The smartest college shoppers (meaning, students who are picking a college), might just be those who have experience and those who conduct research that is beyond the typical agenda of a campus visit.
Here are some tips from the trenches:
As I’ve reminded readers many times, many students aren’t sure about their major. In a perfect world, you’d pick a college based on the quality of a particular academic program and the quality of life you expect to experience on campus. But even if you’re “extremely” or “very” certain about your major and how much you like the campus, yes, even you could change your mind.
Be proactive when visiting a college.
You won’t find all the critical information about a college in a brochure. And you may have to ask for favors beyond what the typical campus visit offers. Call ahead and see if you can accomplish as much of this as possible during the visit:
College shopping at its best is “qualitative research”. You can only find out by asking the right questions to faculty and students. How you feel after the visit is going to be the main influence on your final decision. Record your impressions and key data points. How you feel may even outweigh your financial considerations.
First, conduct in-depth research on the faculty in your major:
Talk to several faculty of your chosen program. If you’re going to a research-driven university, which can be an unparalleled learning opportunity, find out about the teaching philosophy of the instructors of the upper level required classes in your major. If the instructors are absorbed by their research projects, will you be able to assist them? How do they make themselves available to advisees who need career help?
There can be a big difference between an instructor who teaches from the basis of their own practical experience in the field, versus one who is a research scholar, and both have positive attributes. Maybe the right situation for you is to have a blend of such instructors available.
If they aren’t around during your campus visit, call them later. Ask them about the teaching and learning styles in their classroom. A college is a collection of individuals; and instructors are no different.
Second, seek out students and specific classes:
Is this campus more collaborative or competitive? Every college has a campus culture that influences the classroom. The learning styles of students – the “norms”, if you will – can be very different in different majors. Seek out junior and senior students in your interest areas. Ask them for examples of typical classroom experiences. Don’t let them generalize. Ask them to describe a recent class they attended.
Every college offers a chance to sit in on a class. Ask to visit the classes of particular instructors who are legendary among their students. What are their teaching methods: straight lecture, experiential or both? Ask to see the syllabus for the class. This is the best way to see for yourself what makes THIS academic program at THIS college special.
Another data point to ask for:
Students who “transfer in” to a college after starting somewhere else might be the smartest shoppers of all! What can we learn from them? If a college as a higher-than-average rate of transfer-in students, something good could be going on. Ask the admissions folks for this data and an opportunity to talk to a transfer-in student.
Contact me for workshops and coaching on student success and career planning.
My mission is to empower youth with: - The knowledge about career possibilities, and the education and training needed to attain them - The creative-thinking and emotional skills that make for good career decisions and which employers prefer; - And the resilience needed to flourish in life.
