At this time of year, admissions deans at colleges and universities across the nation are on the edge of their seats. They are awaiting the college choice decisions of thousands of bright young students they have admitted to their schools for the fall 2015 entering class. At the same time, motivated high school juniors are making campus visits to decide where to apply for fall 2016.
All of this activity is enveloped in tension and stress, hope and disappointment; as if not gaining entrance to the perfect school will consign the student to an also-ran life and diminished career opportunities.
In truth, there are few highly selective colleges and universities in the U.S., and the ultra-selective elites number less than two dozen. Just as important, finding the right college involves much more than name recognition and prestige. How can students and parents find the right fit? Posing a few critical questions may help.
First, the largest group of incoming students in most colleges is “undecided” about their major, interests and careers. Many colleges are happy to let such students drift around the curriculum for years, accumulating credits without focus or effective guidance. Not surprisingly, many of these students end up on the five, six or seven-year plan to graduation.
Ask college officials about policies and programs to prompt undecided students to narrow their choices and get on track to graduate on time. This involves effective academic advising, published guided pathways to specific degrees, and course scheduling that assures that required courses are available each semester. Many more students will change majors, some several times.
A junior majoring in dance who changes to physics will probably delay graduation but a carefully planned set of general education courses will be more likely to apply to either degree program.
Ask about the availability of courses, especially required courses. Colleges focused on student success plan schedules based on the courses students need and when they need them. Others develop schedules based on the courses faculty want to teach and when they want to teach them. Talk to current students about their experiences in getting the courses they need.
Ask also about class sizes, especially in freshmen-level courses. These are the cash cows of higher education, and are often presented in the form of gigantic lecture hall sections. Look for small classes that are linked to each other — for example, a learning community of students taking science, writing and philosophy classes as a group — as an example of commitment to student success. Just as important, find out who actually teaches first-year student classes.
In many schools, these course sections have been outsourced and are taught by graduate students or part-time adjunct faculty rather than the full-time professors. They may be fine teachers, but they are far less likely to be available to students outside of class time for consultation and advising.
Finally, find out about support services for students who may need extra help. Writing Centers, Math Resource Centers, and other tutoring services, can be instrumental in helping first-year students succeed. Academic libraries can also be crucial resources to strengthen information literacy. Ironically, in some schools the best developed of these student support offices may be in the Athletic Department.
The key to college student success is a first year experience that establishes a solid academic and social foundation for progress to graduation. All schools promise to hold student success close to their heart. Great schools actually deliver on this promise, and they can be found by looking beyond branding and marketing to students’ experiences. The really encouraging news is that what students get out of college depends mostly on the effort they put into it, so a great higher education is widely available in America.
Timothy J. Flanagan of Broomfield spent four decades in higher education as a professor, dean, provost, and president in public colleges and universities in West Virginia, New York, Texas and Massachusetts. He is a senior fellow of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
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