The
College Search: where
to begin
In
recent years, the college application process
has earned a dubious reputation for the anxiety and
mystery that surrounds it. The formal process
should begin in the student’s junior year. One
of the most important lessons students can learn in
this process is that of finding out who they are, what
they value, what they know and what they believe.
These examinations are the focal point of a student’s
education and, indeed, they should remain central throughout
the student’s life. Questioning
these issues at the beginning of the college process
is a necessary component to a student’s college
search. There are more than 1500 four-year
colleges and universities in the United States, and
so students are in the enviable position of being able
to create a list of colleges that suits them. Students
need to assess their own reasons for choosing a college
and avoid reasons that have little to do with their
own needs—for example: it is their parent’s
alma mater, the school has a great football team, or
a friend’s cousin went there and had fun.
The
questions below are just a small sample in building
a self-assessment. To begin, students
must ask themselves the following fundamental questions
about the type of community in which they would like
to spend the next four years:
•
What types of college environment do you like best:
urban, rural or suburban?
• Does the college have a self-contained
campus, or is the campus part of the city?
• Where is the best location for you: East,
South, West, Midwest?
• Are you looking for school with religious
foundation? What about an art or music college?
• Which schools offer
the major or field of study in which you are interested?
•
Are you and your parents in agreement with your choices?
Where do you differ?
• What size college
do you prefer? Would you feel better at a small liberal
arts college, a large, comprehensive university, or somewhere
in between?
After
answering the above questions, students then need to
research individual colleges with a sample of these
questions in mind:
•
Are classes conducted in lectures or seminars?
• How is the college unique?
• Who teaches the
first-year students?
• What is the
average class size for introductory or general education
courses taken by the first and second year students? (As
opposed to the overall “student-faculty ratio.”)
• Is there a study
abroad program?
• What kinds of services does
the college offer in terms of career and graduate school
counseling?
• Does the college guarantee on-campus housing
for first-year students?
Discussing
the answers with parents, teachers, and mentors will
help students match their needs, talents, and abilities
with the right college. In
order for students to get the most information possible
about colleges under consideration, they need to look
beyond the traditional information provided by the schools
themselves. Catalogues and Web sites
are both good places to begin the search, but they only
go so far in presenting the full picture of any college
or university. Therefore, students should attend a local
college fair and meet with college representatives hosted
by their high school guidance office. This
is a great opportunity for students, especially juniors,
to meet with college admissions consultants and gain
a greater understanding of the colleges to be placed
on their list. By the end of a student’s
junior year, a working list of colleges should be developed.
This preliminary list may include up to twenty-five
or more schools.
Families
are then encouraged to take time during spring break
and summer recess to visit college campuses, attending
information sessions and interviewing with admission
consultants. Campus visits are an important
tool for determining the condition of residence halls,
the academic, and athletic, arts and dining facilities,
the relationship between
the town and the campus, and the application and admission
procedures for that college.
For
more tips regarding college visits please
download the attached document.
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Jillian
Molee is a College Placement Advisor.