5 Ways to Identify a Great College

Marcus Varner — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 23:20:16 +0000

A cheery report was released this week that shows that college students, in general, aren’t learning in college. The study, which covered more than 2,300 undergrad students, discovered that 45 percent of them displayed no significant increases in writing, complex reasoning, or critical thinking. Like I said, cheery. But these stats, as headline-grabbing as they are, mask the complexities beneath them.

The truth is, colleges and universities vary as much from one another as McDonalds and Wolfgang Pucks. It’s a whole industry, with great organizations and bad ones. You can still get a great college education … if you get into the right school.

Luckily, this study tells what qualities to look for in a great school and which ones to avoid. Here are five things to look for in your college:

1. Selective admissions

The study found that students at schools with rigorous admissions processes tended to post greater leaning gains. Makes sense, doesn’t it? If you actually have to work hard to get into a school (score high on the SAT, write essays, get letters of recommendation, etc.), you tend to value the opportunity more. In turn, you study harder.

A great by-product of this phenomenon is that you also get to study with other similarly hardworking individuals. And those traits tend to rub off. If you’re looking for a great school, look for a school that people will give an arm and a leg to attend. That’s usually a pretty good sign.

2. Dead social scene

Surprise, surprise! Schools where students spend lots of time socializing don’t do so hot in the learning department, the study says. On the other hand, students who hit the books alone got a lot more out of their college experience than their more social counterparts.

3. Heavy reading and writing

Another groundbreaker. Schools who require students to read and write more… wait for it… revolutionary idea incoming… report better student learning. I know. My head hurts, too. Anyone who has ever done well in school will agree that the basis of doing well academically is spending lots of time in the books. There’s no replacement for it.

Sadly, the study found that a third of students didn’t take any courses that required them to read even 40 pages per week. Half of students interviewed didn’t take any courses requiring them to write even 20 pages during the course of a semester. Warning: avoid these schools and students at all costs!

This may be a hard pill to swallow, but you want to go to a tough school. You want a school that will actually force you to do something outside of your comfort zone. Otherwise, you’re not getting your money’s worth.

4. Arts and science majors

Students in traditional arts and science majors showed far better learning gains. That’s right—the classics. Part of this may have to do with the heavier reading and writing loads in these traditional majors.

5. No Greek system

Hard to believe as it is, fraternities and sororities actually hamper student learning. Hazing and debauchery aside, the Greek system means a sizeable time commitment for their members. One could argue that they offer great networking opportunities, but let’s keep on topic—we’re talking learning here. Time is a limited resource, as any embattled undergrad will tell you during finals. For every minute you have to spend dealing with fraternity stuff, you have less time to actually learn.

Disclaimer: this author would be the first to acknowledge that socializing is absolutely necessary to keeping one’s sanity during the college experience, especially at hard-working, competitive colleges.

However, I also can’t ignore the purpose for which we all really go to college: to learn. I know, booooring.

Don’t let yourself become a statistic. Find a school that will actually teach you, not just show you a good time. Ideally, you’ll find a school that does both.

Worry + Funding College = Stimulus

adam — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:54:47 +0000

If you have been putting off a college education because of money worries, the Obama administration has come to the rescue. The new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 sets aside $30 billion to make schools more affordable and $40 billion for state grants. The Obama administration estimates that this money will enable more students to go to school, thus bolstering the American economy.

Students are the first to benefit from this money. The higher education tax credit was bumped up to $2,500 dollars. An additional $17 billion was designated for Pell Grants. The Federal Perkins Loan Program increased to $6 billion in loans every year. Finally, a federal-state partnership supports a $500 million grant program to improve retention and graduation rates.

"This bill alone makes it a very good time to go back to school," says Tony Balmer, an education analyst. "This administration is trying to remove any financial barriers for people wishing to go to school. But this money won’t be out there forever. People need to act soon."

Fortunately, thanks to a growing number of online education options, degree-seekers can take advantage of President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill without leaving their jobs. Sites like ClassesandCareers.com have helped nearly 500,000 degree-seekers get their stimulus money and enroll in online universities.

"We help people learn how to take advantage of this bill," says Janet Hill, an education advisor at ClassesandCareers.com. "All they have to do is visit our site and fill out the form. We guide them through the rest."

"If you have the desire to get a degree, now is the time to act on that desire," says Hill. "The money is available." Visit ClassesandCareers.com and fill out the form. An education advisor will help you get your share of the stimulus money and find the best degree program for you.