College Planning

A, B or C? Giving Your Prospective Colleges a Grade

Okay, so you’ve signed up for a college tour and you’ve set up your GPS to find the school. What more do you need to do to make the most out of your trip as you begin the college search process?

Well, that is a good start, but there are other ways to make sure your visit is really worthwhile. In a five-minute date, you get 300 seconds to meet, greet and evaluate a potential partner. Fortunately, you have more time to mull over a college visit. But in order to maximize your tour, you should take the time in advance to think through what it is you want to evaluate while you’re on campus. In other words, before you started the car and set foot on the road, you should create a report card to grade the school.

It is very important to develop some sort of rating scale for your report card. By this I mean identifying the aspects of a college you think are important to gauge as well as an actual grading system. Perhaps your child is a finicky eater or a vegetarian or has some other dietary considerations. Then be sure to include the dining hall food on your list and make it a priority to sample a breakfast, lunch or dinner there.

Or, is your child a homebody who needs to feel comfortable in his or her surroundings? Then, the layout of a dorm room or the amenities the dorm offers might be really important criteria. Perhaps your kid is athletic and fit? Then you’ll want to be sure to check the college workout facility, the athletic fields, the roster of club sports or the indoor pool.

Whatever your customized list includes, you’ll then need a rating system. Perhaps a simple thumbs up or down is sufficient, or rank each criteria with a one to 5 scale or some other scale of measurement you’ve come up with. Just be sure to be consistent and use the same criteria and scoring system school to school.

That way, when you’ve arrived home after your last college visit, you have a report card on the schools you’ve visited that will mean something because you’ve developed it with your child’s particular needs in mind.

Photo by arvindgrover via Flickr.

Three things to look at during college tours

Expansive library?  Check.  Comfortable dorm rooms?  Check.  Well-stocked dining hall?  Check. Those are just a few of the amenities prospective college students and their parents will be peeking into during a college visit.

But besides the high-speed wireless internet, availability of on-campus parking, and a well-equipped workout gym, what else should you consider during your campus tour?

1. How about picking up a copy of the school newspaper? (Or reading it online?)  The college newspaper is a great way to gain insight into the pulse of the school and to get a feel for the different campus environments.

2. Also, many parents don’t realize that since the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Crime Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics was passed in 1990, every college is required to make available its security policies and its safety record.  How safe is this campus?  Have there been any violent assaults? Rapes? Car thefts?  This is an important element to consider when deciding what college is most suitable – and safe.

3. Expand your visit beyond a formal tour.  During your visit, take the opportunity to talk to other students you come across, beyond those who conduct the tour.  The random students you encounter are apt to be more honest in their appraisal of the pluses and minuses of a particular college.

As a general suggestion, consider a college visit to be a clue game.  You look for hints about whether or not this college is going to be a good fit and appropriate match for your child, and then decide together what makes sense.

Photo by Patricia Drury via flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/patriciadrury/3236417577/

How do you pick the right college?

The United States has many of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the world. There are, in fact, more than 7,000 colleges and universities providing educations to more than 15 million students, according to the US Department of Education.

So, how do you find the right one and where do you begin your search?

Of course, your child’s high school guidance office is a good resource, but there are many more.  Campus Tours is an easy to navigate website that allows prospective students to use a search tool to find and virtually tour a particular campus. The site does have its share of shortcomings, such as, the listing of colleges and universities is not complete, however, in addition to a virtual tour, the website also offers a thumbnail profile of the listed schools.

Another website is Destination-U, an online service that individually matches college bound students to colleges where they are most likely to thrive based on their unique needs, interests, talents and aspirations. And the go-to guide for in depth profiles of individual colleges is Peterson’s, which has been providing information services to prospective college students since 1966 and reaches 105 million consumers each year. And finally, if your child is interested in rushing for a fraternity or sorority, there is Greek Pages which is a directory of fraternities and sororities.

Given the fact that only 56 percent of college students graduate within six years, it makes sense to try to find a strong college fit between your child and the school he or she attends to better insure a better college experience. So using the resources available is a very smart first step to narrowing the choices from 7,000 to one.

Photo by austinevans via Flickr.

How to Say Goodbye to your Child on College Move In Day

“Helicopter parents have gone Velcro,” says Margery Eagan in her Boston Herald column.   “Now they’re attaching themselves to their college freshmen’s dorm rooms.”

 

Ms. Eagan’s article notes that at colleges across the country, super-involved parents are having a hard time saying goodbye to their children, and some even linger around campus for days.  As a result, many institutions are implementing activities that facilitate the separation.

