A Guide to College Fit, and What It Really Means

“College fit” is a commonplace term in college application conversations, and especially here at ILUMIN, where we emphasize the importance of finding the right college fit for each of our students. The term seems simple enough at first glance, but then students ask themselves the question, “which colleges fit me well?” and quickly realize the answer is hardly straightforward. Fit is difficult to determine and relies on many different factors, after all.

College Fit is Not Just Numbers

Many families misdefine “college fit” in terms of whether or not a student’s test scores and GPA are up to par with those of the college’s student body averages. But such a method of evaluation is not only limited to academics, but also boils college education down to numbers, which is a disservice to the depths of what a college education can really do for your student. 

Numbers are an important facet of every built college list, of course; comparing your student’s test scores and GPA to those of colleges do a lot for figuring out which colleges are reach schools, target schools, and safety schools. (Check out our webinar on building a well-balanced college list for more information on this!) However, colleges are more than just numbers, and the same goes for college fit. 

“Then what is college fit?” you may ask. The answer: it depends. 

College Fit is Individual-Based

College fit is different for each and every student. To truly evaluate whether or not a college is a good fit for you, we at ILUMIN look at each student’s individual needs, approaches to learning, goals, interests, personalities, academic tastes… the list goes on. Here’s a brief introductory guide to get you started thinking about what college fit means for you:

Academics

When it comes to higher education, academics is of course a huge part of any student’s evaluation of college fit. 

Maybe your student already has a certain major or field of study in mind for when they start their college career. Prospective computer science majors, for example, could look more favorably towards colleges that are well-known for their computer science programs. However, a college’s major ranking isn’t the only thing that speaks to a major-related college fit. What kind of professors are in the department faculty, and would you be interacting with them directly if you were to go to that college? What facilities and other resources are available at that school for that major? If you want to do research in that major—say you’re a prospective history major with a penchant for the U.S. Civil War, or you’re interested in chemistry and want to work in a lab during your time in college—check what kind of research opportunities and even faculty with related research topics there are at your colleges of interest. 

Another aspect to consider is why you picked a particular major or field of study to begin with. For example, the student who majored in chemistry because they wanted to go towards the pharmaceutical industry should have a very different college list than the student interested in chemistry as a path towards becoming a pediatrician in the future. The student with interests in pharmaceuticals may be interested in learning about supply chain, look for opportunities and connections towards the industry, and the companies that tend to recruit chemistry majors at each of the schools on their college list. The student interested in pediatrics however may want to look into schools with smaller class sizes to impress professors and ask for recommendations in the future. 

What kind of courses does each college offer? Major-related courses are of interest, of course, but electives are also worth surveying, in case you want to broaden your academic horizons beyond the scope of your major—and even more so if you’re not sure what you want to major in just yet. Does the college require students to fulfill certain general education requirements, and is that something you’d be interested in? Do the classes pique your interest? Are there eclectic courses that might challenge your perspective, or are you a student more interested in straightforwardly higher-level coursework, and would prefer colleges that offer a specific level of theoretical mathematics? 

It’s also important to think about what kind of student you are. Is your approach to learning more theoretical, practical, research-based, discussion-based? Would you thrive better in a lecture-hall environment or a small discussion group one? Check out teacher-to-student ratios and typical class sizes, and gauge whether a school’s learning environment is the one for you.

Campus Culture and Student Life

Academics may be important, but so is the campus community you’ll be immersing yourself in for the next few years. Campus culture goes a long way to creating your college experience, and understanding different campus cultures is key to figuring out your personal college fit. There’s a lot that goes into defining a specific college’s campus culture: student body priorities, for example, as well as administrative policies and responses, student diversity, college and student philosophies, daily student life, libraries and resources on campus, students’ hangout location preferences, college traditions, and much more. To understand a school’s campus culture, a good place to start is the hearsay. What do students say specific colleges are known for—even through jokes? Is it the massive number of business or English majors? Is it sports, or the relative lack of them? Is it the quirky engineering pranks of CalTech and MIT, the Primal Scream of Columbia? Figure out what all of this says about the campus culture at each college, and decide if this is a culture that you can find yourself thriving in.

Student life, specifically, is also a large part of campus culture. Are you a student who is interested in the party scene, or would you rather a school without much Greek Life, or perhaps even a school that only has business or networking sororities and fraternities? What kind of extracurriculars do colleges offer, and are you interested in spending your free time exploring interests outside of your major or pursuing your major further in hands-on club environments? Do students seem like they have many options for academic and social life balance, and is that important to you? Are there religious or cultural values that you would want to keep participating in during your time on campus, and are there opportunities at colleges available for you to do so?

In addition, with higher education’s return to in-person learning, physical location contributes to campus culture and student life as well. Some colleges claim the whole city as their “campus” of sorts, such as NYU and the University of Michigan, and students are accustomed to treating the urban environment and all its resources (social and otherwise) as their second home. Other colleges are relatively secluded and have a flourishing on-campus student lifestyle, such as Amherst. Do you want quick access to the city, or would you prefer a nature-surrounded bubble? Perhaps you’d prefer a hybrid of the two? Consider location, too, when you evaluate what college fit looks like to you.

Financial Needs

We can’t talk about college fit without considering affordability. When looking at different colleges’ tuition, check in-state and out-of-state tuition differences, room-and-board costs, financial aid options, college-specific scholarships, and more. Colleges will often list the different additional financial aid packages available for prospective students, depending on different student circumstances, qualifications, and even merit. FAFSA can also help with affordability. Still, if a college’s cost of attendance is far beyond a student’s expected financial possibilities, then it’s smart to consider colleges that are a better financial fit.

Career Opportunities

If the pre-professional experience is particularly valuable to you in a college career, then gauge career opportunities on campus when you’re considering college fit. Many colleges provide students with career advisors or resume and cover letter proofreading services, and even offer or direct students to a myriad of internship opportunities, whether during the academic year or over breaks. If you’re into the research side of STEM, look into on-campus research opportunities and laboratories that hire students as research assistants or lab managers to help you make the first step into academic work. Look into pre-professional programs as well, which often put students on the right track to recruitment later on, even before they graduate. There may also be pre-professional student-run organizations on campus, from student consulting groups to literary journals to healthcare clubs—check what options there are, and consider whether that is a valuable option for you to have in your campus experience. 

This is just a snippet of how we at ILUMIN help students figure out what college fit means to them. If you would like to see how we can customize college fit advice for your student’s specific interests and needs, please feel free to request a free consultation!