College Choice: Do Your Homework
Choosing a College (Part 1)
I can remember second semester of my senior year in high school all of my classmates were talking about where they were going to college and I still had not made my decision. My dad would say (not these exact words but pretty close), “College is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life. The next four years in college you will be shaped and molded by what you learn from your professors in class and the friends you hang around outside of class. You will begin to formulate your own views about the world and life.” He stressed the importance of choosing a college that was the “best fit” for me not making a choice based upon where my friends were going or which college was cheaper. I ended up choosing my college in April of my senior year and it was one of the best choices I ever made. I received a great education in Business Administration and I met my future wife.
As I travel around the country and talk with high school students, I tell them the same thing my dad told me.. The college choice is not a decision to be taken lightly. You would be surprised how many juniors and seniors that I talk with who make the college choice based upon where their friends are going. How many times in my 26 years of recruiting have I heard, “I’m going to the University of _________ with my friend, John! Man, we’re gonna have an awesome time!” That is NOT the reason to choose a college. If it works out that your best friend chooses the same college as you, that’s great! But don’t choose a college based solely upon that reason. I know most high school students don’t do that. I’m still surprised that some do. And many who do will not tell you that is the reason they chose a college.
So what should a student know about a college when making their choice? I’ve read many articles from reputable sources and writers and most, if not all, agree on the same major points. It’s a given that by this time the high school student will have decided whether he/she wants to attend a two-year or four-year college. By the time a student reaches his/her senior year the choice should be narrowed to the top three colleges. Then proceed to do the following (in no certain order):
Pros and Cons
When I had a major decision to make my dad always told me to make a list of the pros and cons of each decision. I still do that today. It is one of the best lessons I learned from my dad. And it applies to this decision of choosing a college. Get your short list of colleges and make a list of the pros and cons about each. Then look at each list and decide which things are the most important to you.
Visit Campus
If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the campus of your top three colleges, do this as soon as possible your senior year. If you’ve already visited one or more of the campuses, take a second visit, if possible, armed with specific questions about your program of interest and other questions about things important to you. Talk with professors in your program of interest. Get acquainted with Career Services. They will be helping you with job searches and internships. Ask them about job fairs and how they help their students get jobs upon graduation. Talk to students on campus and ask questions about their school, the campus, the residence halls, the organizations, extra-curricular activities, etc. You will find that college students are very candid and will talk with you honestly about their likes and dislikes.
How Far is Too Far?
Thirty minutes, three hours or 10 hours away from home? Same state or out-of-state? In country or out-of-country? This may not be as important as some of the other reasons to choose a college but it is still an important question you must ask yourself. My two boys went to college out-of-state three hours away from home. They were close enough to come home when the need arose (usually so mama could do their laundry and they could get some home-cooked meals, ha ha). When I went to college it was 8-9 hours away from home. According to an article by Niche Ink (June 4, 2014) more than half of the nation's graduates stay relatively close to home. Fifty eight percent of high school graduates attend college within 100 miles of their hometown, while 72 percent stay in-state. Only 11 percent of students venture more than 500 miles from their hometown.
Location of Campus: City or Rural
A high school student may say, “Well, it really doesn’t matter to me. I like the campus, I like the students, the college has my program of study. The location of the campus is not a big deal.” However, it may become a big deal when you start looking for internships. Usually by the sophomore year (but no later than junior year) students are looking for internships in their program of study. If the campus is located in a rural setting, these internships may be hard to find. The student may have to wait until summer to do his/her internship and this may not be desirable. Jeff Selingo, in his best-selling book, There is Life After College, devotes an entire chapter (Chapter 4-Why a College’s Location Matters) to discuss this point. He writes on page 82, “As the importance of off-campus experiences increases, students at schools in out-of-the-way places—especially areas without strong regional or national brands or colleges without deep pockets—often struggle to find the kinds of internships and work experiences nearby that are necessary to gain the skills employers want.” However, he says not to cross the rural college off your list if that’s what you want. But “be prepared to spend extra time finding real-world work opportunities outside of school and in cities.”
I’ll have more in Part 2 of Choosing a College in my next blog