Don't exclude schools with combined average SAT scores that are 150 points lower or higher yours. Keep in mind, most schools require that their admissions officers look beyond comparitively low scores in evaluating under-represented minorities' and athletes' applications. On the other hand, you may have a higher SAT or ACT score than the average, but that doesn't mean that you'll be smarter than your classmates or not challenged in class. These are averages, so if the school is attractive to you in many ways but the average scores are lower, don't rule it out.
In fact, never rule out your choices based on standardized test scores, GPA, or class rank alone. Each of these numbers are averages, and if you have something stellar that sets your application apart from your peers, be bold: apply to the reach school that you always dreamed of attending and see what happens.
For most people, course quality is more important than class size. Try not to place too much weight on the ratios and class size numbers for three reasons. First, you might be surprised by how much you can learn in a super large class that has small discussion groups. College is whole different world than high school, so be prepared for the different learning environment and how these new challenges can be beneficial to you. At the same time, you should question whether you have the discipline to learn and grow if your professors never even know your name. Ask yourself whether you require the personal contact that small classes offer in order to succeed and then look at these numbers. Second, remember that what matters the most is how students at a school like their teachers and their classes. Check out our college rankings to see whether the school you're looking at made it on our Academic Rankings. Here you can see what the students themselves say about academics at this school. Third, be aware that student/faculty ratio isn't necessarily student/professor ratio; many schools count researchers and administrative staff as "faculty." A tricky tip to keep in mind as you are evaluating the numbers.
A school's retention rate tells you what percent of the class returns after freshman year. This is one group of numbers that can tell you how happy the students are at the schools you are considering. Remember that students leave even the best colleges. However a low retention rate at a school generally tells you that the school has a larger-than-usual group of unhappy students so all things being equal, look for schools with higher retention rates.
Here is something essential that many students forget when they start to search for schools: financial aid is an option, so are scholarships and grants! Try not to search for schools based on the tuition costs alone. If your perfect match costs $30,000 a year, get accepted first and then weigh all the factors. Talk to the school's financial aid office, search for scholarships, beg your rich uncle for help and then make an informed decision about whether you have to decline acceptance based on financial decisions. Try not to let the high cost of college tuition keep you from applying to certain schools. You might end up limiting yourself unnecessarily.
