What is it?
The College Match Survey is designed to help students assess which colleges would be right for them. Through the analysis of several questions, the College Match Survey, written by Steven R. Antonoff, identifies ones likes and dislikes. These likes and dislikes are then placed into ten categories, indicating which college characteristics are important to the student. The goal of these category scores is to give students a better understanding of their ideal college experience.
How is it scored?
This survey is graded on a 4-answer basis, making the scoring very simple. For each ‘strongly agree’ selected, the student receives 9 points. For each ‘agree’, the student receives 6, for each ‘lean towards disagree’ the student receives 3, and for each ‘disagree’ no points are received. Once all 5 sections are complete, the scoring system sums the points and ranks them in descending order. The more points a student receives in a section, the more important that characteristic is to the student, and the higher up it will be on his or her list.
Why is it important?
Often a score above 40 indicates that a characteristic is important to the student, and should be taken into consideration when searching for the ‘perfect match’. Though it is important to take these results into consideration, remember that these test results can be interpreted in many different ways. A low score is by no means bad, it just means that that element is not important to the student and should have less of an impact on his or her college selection process. The results will be the most meaningful if your students think critically about what their results say about them and how these traits will impact their college experience.
How can you make this meaningful for your students?
It may be helpful for your students to consider the following questions when trying to interpret the meaning of their scores. Using the ‘Survey Builder’ feature, you can create a custom survey for your students—you could enter any or all of the questions below, or create your own for your students to answer. To access the Survey Builder feature, click on the gear in the upper right hand corner. Then select the ‘Survey Builder’ tab on the left hand side of the screen. Find the ‘Create New Survey’ button and enter any questions you want your students to consider.
Here are some questions that Steven Antonoff recommends your students think about: (Note that you could build your own survey to capture answers to the questions that you would like addressed.)
1. List below the three categories in which you received the highest scores.
2. In your own words, describe what your highest score category says about you and your college going-needs.
3. In your own words, describe what your second highest score category says about you and your college-going needs.
4. List below the two categories in which you received the lowest scores.
5. In your own words, describe what your lowest score category says about you and your college-going needs.
6. Look at your score in the category “Basic Academic Skills”. What does your score indicate about your writing, reading, note taking, and prioritizing skills/ How do you assess the academic skills you will need to be successful
7. Look at your scores in the categories “Affection for Knowledge” and “Academic/Social Balance”. How would you describe the amount of pressure that is right for you in college? Do you need/want a highly intense academic
8. Look at your score in the category “Participant Learner”. What does it indicate in terms of size of the college that is right for you? Which is better, smaller classes or larger classes?
9. Look at all of your scores. What have you learned about yourself that might be helpful in assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a potential college student? Did you learn anything else about yourself that may help you in “fitting in” to a college?
The attached PDF of the survey provides the mapping from the questions to the categories for further analysis.
You can purchase Steve’s newest book, College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You (12th Edition), on Amazon , from WinterGreen Orchard House, or from SchoolBuff.
Infographic describing Participant Learner or Observant Learner
Learning styles are an important factor in finding the right college fit for a student. The College Match gives students an understanding of whether they are a Participant Learner or Observant learner.
Use this infographic to learn more about
- What the difference is between Participant and Observant learning styles
- What types of colleges to consider based on learning styles.
Download College Match Survey
A paper version of the College Match Survey is available. View download below.
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