The Major You Want to Pursue

One of the great things about heading off to college is that you get to explore who you are and what types of areas you like so that you can choose a major and a career path. For some students, this is the perfect way for you to take some different classes and narrow down your options, so you can declare a major when it’s time.

Then there are those that have some idea what to study and what career path to pursue. Whichever type of student you are, it is imperative that you review the types of classes the college or university offers before you have to declare a major.

If you are not sure which major you want to pursue, then verify that there are classes on the schedule that will allow you to try some different areas out. If you know what career path you are on, then make sure that you have the right to choose classes during your first few years of study to apply to that career path, and even test it out to make sure it is the major you want to declare.

For example, one student started out wanting to be a child psychologist. After taking a few psychology classes as electives while earning her associate’s degree, she decided that psychology was not something that held her interest. She found instead that it was her business and marketing courses that held her interest, so she ended up declaring her major in business instead of psychology.

Choosing Classes vs. Preset Curriculum

Look at how the curriculum for the college or university is set up. This is especially true for the time when you have declared your major and are working toward your specialty. Some schools allow students to choose their own classes. While there may be some guidelines on which classes you have to choose, you can choose from a certain amount of electives and a certain amount of required courses, so that you can create a semester schedule that works for you.

Other colleges and universities have a preset curriculum and schedule of classes. Each semester, the college or university tells the students in the program which classes they are taking and when.

Nothing is wrong with either type of curriculum. You just have to make sure that it is a set up that works for your goals and promotes the best learning environment for you.

College Reputation

You should review two parts of the reputation of the college. First, you should consider the overall reputation of the quality of the education the college or university provides. Look at statistics that include:

• How many freshmen enter the college
• How many change schools
• How many graduate

This is one way to gauge the school reputation. You should also make a campus visit and talk with some of the students, the professors and the other campus staff to get a feeling for the overall vibe.

Second, you should consider the college reputation for your chosen course of study. Numerous publications rate colleges and universities each year, based on various factors, but one is the area of study that the college is best at delivering. For example, some schools are well known as top-notch business schools, while others are best-known for pre-med for pre-med majors.

Financial Aid Help

Another consideration when choosing a college is the amount of financial aid help or the type of financial aid that the college can offer you. In light of a very tough lending environment, if you need help paying your way through college, this is a factor that requires some investigation.

The Next Steps

You should also look into the pre-graduate and after-graduate resources the college offers. Not only do you want to choose a college for the education it provides to put you on your career path, but you also want the college to have resources that prepare you to look for a job after you’ve graduated.

Choosing a college is an important decision. It’s a decision you should make on what the college offers you in the way of education, rather than incidentals that won’t make or break your career in the future.

If you’re a Harvard alumni, you would most likely say yes, but if you’re like most of us, you wonder why all the HYPE! I’ve heard from numerous Boston based college students this line from their Harvard friends: “the hardest part about Harvard is getting in.” Once you’re there, the quality of education you receive is no better than your average state university. On many levels, it might be considered to be subpar.

There is so much controversy over these rankings, but colleges continue to strive to be on the list. Their motivation is simple: once you’re on the list, you can jack up your tuition because of your bragging rights. Hence colleges fight and claw to be in the top 10 and other schools that offer an excellent education fall short of a ranking at all or end up at the bottom of the list.

The truth behind the college rankings

An in-depth analysis of the rankings, “Playing with Numbers” questions the value of the data collected and the value that the rankings play in the minds of educators, students and their families:

U.S. News rankings don’t measure how much students learn; they don’t measure whether students spend their evenings talking about Jonathan Swift or playing beer pong; and they don’t measure whether students are just there to get through.

The data that U.S. News glides by isn’t the sort that comes easily; it’s buried deep. Do the the big shot professors actually teach? How many hours? Are they good teachers? Are there unknown professors who are better teachers? Or is it the graduate students who teach? What is the intellectual atmosphere like on campus? How frequently do students stay up arguing about Faulkner, aid to Ghana, or whether a wheel chair can be built that goes up and down stairs? What about the campus support and counseling system for students who begin to flail?

When asked if this type of data could be included in the rankings, the response was as follows:

 “…colleges don’t make the data available, it would be too expensive to gather, much of it simply can not be quantified, and if we were to tread into it …we’d get into a dozen, scores of questions.”

 All valid points, but if the rankings aren’t beneficial because they don’t provide that type of data, then why rank colleges at all? Why not simply provide the data that is available and let the consumer decide?

