How will it turn out if someone jumps into the dating world without knowing who they are or what they're looking for? The college search process is no different.
For many families, the college search is stressful by nature. But what makes it even more challenging is that most begin the process without first understanding their student—the key player in this journey. Before focusing on which schools to consider, it’s essential to start with who the student is.
This crucial first step—understanding your student’s personality, interests, and strengths—is often overlooked. Without this knowledge, you might miss out on finding the right college fit, even before visiting campuses. Fortunately, there are several tools available that can help your student build a “College Compass” to guide this critical process.
The College Compass
To create a strong foundation for the college search, your College Compass should include three key components: personality, interests, and strengths.
1. Personality: Who Are You?
The first component is your student’s personality. A well-established tool for this is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which helps students understand where they fall on four scales: Extraversion/Introversion, Intuition/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. A free online version of this test can be found at 16personalities.com, which takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
Understanding whether your student is more energized by social interaction or prefers quiet reflection can help narrow down colleges that align with their personal preferences.
2. Interests: What Do You Enjoy?
The second component of the College Compass focuses on your student’s interests. The Strong Interest Inventory is an effective tool that compares your student’s interests with the interests of professionals across various careers. While the test doesn’t measure skills or abilities, it provides insight into fields that may excite your student based on what they genuinely enjoy.
The Strong Interest Inventory can be accessed through certified career counselors or online platforms. It’s worth checking with your high school guidance counselor to see if they offer it. If not, consider suggesting it as a pilot program to help students better understand their future career possibilities. A mock sample inventory for high school students can viewed at themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Products-and-Services/-/media/myers-briggs/files/sample-reports/smp284105.pdf.
3. Strengths: What Are You Naturally Good At?
The third component is your student’s natural strengths—what they’re inherently good at. CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) is a widely respected assessment identifying a student’s top five strengths out of 34 possible talents. These strengths help students understand where they might excel in college and their future careers.
The primary assessment, which reveals the top five strengths, costs around $29.99. A full report of all 34 strengths can be purchased for around $59.99 for a deeper dive. More information is available on their website: gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with One Step in the Right Direction
Now that you have the tools to help your student build their College Compass, you may feel overwhelmed—but don’t worry. You don’t have to tackle everything at once.
Using the above link, you can take the Myers-Briggs test to experience the process firsthand, gain insight into your personality, and be better equipped to help your student navigate their results. By experiencing the process firsthand, you’ll gain insight into your personality and be better equipped to help your student navigate their results. This experience will make it easier to guide your student through their self-discovery process and to help them make informed college choices.
Why This Matters
Creating a personalized College Compass early in your student’s junior or senior year sets the foundation for a smoother, less stressful college search. When your student understands who they are, what they enjoy, and where their strengths lie, they’ll be more confident in finding colleges that fit them—academically and personally.
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