Factors to Consider When Selecting Colleges

The criteria you can use in evaluating a college are myriad, but first and foremost, they must be your criteria . Everyone has particular questions and issues of personal interest, but to get you started we offer the following list of general questions . Use them to help you assess a college or to suggest the type of questions you can ask an admissions officer in an interview .

Location

Geographic location: You have more freedom now than you ever will have at any time in your life . Consider the opportunity of living in another part of the country . There are colleges of excellent caliber everywhere . Most colleges are “regional” in their population, so attending a college in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South or on the West Coast will allow you to live with and come to understand a culture different from yours . Also, since many colleges are interested in maintaining geographic diversity, you may have an edge at colleges farther away from home . You may find Maine or Pennsylvania as different as Colorado or Georgia . You will probably return home fewer times from Minnesota than from Massachusetts, but the tuition is usually lower in the Midwest, which will probably offset air fares .

City vs . suburb vs . country: How much do you make use of a city? Do you spend your free time walking in the woods? Do you want to try for both? Will you be happy in a small town? Will the noise and excitement of a city be wonderful or wearing?

College Character

Here are some questions to help you determine if the college is the right “fit” for you .

• How old is the college? What is its history, and how does that history affect its purposes today? • What does the college look like? What does it “feel” like? Can you see yourself in these surroundings for four years?

• What is the campus atmosphere? Intellectual?

Collegiate? “Preppy”? Non-conformist? Socially concerned? Experimental? Artistic?

• How big is it? Small (fewer than 2,500 students), medium (2,500 - 6,000), large (more than 6,000 students)? Coed? Religious or nonsectarian?

• What are the library facilities like? Is the main library used for study or socializing? How many books? What are the hours? Are there special collections? Do academic departments maintain their own reference libraries?

• What are the types and availability of residence facilities? What percentage of students live in dormitories? Off-campus? Are first-year students housed together or in mixed-class dorms? Are all the dorms coed? By entry, floor or room? How big are the dorms? What do they look like?

• What are the dining facilities like? Dining plans?

Accommodation for special diets, especially vegetarian? Is there a college nutritionist?

• What are the health facilities on campus? Medical or dental plans for students?

• Is there a career guidance center? How active is it?

• Are the students satisfied with the way things are run? What are the “hot” campus issues?

• What kinds of entertainment are available on/ off campus? Movies? Plays? Concerts? Exhibits?

Lectures? Clubs? At what cost?

• What does the college do to orient its new students?

Is there a Big Sister/Big Brother program? What sort of guidance is available to new students?

• How safe is the campus? Is there an escort service?

Is it used?

Admissions

• What criteria are used for admission? Does the college require SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests?

Superscoring? If Subject Tests are required, which ones? How significant are extracurricular activities, strength of academic program and essays?

• Does the college admit by major? How does the admissions competition differ among specific programs, majors?

• Does the college meet the total financial need of all accepted students? What is the standard grant/loan/ work balance? Are merit scholarships available?

Are student jobs available only to financial aid students or to anyone? What is the pay scale?

Academic Programs

• What is the grading system? What are the graduation requirements in terms of number of courses and specific required courses?

• What degrees are offered? Does every department offer a major? Liberal arts or professional technical degree programs?

• If it is a university, what colleges does it contain?

Can a student change from one program to another? Are there special academic programs?

Junior year abroad? Exchange programs? Interim intensive courses? If the school offers a joint program, is there inter-campus transportation available so that you can take the courses you want on another campus? • Is the college calendar run by semester? Trimester? Quarter? Interim term? When do vacations fall?

• What is the standard academic load? What are the maximum and minimum loads?

• How does the college support students with learning disabilities? Is peer tutoring available?

Writing or math labs? A study skills center? Special facilities for students with disabilities?

• Are honorary and professional societies sponsored?

Phi Beta Kappa?

• What courses are open to freshmen? What courses are required? Which are electives? When can you take a seminar? Is it easy to get into the courses you want?

• How large are classes? How many are in the introductory biology class? Introductory psychology?

• What does the college consider to be its strengths?

What does the college consider to be its weaknesses?

Student Body

• Where does the student body come from? Is there racial, cultural and socio-economic diversity? Is there genuine institutional support for a diverse student body?

• What is the ratio of men to women?

• What percentage actually graduate in four years?

Five years? Eventually?

• What percentage of seniors go on to graduate school? Medical school? Law school? MBA programs? How are graduates employed?

Faculty

• What is the faculty-student ratio? What are considered outstanding department by students?

Who will be teaching the courses you want to take?

Is there a published student evaluation of courses and professors?

• Are there advisors and professional counselors available? Are they used?

• Are the professors accessible? Do they post office hours?

• What is the percentage of women professors?

Tenured women professors?

• Is the faculty racially and culturally diverse?

Extracurricular

• What percentage of the student body is engaged in volunteer work? Is the student body considered to be socially/environmentally/politically conscious?

What organizations are the most active?

• How important are fraternities and sororities?

What percentage of the student body joins? What is social life like for those who do not join?

• Are there adequate athletic facilities? Intramural sports? Intercollegiate teams? What percentage of students play intramural sports?

• What role do the arts play in campus life?

What sort of activities are available outside the classroom? How are the facilities? Are studios/ practice rooms/video labs, etc ., open to everyone or just to students enrolled in specific courses? Is there any friction between artists and jocks?

• What role do the arts play in campus life?

What sort of activities are available outside the classroom? How are the facilities? Are studios/ practice rooms/ labs, etc ., open to everyone or just to students enrolled in specific courses? Is there any friction between artists and athletes?

• What percentage of students can be found on campus on a typical weekend?

BUILDING YOUR COLLEGE LIST

After you have identified your priorities for selecting a college or university and have found schools that meet your criteria, you need to think carefully and strategically about your final list . First, how many schools should you apply to and second, what range of schools should be included with regard to admissions competition? With the help of your college counselor, you may put the schools on your preliminary list into one of four categories:

• FAR REACH: Those colleges and universities where we believe the student has a very slim chance of gaining admission . These schools appear on a college list often because a student has explained that he or she would always wonder “what if” if he/she didn’t apply, or, in some cases, because a family connection or special talent hook is extremely strong . We do not discourage these applications, but we try to be very clear with students about their chances for admission .

• REACH: Those colleges and universities which we feel are a “reach” for you, and ones where admitted candidates have a significantly stronger academic profile than you present or colleges that utilize more of a selection process because of high number of qualified applications .

• TARGET/POSSIBLE: Those colleges and universities where we believe your chance for admission will be approximately 50-50 .

• PROBABLE: Those colleges that we believe offer you a better than 50-50 chance of receiving an offer of admission .

Colleges and universities placed in these categories are determined by your academic profile to date and our experience with these colleges and past Westminster applicants . Keep in mind that scores/ grades may or will change in coming months, and throughout the college application cycle we will strive as warranted to inform you of these adjustments . You should spend equal time researching, evaluating and visiting colleges on our list across the four categories .

In evaluating colleges, remember that greater selectivity does not necessarily mean better . Oftentimes geography, gender and popularity have an effect on selectivity . Many schools, for a variety of reasons, may be in your “possible” range from an admission perspective yet offer programs equal in quality to your “reach” choices .

Stay open-minded, cast your net widely and have fun!