Does anyone have a good template, probably Google Doc or Word, for a student to track their detailed information about individual schools?
We have a well established Google Sheet with the basics for the schools on her list - location, size, target gpa and SAT, availability of major, housing, and so on. But as she digs deep into schools she will need more than a few cells to capture more in-depth information about classes or research opportunities or career placement or reactions after a tour or all the other various things.
I can have AI create something but if anyone has a template that has worked well, please share!
It seems like everyone’s is slightly different for their needs. If you take what you have and put it in AI just have it adjust the way you actually need it as you suggest.
Our template was super specific to engineering so had stuff like: first year engineering design class; co-op availability; average class size for the major; available minors or concentrations; links to career center/outcomes; etc…
In addition to what you already listed, generically D had student:teacher ratios, average class size, % of full time profs, overall ranking and ranking for her major, and a column for her overall subjective rating after visiting. She spent the first 30 minutes after each visit doing a pros/cons list, there would be a family discussion, and she’d give a rating on a scale of 1- 10.
I then had my own columns that had to do with ease of accessibility to campus, available hotels, COA.
We just used an excel spreadsheet.
Edited to add there was also a column about AP/DE credits being accepted.
My kid had a notebook. It was tabbed for each college. The notes were in her handwriting, and were hers alone. No spreadsheet. She did the same for residency applications after interviews.
For ideas on items to include on a spreadsheet, you may want to start looking at this thread from about this point (not the whole thread…but the next 50ish posts are probably pretty relevant for your interest):
This post shares some info on how I would gather financial info:
Prior to applying, I kept a separate spreadsheet from my children. It was a way for me to stay on top of things and help guide them without stressing them out. My spreadsheet included more of the topics discussed on CC such as cost (not only tuition, but also the application), possible majors, pre-reqs, transportation/distance from airport, application deadlines, LOR, number of essays, etc. I also indicated what I thought was a reach, match, and safety for each kid. As my kids would bring up more colleges, I would add them to my spreadsheet. In the end, one of my kids wanted to spend $1200 in application fees. I knew it was too many schools and essays for them to complete so had them cut back by setting an application fee (including sending transcripts and test scores) budget. The budget helped them prioritize which schools they really wanted to apply to.
When visiting schools, I let my kids develop their own impressions and didn’t say anything until after they gave me their opinion. Instead of asking them to rank schools 1-10, I asked them to rank 1-100. That gave them the wiggle room to say things like, “This is a solid 82 out of 100.”
Thanks. Yes, we have a spreadsheet. Column for each school on the early list for exploration. Rows including location, undergrad size, admission rate and ED/EA availability, admissions contact info, a number of other fact-based items.
Now that D will be digging into more intense research into campuses, and we will be doing visits, I can see her having a Google doc or just a page in a notebook to capture more intangible information, impressions or details from website research. Stuff to help her decide where to apply, and details that could help with a Why X essay. Not our impressions or opinions, hers.
Despite my love of spreadsheets, I don’t really have a clean template to share for college research details – BUT, I found the following on Reddit and found it really helpful when it came time to make a decision:
Everyone’s categories are so individual, of course. My D26’s were the following –
Academic Fit / Alignment with Goals (3x)
Band Opportunities (3x)
Gut Feeling / Excitement / Vibe (3x)
Reputation / Rank / Prestige
Appeal of Location
Class Sizes / Ease of Getting Classes
Weather
Social Fit
Dorms
Food
Campus Culture
Perceived Happiness of Students
Extracurriculars (1/2x)
Ease of Getting There (1/2x)
Distance From Friends/Family (1/4x)
Name Recognition (1/4x)
School Colors and Mascot (1/4x)