Who provides the data for the college rankings?

The question on all of our minds is who gives the input that provides the data reported by these rankings. Is it the alumni, the students, other unbiased education professionals? Lynne O’Shauhnessy, the College Solutions contributor for CBS MoneyWatch explains the process:

So who determines that Harvard and Princeton are the best universities and that Trevecca and Nova Southeastern are among the crummiest? It’s the same group of people. Each year every school in the “national university” category grades each other. Three administrators from Harvard, for instance, are expected to assign a grade to all the universities in its category, which includes all the Ivies, as well as such far-flung institutions as Purdue, Kent State, Georgetown, Iowa State, UCLA and the University of Tulsa.

So here’s an obvious question: What do three busy administrators at Harvard or any other university know about what goes on at Washington State, Drexel, Wake Forest and dozens and dozens of other schools? And what does the college president at Trevecca know about Tulane, Emory, Dartmouth, Rutgers and all its university peers?

Here’s the equally obvious answer: not much. But, of course, that makes no difference to US News. It’s got to fuel the rankings mania or it won’t sell magazines.

Evaluate the college ranking data and make your own decision

If you’re a savvy consumer you’ll do your own research, look at the numbers by using College Navigator or other search tools, find the best fit college, and ignore all the HYPE. The best list is the one that best suits your career goals, your academic and social personality, and your budget. Prestige is highly overrated when you’re out in the marketplace. Only Harvard alums are impressed by other Harvard graduates. If you graduate with a price tag debt to go along with that so-called impressive degree, you might be kicking yourself for buying into the rankings frenzy.

Should you throw out the baby with the bath water? Absolutely not. Use the list as just another tool available in the college search process. Look at the Best Value Colleges, the Up and Coming Colleges, and the Best A+ Colleges for B+ Students. Don’t concentrate so much on the hype of the rankings but on the information the study provides. Bottom line: don’t buy in to the hype of the rankings; it’s just another list!

Take the tour, but get off the beaten path

Campus tours are given by college students; usually students who make the best impression and adore the college and its campus. Campus tours give the student an overview of the campus: a look at a nicely staged dorm room, a walk through the student union, and possibly some views of the classrooms. Students should use the time to ask some questions of the tour guide and take notes. It’s not a bad idea to take some pictures either. It’s easy for college tours to become a blur and simple to forget which dorm room went with which college. Pictures help jog the memory.

Once the tour is complete, venture off the beaten path. Walk around campus, get a feel for the student body, and go places the tour guide didn’t go. Look at student bulletin boards, pick up a student newspaper, and eat a meal or snack in the student union. These are important facets of information students won’t learn on the standard campus tour.

Schedule an interview, and ask some need-to-know questions

It’s an absolute waste of time to visit a college campus without a) letting them know you are there, and b) scheduling an interview. This interview is not only a chance to express interest in the college, but gives the student an opportunity to interview the college. This might seem a bit odd, but that’s in effect what should be happening during an interview. Each applicant has many colleges to choose from and learning about each specific college is a crucial part of the decision process. This is also an opportunity for the student to impress the admissions officer

Meet with a financial aid officer, and ask the tough questions

College financial aid officers will be able to answer all the questions related to financial aid, scholarships, and college costs. Scheduling an appointment while on campus makes perfect sense and will assist in making decisions related to college costs and financing the education. It’s imperative as a consumer to understand how financial aid works and the options available to incoming students and upperclassmen.

Sit in on a class: observe the students and the professor

One of the best gauges in determining the perfect fit of a college is to sit in on a class and observe the interactions between the professors and the students. If a class in the prospective major is available, this is the optimum choice. By doing this, students can get a good idea of class size and get some contact with the students and the professor.

Talk to the students—not just the tour guide

As mentioned previously, tour guides are trained to put their best foot forward during the campus tours. Speaking with current students will not only yield honest responses related to the campus, students and professors, but will give you a valuable contact for future questions. Most students are more than willing to share college information with prospective students, and will often give you an honest estimation of the college experience. If given the chance, it’s great to spend the night in the dorm with other students. Many colleges offer this added tool to assist prospective students in their college choices.

Follow this simple formula: campus tour + interviews with admissions and financial aid  officers + observing a classroom + conversations with students = college visit success formula. These visits will serve to help narrow down the college choices.

Are you preparing for college visits during spring vacation? Did you know it’s best to visit only 2 colleges per day? If you have any questions about college visits, please leave a comment here.