High school seniors and those who care for and about them are in the midst of a process right now that is equal parts exciting and trying. Colleges are announcing their decisions on admissions and financial aid, and families are left to cope with the information arriving daily. Juniors are a year away.
In the course of giving students tips about taking the SAT over the years, I’ve given some thought to what comes after the test scores are in. There is a lot to consider, of course, but having an approach attacking it one issue at a time can make it all less daunting.
An Approach
What follows can serve as something of a substantive checklist. For those inclined toward a quantitative approach, one could assign a numeric value to each factor that matters. The challenge is to work in a weighing of factors that are most/least important versus high/low scores in the factors. That is, how do you reflect a good but not great score in an important factor as opposed to a great score in a less important factor?
One approach would be to make a broader range of scores (10 to -10) available for more important factors, and a smaller range (5 to -5) for less important ones. Note the flexibility: the student, (or parent or trusted adviser) gets to decide which factors are most heavily weighted in any analysis. The approach should be flexible; no two students are the same.
Location
Let’s start with one that seems easy: How far is the college from home and how much does that matter to you? Just look up the mileage and we’re done here, right? Maybe not. Consider a student in the Philadelphia metro area evaluating two good schools, one in upstate New York and the other in Chicago. The latter is hundreds of miles further away, but there are dozens of direct flights a day between O’Hare (or Midway) and Philadelphia, and they tend to be relatively inexpensive. Which school is “closer to home”? In short, don’t forget to factor in the ease and expense of getting home.
Is the campus setting urban, suburban or rural? I’ve seen this be a deal-breaker. If you’re a city kid, for example, how do you feel about the college town having exactly one traffic light – and it’s blinking? What if there is one pizzeria and you don’t like the pizza?
Attractiveness of the setting – Does beauty inspire or distract? Does drab depress? Same for weather/climate.
Safety and security – ah, the parents perk up with this one. Every college tour ever points with pride to the Blue Light Phones throughout the campus and how safe it all is. Unless there is reason to believe otherwise (statistical or reliable anecdotal evidence that danger lurks), it is probably reasonable to assume that student safety depends most on the company kept and behavioral decisions made.
Academics
Reputation/Prestige – Is the college renowned overall? Would their degree bolster your resume?
Reality – Does the college deserve to be renowned? Does it deliver the goods? Do its graduates find jobs in their field or get into the grad school of choice? Some schools live on past glories; others are underrated and rising.
Which departments are strong? Some schools are world-leaders in a few fields and so-so in others. The surer a student is about what the major will be, the more this may matter. Keep in mind that many students change majors, though. When that happens, strength across the board becomes very reassuring.
Obvious areas are class size and student teacher ratios. Will you be taking Bio 101 with 350, or more, of your closest friends?
More subtle, however, is who teaches what. There are prestige schools where superstars who have never met an undergrad roam the halls. Their job is to attract grant money, not teach 18-to-22-year-olds. It’s nice to have Pulitzer Prize winners around, but will most or all of the courses be taught by TAs (teaching assistants)? Is there a commitment to undergrads?
Is there any sort of core curriculum, or may students take literally anything they please? Can a student emerge from four years of time and expense with little coherent education? Are the courses you want and need actually available? What must a student do to enroll in them?
How are mentoring, guidance and placement? Are there research and internship opportunities? How about special programs – double majors, 5-year masters, relationships with professional or graduate schools?
Amenities
If you’re going to live somewhere four or more years, what’s the living like? How’s the housing; how’s the food?
Dorms – Are they guaranteed and available? This can range from no issue for four years to freshmen being on their own. Their functionality and appeal vary widely from really nice to more suited to Board of Health review.
If you and your friends want to rent a place, does the town feature good, plentiful, reasonably priced housing stock, or is it slumlord city?
Food – Most college students will say most food is uninspired at best, but there are exceptions. If you find one, it’s a plus. Quantity is usually not the issue; you’ll want to hear about quality, variety and healthfulness. Are food plans required or simply available?
Intangibles
Campus Size
Another factor that can make a real difference is size. Some students would not consider going to a college smaller than their high school. Others feel like they went to a factory for 9th through 12th grade and would like nothing better than an intimate, family-like atmosphere. As with everything else here, there is no one correct answer. There are also some subtleties. Being part of a team, club, or other activity with built-in friendships can make a huge campus manageable.
Social Life
People – Are these your kind of people? Is there some fun going on? Are alcohol and other substances essential to the fun?
Fraternities and sororities can dominate social life or not exist at all. Is Greek life desirable?
Facilities – How are the student center, the gym, fields, and other venues? Are there good places to gather, throw a Frisbee or a ball, get a workout, or attend an event?
Speaking of events, are concerts and speakers of renown drawn to campus? Some schools devote resources to get the best; others don’t see the value.
Sports and extra-curriculars – If you play a sport, you know better than I all that is involved in taking it to the next level. Division 1 recruits will have a full-time job awaiting them. Whatever level is appropriate, balancing and integrating any activity into one’s life is worth the effort it takes to get it right. If you’ve always wanted your own radio show in college, make sure the station puts undergrads on the air.
Spiritual life – If it’s a factor in your life, make sure it’s available in the campus community to the extent desired.
Politics – Campuses range from the Far Left to the Far Right. I’d like to think some of them remain more interested in open minds, objective inquiry, and intellectual rigor than indoctrination. If it matters to you, check it out. At least, attend with your eyes and ears open.
Cost
Nothing like saving the best for last, eh? That college is usually outrageously expensive almost goes without saying. This brings the financial aid package up in importance to equal that of the admissions decision. Like admissions decisions, the financial aid offers can be irrational and inexplicable. As I recall it, the process produced an EFC, the expected family contribution, and ours bordered on the preposterous.
In looking at the cost factor, try to include everything in the budget: tuition, room and board, fees, “books” and supplies; travel, and miscellaneous personal stuff. Compare apples to apples among the colleges as best you can.
All financial aid is not created equal. Grants, scholarships, and fellowships are the real deal. While lower interest rates are better than higher ones, loans are not financial aid at all. Loans are debt. Folks have finally begun noticing that bearing a burden equivalent to a mortgage without the benefit of owning a home is a very bad idea. It’s a lousy way for a young adult to launch a career and an even worse way for their parents to approach retirement.
If a financial aid package is particularly disappointing because the school would otherwise be the top choice, consider contacting the school. A sincere, well-reasoned and amicable appeal is sometimes well received. One reason is that colleges and universities like to attain the highest “yield” possible. Yield is the percentage of candidates offered admission who enroll and attend. It is considered one of the most telling indicators of a school’s desirability.
Summing Up
The approach here was to include more rather than fewer considerations. Please tailor to your needs. If, as I hope, you find this helpful, please pass it along to interested others, including next year’s seniors to be.
Resist the urge to believe that there is out there one, and only one, perfect place for every student, and that all others would be markedly inferior. The truth is more likely to be that there are a number of very good placements for most or all students, with varying strengths that make the choice a really close call. If you narrow it down to a few excellent places, you have done your job and cannot make a mistake.
And even if you do make a “mistake”, nobody holds it against anyone for transferring anymore. Indeed, if you buckle down and do well where you are, you may gain entry somewhere that foolishly rejected or wait-listed you the first go-round.
Finally, sometimes this just comes down to chemistry. How do you feel when you step onto campus? If something inside tells you “This is the place”, it may well be.
I used to wish students only thick envelopes, but that’s just showing my age. Now notifications are mostly electronic. But you get the drift. Good luck with all this.
Ken Bossong
© 2020 Kenneth J. Bossong