 

According to a New York Times report, Morehouse College in Atlanta performs a formal “Parting Ceremony,” with speeches in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, followed by a march of incoming freshmen through the gates of the campus, which swung shut, leaving the parents outside.

 

At Grinnell College everyone gathers in the gymnasium, students on one side of the bleachers, parents on the other.  The president welcoming the new class has his back to the parents — a symbolic gesture meant to inspire “an aha! moment,” said Houston Dougharty, vice president of student affairs, “an epiphany where parents realize, ‘My student is feeling more comfortable sitting with 400 people they just met.’ ” 

 

Parental separation anxiety is a reflection of modern child rearing.  “A good deal of it has to do with the evolution of over-involvement in our students’ lives,” said Mr. Dougharty of Grinnell. “These are the baby-on-board parents, highly invested in their students’ success. They do a lot of living vicariously, and this is one manifestation of that.”

 

Officials encourage parents to detach — not just on move in day, but throughout the first year, including limiting phone calls and text messages.  As one parent (who is a kindergarten teacher) put it, “Say goodbye and just leave, because the kids calm down.”

 

 

Image courtesy of sienacommunications at Flickr  

There’s Still Time for a College Road Trip This Summer

It’s summer, the time of weekend getaways, suntans and college tours. Yes, that’s right, summer is a great time to take a road trip and combine a college visit with the joy of a family vacation. It makes so much sense. After all, why not visit a college campus when the crowds have thinned out and you might be able to wander down the ivory tower halls at your leisure?

You still have a few weeks left of summer to pull together a family trip that includes a visit to a university campus along with some local sightseeing. For example, if your son or daughter is interested in visiting Georgetown University you can also check out the new Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial or the museums and zoo of the Smithsonian Institution.

Or, if your soon-to-be-college-student is considering Fordham or NYU, plan to explore the sights of the Big Apple (Times Square, Ellis Island and NBC Studios) while you’re there. This gives your trip greater significance, creates lasting memories and knits you and your child together in a whole new way.

The key with any trip is planning. Most colleges and universities offer group tours in the summer months, even though school is not in session. This is also a good time to arrange an interview with a college admissions officer. So visit your favorite college website and start making your arrangements today.

Photo courtesy of mbell1975 on Flickr.

College Decision: Logical or Emotional?

The dilemma faced by many parents this time of year is where will their child be going to college next September. What the majority don’t realize, the problem is not getting a child into college, it is getting them out in four years.

 Many parents find themselves in a love and/or guilt position for a variety of reasons such as they (parents) did not go to college, or they went to an Ivy League school, or they told their child to do well and then they compounded the problem with no clear decision making strategy in advance. This results in a struggle of wills – the child against the parents, the mother and the child ganging up on the father, etc. In the United States only 50% of college freshmen will graduate from college. One of the reasons is how families make their decision sitting at the kitchen table.

Let’s discuss a well-thought-out plan. When a child gets accepted to a number of colleges it is wise to take a “victory lap” to the top 3 schools. I recommend that families have a written rating scale to be able to assess one school versus another. This follows the adage of if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. If possible, the student should schedule a mid-week overnight visit that would allow them to attend several school classes and events. If that is not possible, then extended time should be spent on campus talking to students and faculty members, as well as exploring student clubs and organizations. The cafeteria should merit lots of consideration. Flexibility in the food plan is critical to good nutrition. Many college freshmen put on 15 to 20 lbs because of the glut of junk food, lack of exercise and stress.

It goes without saying that college retention rates (the number of students that return for their sophomore year), graduation rates (4.5 or 6 years), and job placement numbers are all very important. Lastly, cost should be critical in your decision making. It is prudent not to look at how the tuition bill will be paid for just the next year, rather the cost should be viewed as a monthly bill over 15 years.

With More Than 7,000 to Choose From, How Do You Pick a College?

The United States has many of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the world. There are, in fact, more than 7,000 colleges and universities providing educations to more than 15 million students, according to the US Department of Education.

So, how do you find the right one and where do you begin your search?

Of course, your child’s high school guidance office is a good resource, but there are many more.  Campus Tours is an easy to navigate website that allows prospective students to use a search tool to find and virtually tour a particular campus. The site does have its share of shortcomings, such as, the listing of colleges and universities is not complete, however, in addition to a virtual tour, the website also offers a thumbnail profile of the listed schools.

Another website is Destination-U, an online service that individually matches college bound students to colleges where they are most likely to thrive based on their unique needs, interests, talents and aspirations. And the go-to guide for in depth profiles of individual colleges is Peterson’s, which has been providing information services to prospective college students since 1966 and reaches 105 million consumers each year. And finally, if your child is interested in rushing for a fraternity or sorority, there is Greek Pages which is a directory of fraternities and sororities.

