College Selection Guide - Academics

Level 5 - Ivy League

Welcome! 

As mentioned before, we are beginning a series on the college selection process. 

As a refresher, the college selection process is arguably the most important part of the admissions process. It is entirely within your control, and is the difference between having a positive application and admissions experience and having an extremely stressful experience. 

Today’s focus is on our first criteria category - academics. 

This is a non-negotiable - academics is the most important selection criteria you can have. 

What do we mean by academics?

When we say academics, we mean the actual field of study, not the academic metrics for accepted students (we will get to that on a different day). 

When you look at colleges, you should avoid any college that does not have your intended area of study. 

This sounds basic, but most skip this most basic of steps. Why? Because they get enamored with something else.

A pretty campus.

The prestige of the college or university.

The frat parties.

You have to put all of that out of your mind. 

Remember, college is an investment, where you are effectively betting on yourself that with this investment, you can earn at X. 

If you graduate with a useless degree, you not only lose money but you lose time. And now you have no way of earning an income from that degree. 

That is not the result you are looking for. 

But we are going to dive into what that means a little further. 

When you think through your academic pursuits, you have to think of them in three ways:

1. The intended outcome

2. The course of study required to obtain it

3. The lubricant needed to move things along

Let’s break that down.