Choose Three for You

Step 6 | 25 minutes

Instructions

Congratulations on making it to Step 6! After your reading, watch the video to learn more about the concepts of safety, target, and reach colleges.  In your Action Items for this step, you’ll be making an initial list of three colleges that might be right for you and then filling out your completion form.

Reading

Many experts recommend that you apply to 3-5 colleges with three categories in mind: safety, target, and reach.

  • Safety - colleges that fit your personal preferences, and where your academic qualifications (GPA and test scores) are higher than the average first-year student. These are colleges where you are reasonably certain you'll be accepted for admission.
  • Target - colleges that fit your personal preferences, and where your academic qualifications are similar to the average first-year student. These are colleges where you think you have a good opportunity of being accepted for admission.
  • Reach - colleges that fit your personal preferences, and where your academic qualifications are lower than the average first-year student. These are colleges where you are less likely to be accepted for admission, but you're really interested in attending if given the opportunity.

 

Video - Safety, Target, and Reach Colleges

 

Action Items

Your first action item for Step 6 is to research colleges and make an initial list of three that might be right for you. This doesn’t need to be a final list, just a good start. If you already know some colleges where you want to apply, that's great; this is a good time to confirm or add to those.

Go to the CFNC College Search tool that you learned about in the last step. Look for the “Academics” filter and choose “Programs/Majors Offered” to search for majors. You’ll also want to go to the “Admissions” filter to search based on “Entrance Difficulty” and ACT/SAT scores. If you are searching for colleges nationally, check the “Search Nationally” option in the CFNC College Search or try the College Board Search. Your three colleges should at least have a major and degree program you are interested in.

Your second action item is to click the “Go to Completion” option below. You’ll share the names of your three colleges and answer a few questions to complete the Next Step program!

CFNC College Search

 

Additional Resources and Tips

For Students

  1. Want to visit dozens of NC colleges using virtual reality? Visit GEAR UP North Carolina's virtual college videos on YouTube or download the mobile app.
  2. The CFNC Practice Application is a great way to get experience with what a real online application will look like next year.
  3. Next fall you can use the CFNC Application Hub to send your free electronic high school transcript (public high schools only) to any NC college and manage your online applications to over 85 NC colleges.

For Parents

We appreciate your participation in the Next Step Online Program and hope it’s been helpful! Please take a minute to click the “Go to Completion” option on this page to answer a few questions and share your feedback.

Two final tips:

  1. Your child can save time and money by sending transcripts through the CFNC Application Hub. If they are graduating from a North Carolina public high school, they can send an unlimited number of free official electronic transcripts to any NC college. It’s fast, it allows them to track delivery to each NC college all in one place, and the system automatically sends a final transcript at the end of their senior year.
  2. Don’t forget NC Countdown to College held every October. It features assistance with FAFSA, Residency Determination, and College Application Week when many colleges waive their application fees.

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