Given the fact that only 56 percent of college students graduate within six years, it makes sense to try to find a strong college fit between your child and the school he or she attends to better insure a better college experience. So using the resources available is a very smart first step to narrowing the choices from 7,000 to one.

Photo by austinevans via Flickr.

College Move In Day –– Hovering Parents Need to Go Home

“Helicopter parents have gone Velcro,” says Margery Eagan in her Boston Herald column.  “Now they’re attaching themselves to their college freshmen’s dorm rooms.”

Ms. Eagan’s article notes that at colleges across the country, super-involved parents are having a hard time saying goodbye to their children, and some even linger around campus for days.  As a result, many institutions are implementing activities that facilitate the separation.

According to a New York Times report, Morehouse College in Atlanta performs a formal “Parting Ceremony,” with speeches in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, followed by a march of incoming freshmen through the gates of the campus, which swung shut, leaving the parents outside.

At Grinnell College, everyone gathers in the gymnasium, students on one side of the bleachers, parents on the other.  The president welcoming the new class has his back to the parents — a symbolic gesture meant to inspire “an aha! moment,” said Houston Dougharty, vice president of student affairs, “an epiphany where parents realize, ‘My student is feeling more comfortable sitting with 400 people they just met.’ ” 

Parental separation anxiety is a reflection of modern child rearing.  “A good deal of it has to do with the evolution of over-involvement in our students’ lives,” said Mr. Dougharty of Grinnell. “These are the baby-on-board parents, highly invested in their students’ success. They do a lot of living vicariously, and this is one manifestation of that.”

Officials encourage parents to detach — not just on move in day, but throughout the first year, including limiting phone calls and text messages.  As one parent (who is a kindergarten teacher) put it, “Say goodbye and just leave, because the kids calm down.”

Carrie Reed

CPS Blogging Team

Image Credit:  sienacommunications at Flickr.com

Three Things to Look at During College Tours

Expansive library?  Check.  Comfortable dorm rooms?  Check.  Well-stocked dining hall?  Check.  Those are just a few of the amenities prospective college students and their parents will be peeking into during a college visit.

But besides the high-speed wireless internet, availability of on-campus parking, and a well-equipped workout gym, what else should you consider during your campus tour?

1. How about picking up a copy of the school newspaper? (Or reading it online?)  The college newspaper is a great way to gain insight into the pulse of the school and to get a feel for the different campus environments.
2. Also, many parents don’t realize that since the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Crime Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics was passed in 1990, every college is required to make available its security policies and its safety record.  How safe is this campus?  Have there been any violent assaults?  Rapes? Car thefts?  This is an important element to consider when deciding what college is most suitable – and safe.
3. Expand your visit beyond a formal tour.  During your visit, take the opportunity to talk to other students you come across, beyond those who conduct the tour.  The random students you encounter are apt to be honest in their appraisal of the pluses and minuses of a particular college.

As a general suggestion, consider a college visit to be a clue game.  You look for hints about whether or not this college is going to be a good fit and apt match for your child, and then decide together what makes sense.

Photo by Patricia Drury via flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/patriciadrury/3236417577/

Summer Collegecation

It’s summer.  The time of weekend getaways, beach sunsets, poolside cocktails and college tours. Yes, that’s right.  Summer is a great time to take a collegecation.

What’s that, you wonder?  It is taking the best of a college visit and combining it with the joy of a family vacation.  It makes so much sense.  After all, why not visit a college campus when the crowds have thinned out and you might be able to wander down the ivory tower halls at your leisure?

Consider combining a family vacation with a college tour and you’ll have the best of both worlds.  You’ll be enjoying fun travel with kin along with a low-key visit to a university campus.  So, if, for example, your son or daughter is interested in visiting Georgetown University, be sure to include time to also take in the Vietnam War memorial and even the panda exhibit at the National Zoo.

Or, if your soon-to-be-college-student is considering Fordham or NYU, plan to take in the sights of the Big Apple, such as Times Square, Ellis Island, or NBC Studios, while you’re there.  This gives the trip greater significance, creates lasting memories, and knits you and your child together in a whole new way.

The key, of course, as with any trip, is planning.  Most college and universities offer group tours in the summer months, even though school is not in session.  And, this is also a good time to arrange for an interview with a college admissions officer.  So visit the college website and start making your arrangements for your summer collegecation!

Photo courtesy of dewitah via flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/dewita-soeharjono/4558849693/