# Build a balanced college list of reach, match, and likely schools

A college list that fits your priorities and academic profile, sorted into reach, match, and likely schools, with what to verify.

- Topic: Thinking & Decisions
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Education, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/build-a-balanced-college-list-of-reach-match-and-likely-schools

## Prompt

```text
Help me build a balanced college list.

**My academic profile:** [GPA (weighted/unweighted), course rigor, test scores if any, class rank if known]
**Intended major or interests:** [DETAILS or "undecided"]
**What I want in a school:** [size, location, distance from home, urban/rural, campus culture, specific programs, support services]
**Budget and financial need:** [e.g. "need significant aid", "in-state public is the realistic max"]
**Schools I'm already considering:** [LIST]
**Deal-breakers:** [DETAILS]
**Other factors:** [first-generation student, athlete, specific accommodations, etc.]

Do this:
1. Turn my preferences into ranked criteria.
2. Evaluate each school I listed against those criteria and suggest types of schools (and some examples) that I may be missing.
3. Sort the list into reach / match / likely based on how my profile compares to each school's published admitted-student ranges. If you are not certain of a school's current numbers, mark them [CHECK COMMON DATA SET OR SCHOOL WEBSITE] rather than stating them.
4. Make sure there are at least two likely schools I'd genuinely be happy at and could afford.
5. Flag affordability: suggest I run each school's net price calculator.

Return: my criteria, a table (School | Category | Why it fits | Concerns | Things to verify), and a recommended final list of 8-12 schools.

Remind me to review the list with my school counselor and family.
```

## What to fill in

- DETAILS or "undecided"
- LIST
- DETAILS
- CHECK COMMON DATA SET OR SCHOOL WEBSITE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.