How do I build a balanced college list?

Hi everyone, I'm a junior in high school and I've been working on my college list. I know it's important to have a mix of reach, target, and safety schools, but I'm not sure how to decide which schools fall into each category. Can anyone offer some advice on how to create a balanced college list? Thanks in advance!

Hi there! It's great that you're already thinking about your college list as a junior. Building a balanced college list can be an overwhelming process, but I'll try to give you some pointers based on my experience with my child. First, you'll want to identify your own academic and extracurricular strengths, as well as your preferences for college size, location, and campus culture. Once you have a better understanding of what you're looking for, you can start researching schools that align with your interests. To determine which schools fall into reach, target, and safety categories, you'll want to compare your own academic profile (GPA, test scores, etc.) to the average admitted student profile for each school. Reach schools are those where your profile falls below the average, target schools are those where your profile is in line with the average, and safety schools are those where your profile is above the average. Additionally, you can use resources like the College Board's Big Future website or talk to your high school counselor for more guidance. Good luck with your college search!