Archive for the 'Pre-College Decisions' Category
There has been considerable uproar since a variety of Liberal Arts colleges decided to not participate in the US News and World Report annual rating of colleges. I cannot begin to describe the amount of times I’ve heard friends compare their colleges. One of the biggest comparisons is relative ranking. Sometimes I wonder; do rankings really even matter? For example, my older sister graduated from Ohio State with a degree in English (OSU isn’t known for having the most stellar English department), but nonetheless she graduated and ended up at Fordham Law. Her roommates her freshman year were graduates from Yale and Dartmouth, respectively. I’m sure they outranked Ohio State in a wide variety of academic areas, yet my sister ended up at the same exact Law School. She ended up being hired by a very prestigious law firm, and now makes a sizeable amount of money. So, do rankings really matter? Were her roommates that much better off because their colleges received higher ratings?
I think there’s no simple answer (as both sides have valid arguments). However, I feel that while rankings may give you a little bit of a boost when looking for a job, it’s much more important to see what you did in college, rather than how your school was ranked. I guarantee someone who gets straight Cs at Harvard will not be as appealing to a perspective employer as someone who earned straight A’s at a state school. I know too many students get into highly ranked colleges and expect it to automatically make them better than everyone else looking for jobs. Just because a school is highly ranked, doesn’t mean it will be the best fit for you. It also doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to get the best job in your field. At the same time, brighter students tend to seek out the higher ranked colleges, so one might think that the overall educational atmosphere would be better. But, again, what’s the goal of college? To get a degree, in order to get a job. Will going to a highly ranked institution always translate into a higher salary?
The last thing is that rankings really can be deceptive. Many students can make their colleges as easy or hard as they want. If students look for the easiest classes, with the easiest professors, their college experience, and degree will reflect that. Students who challenge themselves in highly ranked, and unranked schools will both probably benefit from a strong education. Some schools deciding to not be involved in the US News and World Report rankings is a very big statement. Schools are realizing that when it comes down to it, being able to brag about being top ten in a certain area is great, but might ultimately be unfair to the thousands of schools that still have fantastic programs, but just don’t break the top 10. Should students not apply to certain universities simply because some report doesn’t rank them high?
So, do college rankings really matter? If the BCS is any indication, ranking colleges in any spectrum (either academically or athletically) can be quite challenging, and sometimes woefully inaccurate.
But I digress, what do you think?
November 27 2007 | Admissions and Pre-College Decisions | 1 Comment »
In a perfect world, everyone would get into his or her first choice college. Alas, this world is not perfect, and Harvard rejected 91.03 percent of applicants to the class of 2011. It seems that ACT and SAT scores are getting better across the board, more and more students are finding it hard to get into their first choice colleges. What this means for the average student applying is that you better have a back-up plan, in case Duke decides to go Greg Oden on your application.
Think you’re too good for that state school down the street? Think again. If you think your inflated GPA and above average SAT will get you into any college you want, you have another thing coming. Admissions counselors are a very finicky bunch. A lot of times, who gets in and who gets the thin little letter of rejection seems more like a crap shoot than anything else.
In fact, I was rejected from a school that shall remain nameless, yet I had a substantially higher GPA than one of my friends who was accepted, and his SAT was only slightly higher than mine, and my ACT was the same as his. We both had solid extra curricular activities (he had four years of one sport, I had two years of volleyball, one year of football, and a year of theatre, while having a job). I had better AP test scores, and I had a brother at the University in question. Now, how did I get rejected? Bad essay? Maybe. A cynical part of me wonders if checking that little “Financial Aid” box really does affect acceptance. In any case, the point is that if I didn’t have a back up plan, I would have been sunk. My little example shows you how truly random the admission process can be.
Have several backup schools if you can afford the application fees. Throw in a community college for good measure. The worst thing you can do is limit your college decision. A backup school will give you some breathing room just in case NYU turns their nose up at you, and Stanford decides you won’t be hearing a Steve Jobs commencement speech any time soon. So the lesson is, have some back-up schools (more than one or two if you can help it).
I’ll leave you with a tale of a high school friend. He was smart, received a solid SAT score, probably had good essays, and he applied to some of the best colleges possible. Harvard, Yale, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Washington University in Saint Louis, and many more were all on his list. His safety school was Case Western. Unfortunately, he was denied from everywhere. If he didn’t have his safety school, he would have been sunk. It was a shame he didn’t select more safety schools, because he was not left with the possibility of making a decision. So, for your sake, remember to have a safety school.
August 23 2007 | Admissions and Pre-College Decisions | 1 Comment »
There’s an interesting debate when it comes to large universities versus small colleges. Many people have the decision to either go to a huge school with a huge athletic program and a lot of potential majors, or to attend a small liberal arts college, or a small, rural college that has only a few majors. I figured I’d give some advice to help the decision be slightly easier.
Large Universities
When going to a big college, there are many advantages. One is that there are many, many more majors available. There are also many more and different classes that students are able to take. If you are someone who has no clue what you want to major in, or what you want to do after graduation, then you should think about larger colleges. I know a variety of people who have changed majors, and who have started in something completely different than they finished in. At smaller colleges, while there are still a variety of majors, you may find yourself somewhat limited. For example, it’s hard to transfer to business school if your college has no business school.
Another advantage that big colleges have is the increased resources that are available to students. My school alone has over 13 libraries on campus. That’s a lot of resources! Some may also like the bigger atmosphere, the big-time sports program, or the various popular musicians who will do concerts at bigger schools.
Do be warned that in big colleges, class sizes can sometimes turn you into just a number. If you’re in a 300-person lecture, you’re not exactly going to get individual attention. Although, don’t think that you’ll just diminish into obscurity in a big university, because you’ll still have your core classes with a lot of the same people.
Small Universities
Small universities may be much better for others. One advantage of small colleges is that class sizes are subsequently much smaller. This can lead to a better relationship between professors and their students, and struggling students may be able to get more individualized help. Not to mention, that if you know what you want to study, and your small college excels in that field, then you should naturally consider going there. For writers, and many humanities majors, the small liberal arts colleges can be a haven for intellectual development and success.
While small universities won’t have big time athletic programs (why would anyone even go to Division III football games?), they often have some of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Many of the smallest colleges are somewhat remote and present well outside of big cities. Many students enjoy this type of atmosphere. Students may also enjoy the experience of a small, tight-knit community that develops in small universities. You may not know everyone, but you’ll see the same faces over and over again.
However, keep in mind that small universities may be considered “boring” by many. If the university isn’t in a huge city, but is rather way out in the countryside, then it may be much more difficult to go see a movie in theatres, or go to bars, or other “city” activities. If you can’t see yourself surviving without city entertainment, then you should definitely shy away from the small colleges. Small colleges also offer a more limited selection in terms of majors. So someone who wants to change majors many times and try a little of everything would do well to think about going to a larger school with more majors available. Resources may not be as good at small colleges, leading to more concerts with unknown acts instead of Justin Timberlake or something. Most people can do without the pop acts, but if you think you might be bored, you may want to again consider a larger university.
Conclusion
Whatever you decide, just make sure it’s an informed decision. I’ve talked about making sure to ask the right questions when you are thinking about colleges, but make sure you are planning ahead. Think about what interests you, where you want to go after college, and what you want out of your college experience. There’s no right or wrong decision when it comes to big colleges versus small colleges, it just comes down to what you think is right for you.
August 09 2007 | Pre-College Decisions | 1 Comment »
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