Building Your University List

There are likely tens, maybe even hundreds of universities at which each LAS student would be happy. So while you may hear students talking about their “first choice” universities, it is rare that there is only one single, best university for a particular individual. You should be working to build a list that includes a number of universities, any of which you’d be happy to attend if admitted. Actually, you should be happy to attend any of the universities on your “Considering and Applying” lists. If you aren’t, then the university doesn’t belong on these lists.

If you’re not sure what major or program of study might interest you, that’s not a problem for universities in the US. The majority of students who begin college in the US do not declare a major. There is latitude to try different courses in the first year or two and choose a major later. Many students apply as “undecided,” waiting until the second year to declare a major. Except for a few select majors—such as engineering and nursing— most students take a variety of courses during this time.

You should consider whether any particular skills or interests—such as visual arts, athletics, theater, music, dance, or scientific research—might be a part of your university search. If you know that certain areas matter to you, please share these with your university advisor.

It is important to consider your chances of admissibility in creating your list. US universities think the best predictor of university success is high school performance. Therefore, grades earned, high school courses taken and the rigor of these courses are the most important factors considered. Please note that your grades in core academic courses (i.e. English, math, science, social studies, and modern language) are far more important than your GPA, which LAS doesn’t calculate. Standardized test scores, if the university requires them (you may find a list of those that do not at www.fairtest.org), are also an important consideration. Please note that many colleges and universities have gone test optional during the pandemic. Their websites will clarify their policies. To understand how test optional policies may affect your applications, please talk to your university advisor.

It’s important that students interested in studying in the UK or Europe understand that normally they need to know their program of study at the time they apply to university.

In building your list, Maia is invaluable in two ways. First, it allows you to maintain a list of schools as extensive as you want just by adding them to your “Considering List.” This is a quick way to keep track of universities you’ve researched or considered. Additionally, Maia has useful data on each university that will help you assess whether your admission to that school will be “Likely (Sleep well at night),” “Target (Possible),” or a “Reach/Far Reach.” We define “Likely,” “Target,” and “Reach/Far Reach” as follows: • A “Likely” school, also known as a “Sleep well at night” school, is a university for which you are an extremely strong candidate. Usually, your grades and test scores are on the high end of what the university accepts. • A “Target” school, also called a “possible” school at times, is one that generally accepts students with profiles similar to yours. • “Reach/Far Reach” schools are universities that normally accept less than 20% of the students who apply. Often, many of these universities have an acceptance rate of less than 10%.

University reps refer to applications to

“Reach/Far Reach” schools as a flip of a coin option or they compare your chances of acceptance similar to buying a lottery ticket.