developing a us college list 2014
TRANSCRIPT
Developing a US College List
Self-Reflection
Why are you going to college? What are your priorities? Education Overall Experience
In what type of classroom setting do you learn best?Better challenged or as a big fish? How intense do you want it?
Lecture vs. discussion What are your academic interests?
What courses do you enjoy the most?
How do you want to spend your time?What do you do for fun? What are your passions/interests?
What type activities do you want to access?
Self-Reflection
What kind of social environment will suit you best?Diversity/Variety Spirited Major Athletics Small/Intimate
Greek Intellectual Liberal Political Party Spectrum
What kind of people do you want to spent time with?
Do you have a geographic/physical preference? Family Familiarity Weather Distance Home Urban—College Town
Campus—Open Architecture
Do you have special interests?Study Abroad Co-Op Entrepreneurship Alumni Network
Student Services Academic Flexibility/Design/Options ROTC
Finding Fit
• Academic
• Student Life
• Financial
Survey
• Alumni Network• Cost• Diversity• Endowment• Location• Rank• Reputation• Size (# of Students)• Social Environment• Strength of Major (and Professors)
Survey
1. Reputation2. Strength of Major (and Professors)3. Location
Rank5. Social Environment6. Cost7. Diversity8. Size (# of Students)9. Endowment10. Alumni Network
Are rankings fact, fiction or somewhere in between?
Gaming the System
• Universities have falsified data
• Reporting academic information only for certain demographics
• Universities use unfair admissions practices
– Huge numbers on waitlists
– Part I of an application
Unscientific Methods
Universities A B C
Stanford 2 6 9
MIT 7 6 1
Notre Dame 8 17 57
Duke 13 8 12
Boston College 14 31 72
Tufts 15 28 51
Dartmouth 17 10 34
Cornell 26 15 9
NYU 41 32 18
US NewsCriteria
Academic Reputation
Selectivity
Faculty Resources
Graduation/Retention Rates
Financial Resources
Alumni Giving
What Would You Use?
• Number of citations by university researchers?
• Number of alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals?
• Academic-athletic balance?
• Proportion of international faculty?
• 6 year graduation rate?
• Salaries of alumni? Salaries of faculty?
• Acceptance rate?
Quality?
• Quality cannot be quantified
• Rankings measure how an institution grades out for specific criteria
• When publications change their criteria, the rankings noticeably change – sometimes drastically
• They can tell you, in general terms, about the academic credentials of the students they attract
One Size Fits All?
• Institutions are so different with different missions. Aren’t we unfairly comparing institutions?
• Are rankings really personal for you? Aren’t they generic?
How Can You Use Rankings?
• Read the methodology. Know what you’re looking at.
• Group universities (and colleges) together
• Use a variety of publications
• Use them as one small factor in your search
SO WHERE DO I BEGIN?
ACADEMICS
Reputation
• Tends to be cultural/geographic because of familiarity (or lack thereof)
• In addition to rankings, seek input from:
– Counselors
– Alumni
– Employers, if possible (who do they like to hire)• Google Search: Claremont McKenna Job Placement
– Graduation rate – Forbes
– Freshman retention rate – Forbes
School Size
• Student-to-Faculty Ratio– misleading at research universities
– % of classes of 50 or more – US News
• Large universities– Greater variety of courses, majors, research opportunities
– Pre-professional programs (e.g. engineering, business)
• Small colleges– Guaranteed small classes with prof as instructor
– Less competition for research; more access to profs
– Less lecture, more discussion
Common Data Set
Curriculum
Requirements Format
Special Programs
Interdisciplinary
Special Programs
Co-Op
Strength of Major & Profs
Department Website
Strength of Major & Profs
• Rankings
• College Confidential
• Rate my Prof
STUDENT LIFE
The Vibe
• Is it? – Intellectual
– Intense
– Competitive/Supportive
– Sporty
– Liberal/Conservative
– Religious/Secular
– Greek
– Political
– Green
The Vibe
Niche (formerly College Prowler)
The Vibe
• Unigo
• College Confidential
• Counselors
• Alumni
• College Visits!!!– Both at ISM and on college campuses
– Check out the school newspaper
– Ask current students tough questions
Activities & Opportunities
Alumni Network
ISM Alumni
Diversity
FINANCIAL
Financial Aid
• Need Blind
• Guarantee to meet full demonstrated need
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need-blind_admission
Financial Aid
Website– Net Price Calculator
Financial AidCommon Data Set
Merit-Based Scholarships
IB Credit
STRATEGY
Application Volume
Selectivity
• Work backwards – find a true safety first
• Focus on where you will thrive, not where you’d be luck to be admitted
• Think about how much you’re willing to struggle
• Know that you’re almost guaranteed not to be admitted to a true “far reach”
Final Points
• Know yourself.
• Spend time. Do your research.
• Be thorough and open-minded.
• Use rankings responsibly.