A Google Sheets spreadsheet is a great way to track data for your college search. It allows you to easily organize your information in one place and compare different colleges.
Contents
Start with a New Spreadsheet
To manually create a Google Sheets spreadsheet for your college search, go to Google Sheets and create a blank spreadsheet, as shown below.
Add Labels for Each Column
Once you have a blank spreadsheet, you can start building.
- In the first row, create column headers for all the information you want to track. Some common column headers include:
- College Name
- Driving Distance / Time
- Size (enrollment)
- Locale (Large City, Town, etc.)
- Type of school (public, private, liberal arts, etc.)
- Location
- Cost of attendance
- Acceptance rate
- SAT/ACT scores
- Due dates for applications and other important deadlines
Make a free copy of the completed sheet for your own search.
Enter Data for Each School
In the rows below the column headers, enter data for each college you are interested in. You can find this information on the college’s website, in college guides, or by using the College Compare add-on, which we’ll cover below.
Once you have entered data for the colleges you are interested in, you can use Google Sheets’ built-in features to sort, filter, and analyze your data. For example, you can sort the colleges by the cost of attendance, average GPA, or acceptance rate. You can also filter the colleges by location, type of school, or size.
Here are some tips for using your spreadsheet to track college data:
- Use color coding to make your spreadsheet more straightforward to read and scan. For example, you could color code the colleges that you are most interested in green, the colleges that you are considering but not sure about yellow, and the colleges that you have ruled out red.
- Use comments to add additional information about each college. For example, you could comment on the college’s campus culture, academic programs, or location.
- Use conditional formatting to highlight important information. For example, highlight the colleges that have your desired majors in red.
- Share your spreadsheet with your parents, counselors, or other trusted adults so they can help you with your college search.
Create Your Spreadsheet With a Few Clicks
Instead of manually creating your spreadsheet, you can use the College Compare add-on. Just give it the name of each college, and it will do the rest.
We created this spreadsheet by entering the names of the three colleges. The add-on fills in the data.
Once you have completed your Google Sheets spreadsheet, you will have a valuable tool that will help you track your college data and make informed decisions about your college search.
Conclusion
Either way you create it, you can start using your spreadsheet to track college data and make informed decisions about your college search.