Beginning the Process
Be aware of the following factors that you need to consider when exploring colleges and universities.
Size Colleges range in size from 26 students at a most selective and specialized college to about 50,000 students at a comprehensive university. Many students value the interactions with faculty like the ones you have experienced at WCHS; whereas other students prefer more anonymity. You should keep in mind that the term "small college" generally refers to colleges with about 1500 to 2000 students where you would certainly recognize faces but not know everyone on a personal level.
Location It is always a learning experience to understand the cultural nuances of another part of the country, but you need to consider whether you want to be close to home, in an urban or rural environment, or want a climate that allows you to pursue throughout the year recreational and athletic activities that are important to you.
Type of Curriculum Do you want a broad, general education that a liberal arts and science program provides or a more specialized program such as engineering, business, nursing or education, which can be found at a university? Does the college or university have flexibility in regard to courses or the option to change majors or divisions? Are there language requirements or distribution requirements? Are there opportunities for internships, undergraduate research, or cooperative education programs or international study programs?
Student Body & Student Life What is the percentage of undergraduates compared to graduate students? What is the ethnic and geographic diversity? Are support services available? What voice does the student body have in school affairs? What are the opportunities for study abroad? What athletic and extracurricular activities are available? What is the focus of the social life? Do most students remain on campus on weekends or seek their social life elsewhere? What housing and dining options are available?
Calendar Does the college or university operate on quarter, semester, or trimester program? Does it have a short winter or spring term? How do the various calendars meet your family and employment needs?
Admission Requirements What tests are required? Is an interview required or expected? What are the application options? Are essays required? Are teacher recommendations required? What are the deadlines for applications and housing?
There are
more than two thousand four-year colleges and universities in the country.
The college you select should fit YOU; the only colleges which deserve the title
good, better, or best, are the ones that are such for YOU. Chances are,
you will be able to find a half dozen colleges which have all of the characteristics
you are seeking. Invest yourself in your search and in this process.
Don't forget that you do have control, but also responsibility. The "process"
involves three primary decisions, and YOU make two of them: Where you
will apply and which school you actually attend among those to which you were
admitted.
Gary Ripple, the former Dean of Admissions at Lafayette College, quoted in Money
Magazine 's 1990 College Guide , said, "Too many families
act as though they must find the one right school. But you're not looking
for a needle in a haystack. That will make you crazy. You're searching
for a school where you'll do well and be happy, and there are probably dozens
of schools like that for each applicant. Most people who put in the time
and effort to make an informed decision are going to have a good outcome."
PUTTING TOGETHER A LIST OF COLLEGES
The process of selecting the colleges to which you will apply, and eventually
the one you will actually attend, is very personal and should be undertaken
with careful consideration. The process must also be accompanied by an
honest and realistic self-assessment. By the end of your junior year,
you should have a working list of about twenty or so colleges which you should
investigate during the spring and summer. By the fall of your senior year,
you will have deleted schools from the list and added others. Your goal
is to develop a final list of about six schools, any one at which you would
be happy and successful if you were to find yourself there as a student.
Many students develop a final list of schools which includes three types: a
couple of "reach" schools – colleges you would like to attend but
for which you do not quite "fit" the profile of a typically accepted
student, or for which you "fit" but the school is so selective that
it turns away many "qualified" applicants; a couple of schools where
your chance of acceptance is more reasonable in that you "have what they
are looking for" or exceed the averages, but where a good number of qualified
students are not accepted; and a couple of schools where your chance of getting
admitted is very likely: you fit the profile and most qualified applicants are
accepted ("safety" schools). Keep in mind that there is no such
thing as a guarantee or a sure-shot acceptance for anyone . Also,
you should not apply to a "reach" school that is too much of a reach
if the academic environment you would face there would be overwhelming or burdensome.
Nor is much accomplished by going through all of the work of applying to a school
just to see if you can get accepted if you have no intention of attending, or
by finding out how many colleges will accept you – you can only attend one college!
In their book, College Match , published by Octameron Press, Steven
Antonoff and Marie Friedemann discuss ten myths about the college selection
process. They are:
Colleges are either good or bad . By whose criteria is
the "goodness" or "badness" of a college measured?
Instead of asking the question, "Is X a good college?" you should
ask, "Is X a good college for me?"
Future employers and graduate schools give an edge to those who have
degrees from prestigious universities . Not necessarily.
Employers and graduate schools are much more interested in your accomplishments
and what you have to offer than the name of the college you attended.
Colleges always choose the "best" students .
The admission process is a human one, and it might not always be what you would
consider to be fair. You might be admitted to schools which are not appropriate
for you. Other students, less qualified than you, might be admitted to
schools which you wanted to attend but which did not admit you.
Schools that cost more are of higher quality . The cost
of a school says a lot about its size, its state support, its endowment, how
well (or not) its finances are managed, and many other variables. The cost
says nothing about the quality of the education at the school or whether or
not it is the right school for you.
The more rigorous the admission standards, the higher the quality of
education . Wrong. Admission statistics could have a lot
to do with one of the school's athletic team's recent performance, its being
mentioned in a national magazine, or its sweatshirt being worn by someone on
a popular television show. Many excellent colleges have applicant pools
that are self-selective, and so their admission rates are higher. Many
state schools have quotas for in- and out-of-state students. The numbers
have little to do with quality.
Cost is really important in determining where I can go to college, so
I may not be able to attend the college I want to attend . It
is true, unfortunately, that ability to pay for your education is playing a
larger role in the admission process today than it did a few years ago, but
ability to pay should not be your first criterion for not applying
to a school you would like to attend. There is a lot of money available
from many sources to help needy students pay for college – you just have to
do a lot of research, take an active role in the pursuit of assistance, and
be creative. See the chapter in this handbook on financial aid.
Test scores are the most important criterion in college admission .
You will read more about this later in this handbook, but the fact is, this
is not true for most colleges. Because of the changes which have taken
place with the SAT content and scoring, some colleges have even made the SAT
optional. Your standardized test scores might get you into the ballpark
of the applicant pool, and they may keep you out at other places. But
in the end, for most colleges, your high school transcript (school, courses,
and grades) will be most important.
There is only one perfect college for me . There is no
perfect college, and each year thousands of students transfer from the schools
they thought were perfect.
I am a failure if I do not get into College X . There
are many reasons you might not be accepted to a particular college. Perhaps
this year they are looking for tuba players from rural areas. Remember
that you are in high school in one of the best educated and most college-bound
areas of the country. Competition is tough, and a denial is not necessarily
a reflection of your qualifications. Please don't judge your own self-worth
by a single college's acceptance or denial. You're better than that.
Some secret strategy can get me admitted to a college .
In our society and neighborhood, where money can buy almost anything, it is
easy to believe this. Impressive letters of recommendation from famous
people and gimmicky application or essay approaches will not get you into a
school. YOU and your record will get YOU into a college –perhaps with
a lot of guidance, assistance and support – but it will be YOU, and there is
no secret strategy for any school.