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College TNT
Helping students and families navigate to and through college!
College TNT
Finding Your College Fit: Part 1 on Self-Reflection
Finding the right college fit begins with understanding yourself, not scrolling through endless rankings. Before you can discover where you belong, you need to know who you are and who you want to become.
Today, I break down the essential questions high school students (9th-11th graders) should ask themselves before even thinking about the college application.
- Why do you want to go to college?
- What adjectives describe you now?
- What experiences and opportunities are you looking for?
These foundational questions aren't just philosophical exercises—they're practical tools that will guide your entire search process.
Beyond the practical benefits of college (like graduates earning approximately $1 million more over their lifetime than those with only high school diplomas), the college experience offers transformative opportunities. Whether you're seeking leadership roles you didn't have in high school, research experiences that spark your curiosity, or clubs that align with your passions, knowing what you want helps narrow your search to institutions that truly fit.
This episode kicks off a series on college searching, with future installments covering academic considerations, location factors, and admissions criteria. Connect with Jennifer at jen@firstjenfm.com or @CollegeTNT on social media to share your questions or suggest topics for upcoming episodes.
For more about me - my experience and my speaking, check out the links below.
You can reach me at jen@firstgenfm.com.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenschoen/
https://www.firstgenfm.com/speaker-high-school-educators-students-parents
Welcome to College TNT. I am Jen, your host, jennifer Schoen, and College TNT and me. We are here to help you get ready for college, navigate through the admissions process and make a smooth transition into college so that your first year is fabulous. Today I want to talk a little bit to you high school students 9th, 10th and 11th graders, and families because I always hope you listen to this together as a family, talking about deciding where to go to college and how you can start asking questions, to think about what colleges are going to be a good fit for you and, of course, I do say colleges plural, because there isn't just the one college out there that's going to fit you. There are several, many colleges that are going to be right for you, based on where it is, what it offers, the majors and minors it has, the kind of place where you can grow, the activities, what it costs, the admissions criteria, all of those things. So the first thing I want to talk about is, of course, why you're going to college. I think it's really important to ask that question of yourself first, to know why is this important to you? Is it for a career? Is it because you really want to study a particular area and you find it just very interesting to look at? Is it because all your friends are doing it and you feel like you need to do that as well? Be honest with yourself as you're thinking about that. Why is that? Now, I know that college is a wonderful option, not just because I'm here talking to you about college or I went to college, but because it opens up many doors and many career paths that are not open to you with only a high school degree. I know that also, people over the course of their lifetime make at least a million dollars more than those with a high school degree, so income is also important. So those are just a few things to think about. And when you're going to college, and if you go to college, it's going to open a lot of doors for you when you get that degree. Now, of course, a lot depends on what you major in, how well you do in college, if you get any experience while you're in college. But we're not up to that point yet, are we? We're just talking about where you're going to go to college, and the where starts with the why. So why do you want to go to college? Really reflect on that.
Speaker 1:A second question, and these are my. This is my first of three episodes. These are the big questions that I'd like you all to consider when you're sitting down and talking to your family. You know, I. How do you see yourself now? What are some adjectives that you would use to describe yourself? And, if you're willing, ask your friends and family for a few adjectives on how they would describe you.
Speaker 1:I want you to get a clear picture of who you are now and also where you want to go, because you want to think about what do you hope to get out of your college experience? So you know why you're going to college, but what do you hope to get out of your college experience? So you know why you're going to college, but what do you hope to get out of your college experience? Obviously, I would say it's going to be learning a foundation for a career. But out of your college experience, maybe you're hoping for friendships, maybe you're hoping for some leadership activities, maybe you're hoping for some internships, for an opportunity to study abroad. You know there's a lot that goes into college and in order to know these things, you're going to have to start to think about who you are and what you want, who you want to become, but also what are, what are your hopes for the college experience? What are you looking forward to about college? And I know lots and lots of questions, but you want to start thinking about these now. So, between your 11th and 12th grade and into 12th grade.
Speaker 1:You're not thinking then about where do I want to go to college? Now I have to apply, now I have to fill out the FAFSA, now I have to apply for scholarships. No, you want to have all this done before you get to that point, so you know where you're going to apply and what you're looking for. And I know you're saying why is all this knowledge about me going to help me get to college? Or it's going to help me pick the right college? Well, the more you know about yourself, the more when you visit a college, when you talk to people about a college, when you talk about college with your family, the more you'll be able to say I'm interested in this, because this is why I want these things in my college experience, because you will have already done that self-reflection and if you know me, you know that self-reflection is really important, because I think it gives you a chance to really think about what it is you want from your experience. So I'll stop there, along with what do you want to get out of your college experience?
Speaker 1:What opportunities are maybe especially exciting to you? Do you want to do some research, because maybe you've done that before or you've seen people do that, or that's just really interesting. You want to get your hands, or you've seen people do that, or that's just really interesting. You want to get your hands, you know, on some activity that's around research. Are there sports that you want to play that that college might have? Do they offer internships or co-op opportunities, which are longer internships, you know, and why are these exciting to you? Clubs and organizations, you know, do they have some of the things you're interested in? And this is where the research part. You know, and why are these exciting to you? Clubs and organizations, you know, do they have some of the things you're interested in? And this is where the research part, you know. You're going to be scanning webpages. You're going to be talking to, maybe, friends who have gone on to college. You're going to get on the internet and Google the colleges you're looking at and find out all these things. So do they have the things that you're interested.
Speaker 1:And then my last question kind of of the big picture questions is what do you want to change in college? Like, you're in high school right now and maybe you're a ninth grader, so you're just getting into high school but as you're going through things, think about like I really like this about myself right now, but if I could do things a little differently in college, I think I would like to do these things. You know, maybe it's about your activities, maybe it's about leadership. Maybe you haven't had a lot of leadership opportunities in high school and you want to try something different when you get to college. Do the colleges that you're looking at offer those kinds of things where you can become who you want to become Now? Like I said, these are some really big questions to ask yourself, but the more reflection you do on this now, the better off you'll be when it comes time to choosing where to apply.
Speaker 1:So this first episode is all about you and what you're looking for in a college and what your hopes for. Who are you now? Who do you want to become? Maybe do you want to change about yourself? Again, maybe a little bit easier to answer if you're in 11th grade about like, oh, I wish I had done this in high school. Ooh, I can do that in college. Hmm, okay, does that college have that? And then, what are the opportunities you're excited about and why are they exciting to you? And thinking about those things I think are really going to help you move forward in your college search process.
Speaker 1:Now, in the next few episodes, I'm going to talk about what you want to look for in a college academically, career wise, where you want to go, you know the school itself, the size, where it's located, and then the admissions criteria. We'll look at those things as well. So I hope this was helpful. As always, you can shoot me an email at jen, that's J-E-N at firstjenfmcom. Jen, that's J-E-N at firstjenfmcom. Or you can also just message me on either Instagram or Facebook, where you'll find me at College TNT, and I would be happy to hear from you, either to answer any questions that you have or to hear what you want me to talk about in any upcoming episodes. So stay tuned for a few more episodes on doing the college search and I look forward to talking with you again soon. Thanks, thank you.