This week in college class, the girls are discussing what they are individually looking for in a college. The answers don't surprise me: study abroad programs, boys (we are a girls' school, after all), specific academic programs, quality of dorm life, location - all things that are usually the first things students consider. But we would also like the girls to dig under the surface and to do that, students need to think of this part of the process as one long research project. So settle in and get comfortable.
For example, many students are looking for a particular major. Okay, so you know they have it. But should't you take the time to actually read about the courses you will have to take? The focus of engineering or art at one school might differ from the direction it takes at another. What do students with that major do after they graduate? If they don't stay in the field, what else do they go on to do? Where do students go to graduate school? What kind of academic advising is there? When does it kick in? If you're looking for research opportunities (and those don't just come in science, you know), are freshmen eligible to participate, or is it more or less limited to seniors or graduate students? If the competition for research spots is so fierce, would you be better off going somewhere else?
Many of our girls are looking for a college that has school spirit, but does that only apply to football? Perhaps you are really looking for a school that is supportive of its students no matter what they do. Do students support the arts? Do they turn out for lectures, concerts, or political events? By the way, I think you have to ask other students about that. I'm not sure an admissions officer is the best person to ask.
It is important to gather many opinions and investigate more than one resource. The Fiske Guide may tell you one thing about the social life, but the next book may offer a different opinion. Your
cousin who also went to that school may have a third opinion, while your neighbor's son may have had an entirely different experience. Of course you have to go visit the college for yourself, but doing your research via a variety of websites, books, personal anecdotes, and visits can help you construct your own opinion of a college or university.
Beware of people who badmouth a college. Yes, sometimes they have legitimate reasons to do so, but some students who have had a bad experience don't want anyone else to have a good one either. It sounds a little crazy, but humans don't always want to admit that they were responsible for their own misery. Years ago a student told me that a friend of hers was unhappy at Emory because there was nothing to do. Now I know for a fact that Emory has plenty of extracurricular and social options for students, but he was also in Atlanta. Atlanta! Of course there are things to do in Atlanta and not all of them cost lots of money. I suggested to her that perhaps her friend wasn't trying very hard. You do have to put yourself out there, join clubs, get involved...there's always something to do but as I tell my students, if you wait for an invitation, you might just be waiting a while.
Not all high school students like research, but if you really want to do a productive college search, it needs to be thoughtful and meaningful, Otherwise you might just end up at a school that doesn't really fit.
Many of our girls are looking for a college that has school spirit, but does that only apply to football? Perhaps you are really looking for a school that is supportive of its students no matter what they do. Do students support the arts? Do they turn out for lectures, concerts, or political events? By the way, I think you have to ask other students about that. I'm not sure an admissions officer is the best person to ask.
It is important to gather many opinions and investigate more than one resource. The Fiske Guide may tell you one thing about the social life, but the next book may offer a different opinion. Your
cousin who also went to that school may have a third opinion, while your neighbor's son may have had an entirely different experience. Of course you have to go visit the college for yourself, but doing your research via a variety of websites, books, personal anecdotes, and visits can help you construct your own opinion of a college or university.
Beware of people who badmouth a college. Yes, sometimes they have legitimate reasons to do so, but some students who have had a bad experience don't want anyone else to have a good one either. It sounds a little crazy, but humans don't always want to admit that they were responsible for their own misery. Years ago a student told me that a friend of hers was unhappy at Emory because there was nothing to do. Now I know for a fact that Emory has plenty of extracurricular and social options for students, but he was also in Atlanta. Atlanta! Of course there are things to do in Atlanta and not all of them cost lots of money. I suggested to her that perhaps her friend wasn't trying very hard. You do have to put yourself out there, join clubs, get involved...there's always something to do but as I tell my students, if you wait for an invitation, you might just be waiting a while.
Not all high school students like research, but if you really want to do a productive college search, it needs to be thoughtful and meaningful, Otherwise you might just end up at a school that doesn't really fit.
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