College Choices of Academically Talented Secondary Students

The decision-making process of academically talented students when making the transition to college is complex. This study investigates the factors that contribute to the selectivity of the colleges by Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate students for application. A multilevel model was created to find which college-level and student-level variables were associated with college selectivity. This study found that students selected colleges with higher mean SAT scores when prestige of the college was the reason, the students had higher achievement, and the college was farther away. Academic self-concept and perceived challenge of their high school curriculum had no effect on the college selectivity. These findings have implications for high school administrators and college admissions offices.