Cadser, One Exchange Place,
Suite 1000, Jursey City, New Jersey 07302,
United States.
Suite 1000, Jursey City, New Jersey 07302,
United States.
There are more than 3,500 colleges and universities in the United States—and, like the students who attend them, they are all different. They are private and public; large and small; located in cities and small towns; offering liberal arts and sciences; and focusing in specialized and technical areas. In some ways, the college selection process is not unlike a marriage. Just as there are many potential marriage partners, there are also many colleges that will meet a student's needs. Careful research fosters a good match. As with courtship, it is important that both partners—students and college—present themselves as they really are. Ultimately, college life will be like marriage—that is, what the student makes of it.
The student beginning the college search experiences a variety of feelings. On the one hand there is the excitement of the unknown, the mystique of college; on the other hand there is hard work involved in the process, in addition to the uncertainties, anxieties, and frustrations that accompany thoughtful decision-making. The college search and application process can be painful, but at the same time it can be very rewarding, especially if the student approaches the task seriously and responsibly. The process, if executed conscientiously and effectively, should prove to be an informative, worthwhile, truly educational experience. Following the ten steps below will assist the student in the college search.
To choose a college, the student has to know his or her own self-interests and abilities, dreams and goals, reasons for attending college. The place to begin the college search is with and within the applicant. Each junior completes the personal inventory. The first questions involve self-assessment — strengths and weaknesses, talents, interests, ctivities, and ambitions as they relate to school and higher education. By seeking answers to these questions, the student will be in a better position to define criteria for exploring college options.
Another section of the personal inventory asks the student to think about the kind of academic and social environment that might best serve him or her at college. Initially, some of these questions may be difficult to answer, but as the process continues, it is important that answers are found, as these will help the student sort out which colleges and universities have suitable programs, facilities,and atmosphere. For example, there is the question of size. While one college may have only 2,000 students, another may have 30,000 (the size of a small city), and the student should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of size in personal terms, according to the importance to himself or herself of individual attention, access to professors and desired courses, variety of curricular fields,class size, teaching methods such as use of graduate assistants and lectures, and extensiveness of facilities and equipment. Thus one question may have many ramifications.
Using the information developed in the first two steps, the student then makes realistic selections of a broad group of colleges (fifteen to twenty) to compose a tentative list. A variety of sources should be consulted to learn about colleges and their programs that seem appropriate: college directories, college catalogues, computerized college research programs, visits with college representatives, visits with college students, and conversations with parents, faculty, alumni, and others. While the abundance of information may appear overwhelming, if the student has completed steps one and two effectively, the identification of appropriate schools can be realized rather easily. (Students should be aware that there are several colleges that will meet their needs. Assuming there is only one will only create further anxiety.) The student is also urged to fully investigate a college,despite what he or she may have heard, for too frequently stereotypes are misleading and may prevent further exploration of an appropriate institution.
There are several pieces of information that the student may use to clarify the admissions picture for each school in which there is interest. College admissions offices are concerned with several elements of the student's high school credentials: courses taken, grades in those courses, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. The student should compare his or her academic credentials with the standards presented by colleges of interest. College handbooks and directories provide information that will be helpful during this step. Their data will include class rank, grade point averages, and average standardized test scores for admitted freshmen. An equally important piece of data is the acceptance rate of a given college; a few schools have very low rates of acceptance. The student now begins to sort colleges into categories: reaches (the student's credentials and the college profile are significantly different); possibles (close alignment of credentials and the college profile); and likelies (alignment of credentials and the college profile place the student in a highly favorable position).
The student should write directly to each college in which there is interest, requesting a catalogue and other information relating to specific interest areas. Students may also visit college Web sites on the Internet where they may take virtual tours, view the course catalogue, or seek departmental information. Much of this information may be downloaded. The student should create an orderly filing system for information received that may reviewed easily. This step involves gathering and organizing material.
There are many factors to consider when one examines college possibilities. Those important for the student should become more familiar as the process continues. Certainly several of the following are appropriate at this state for comparison purposes: academic quality (faculty credentials and accomplishments, number of students pursuing graduate study); type and quality of student body;curriculum structure and course offerings (degree requirements, number, range, depth, and quality of offerings in a given field of interest, special programs); student activities; campus facilities;teaching faculty (graduate students?); size of classes; costs.
During the summer between the junior and senior year, each student should visit college campuses to gain a better understanding of them and to discover any special considerations not earlier contemplated.When possible, the student should arrange an interview with admission personnel.During the fall the student should visit one or two of the colleges that are emerging from the narrowing list.
Each student should take advantage of the presence of college admissions personnel in your country. These sessions with college representatives can be important, for the student may discover answers to questions thus far unanswered, or may further validate initial impressions. The potential applicant may even make an impression on the representatives that could affect chances for admission, since most representatives are part of the decision-making body.
By mid-October, the student is directed to determine the final application list and to consult with the college counselor about this list. This should include no more than six to nine colleges, and in some cases a student will apply to only one. Each of these choices should meet the student’s needs.The final application list should include colleges in the different categories of admissions probabilities reaches, possible, and likelies.
The student must observe the stated deadlines and make certain that all of the applications materials are complete. The student provides teachers with recommendation forms and the counseling office with the secondary school report forms.