
Understanding what you need and might not need will help you filter out schools that don’t match your priorities—and focus on those that do.
2. Build a List (Without Stressing About It)
I always tell students Google is your best friend. Start by creating a rough list of colleges that catch your interest. Aim for a mix of reach, match and safety schools. You don’t need to finalize anything yet. This is just about exploration.
Some great tools to help you build your list:
College Board’s BigFuture
Niche.com
College Navigator
School websites and virtual tours
Don’t be afraid to include a few schools you’ve never heard of. You might be surprised at what you might discover as you look into them more.
3. Visit (Virtually or In-Person)
Campus visits are one of the best ways to get a feel for a college’s atmosphere. If you can, try to visit a few schools that differ in size, location, and type. Even if you don’t end up applying to them, you’ll learn what kind of environment suits you best.
Can’t travel? No problem. Many colleges now offer:
Virtual tours
Webinars with admissions officers or students
Online Q&A sessions
Take notes after each “visit”—what you liked, what felt off and how you could see yourself fitting in (or not).
4. Understand Admissions Requirements
Start keeping track of:
GPA and standardized test requirements (SAT/ACT—if required)
Application deadlines (early action, early decision regular decision)
Essay prompts
Required coursework or prerequisites
Even though many schools are test-optional now, it's still smart to prepare for and possibly take the SAT or ACT, especially if you think it could strengthen your application. But if you aren’t able to take it or ultimately find interest in schools that don’t require it, don’t feel like you have to!
5. Think About Cost (But Don’t Panic)
Sticker prices can be intimidating and sometimes shocking, but it's important to know and understand how financial aid works. Research:
Financial aid policies
Merit-based scholarships
Net price calculators on each school’s website
Talk to your family about what you can realistically afford, and make sure cost is one of many factors—though certainly not the only one—in your decision for where to apply.
6. Stay Organized
Try to stay as organized as you can. It might be easier to create a spreadsheet or document to track:
Application deadlines
Test score requirements
Essay topics
Financial aid info
Your thoughts after visits or research
This will be a lifesaver when application season hits.
7. Talk to People
Reach out to:
Your school counselor
College reps visiting your school
Current college students (especially alumni from your high school)
Teachers and mentors who can offer insights or support
They can offer honest advice, insider knowledge, and guidance you won’t find in school brochures.
Final Thoughts
Junior year is about exploration and discovering what you like and don’t like. You don’t have to know your major or your dream school just yet. The goal is to educate yourself, reflect on what matters to you and start to narrow your options so you feel ready when it’s time to apply.
Think of college research as a journey. The more you learn about your options, the better prepared you'll be to take the next step.
Written By: Jennifer Donis Gonzalez - Senior Assistant Director, Office of Admission