How to Evaluate Colleges

There are many aspects which should be considered when evaluating a college/university, but a couple of statistics which I always feel are revealing are the Freshman Retention Rate (the percentage of students who return to an institution for the second year) and the Graduation Rate (the percentage of students who begin at a university and graduate, usually within four years, from that institution). In my opinion, low percentages in these areas could be indications that things aren't functioning quite as they should be in the environment of that college/university. Institutions surely want to keep their students. Reputable institutions want their students to be happy and to succeed. Therefore, these institutions strive to provide a challenging academic program, while also providing a wide spectrum of extracurricular activities in which students can become involved. A variety of services are usually in place to help students who may be having difficulties academically, organizationally, psychologically, or socially, or otherwise adjusting to the demands of college life, so that a student can find his/her niche and have a successful college/university experience. When I see low Freshman Retention Rates or low percentages of graduates, my first thought is: Why? Why do so many students not want to return to that particular institution for a second year? Why is the institution unable to support such a large number of their entering students through four or five years of study, seeing them through to a successful graduation? Of course, there will always be students who made an inappropriate college/university choice to begin with or have to leave the institution for a variety of other personal reasons, but these isolated instances would not reveal a strong statistical trend. The Freshman Retention Rate and the Graduation Rate do, however, reveal statistical trends, which I feel are well worth considering when evaluating an institution.

Some important facts or statistics are: -- Facts or statistics related to the college criteria that are important to you -- The college results of the National Survey of Student Engagement (http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/nsse.htm) -- Four year graduation rate -- Freshman retention rate -- Average class size -- The middle 50% GPA and test scores -- Selectivity -- % of financial need met -- Average college debt of graduates.

When applying to colleges, it is important for you to understand the school's selectivity. The more selective a college is, the less likely it is that you will get accepted even if you are a qualified candidate. Selectivity is not a measure of how good a fit the college is. it is a measure of how likely it is that you will receive the "fat" envelope with an acceptance letter.

The official website will provide you with important facts and figures about the college, as well as information on the college's mission. In addition, it may provide you with some subjective information like the school newspaper and student blogs.

There is no such thing as an unbiased opinion. Whether you're talking to a school's admission officer, a current student, or a twenty-year alum, they're comments are all going to be influenced by their own experience. Seek out information about schools wherever and from whomever you can, but it's up to you to filter their comments wisely. Whenever possible, find ways to form your own opinions about schools. Visit campuses and sit in on classes. Explore the research and other work faculty and students are producing. Hang out on campus both on a weekday and a weekend. Spend time looking and listening, then decide what YOU think.

The official website is very useful for statistics and for learning about a school's academic programs, professors, facilities and processes for things like applications. If you're looking for facts, this is the easiest and most reliable place to turn for information. Facts and figures can get muddled out in cyberspace, so don't rely on second or third party sources which may be out of date or simply inaccurate. Go straight to the school itself. But a website can only do so much to convey a sense of a college's culture and atmosphere. To really learn what it's like to attend a school, there's no substitute for campus visits and overnight stays if at all possible. There are many incredible colleges out there that have humdrum websites, so use them for fact gathering, but don't judge a school by it's webpage.

Different things matter to different students. Some might want to know how many students study abroad in a particular year, or how many participate in research opportunities, or the percentage that are part of the Greek system. Look for stats and facts on the aspects of colleges that are important to you. But if you want to check just a few stats that will give you good insight into students' satisfaction with a college, look at freshman year retention rates and graduation rates. This will tell you how many people were happy enough with their education after freshman year to return for sophomore year and how many people valued their experience enough to remain and earn a degree. Particularly with public universities (many of which are currently facing budget woes) it can also be helpful to check out schools' four-year graduation rates. If significant numbers of students are taking five years or longer to earn a degree, it can be an indication that they aren't able to get the classes they need to graduate in a timely manner...and are therefore continuing to pay college expenses and delaying entry into the work world. This could be very valuable information if you have a certain timeframe to complete your education or if you are working within a budget.

When conducting your research on chosen colleges you must be aware of what the average acceptance rate...the lower the percentage accepted, the more selective the school. When applying, understand your chances of getting in to highly selected schools. A well balanced list that contacts a well balanced list of highly selective and selective schools, given you meet a majority of the criteria, will most likely lead to a successful college application process.

One word...IMPORTANT. You should navigate through all components of both the undergrad and graduate admission material. Not only could you wind up attending there after high school but, you could also potentially want to remain at that chosen school for your graduate work. There is so much information available on each college website that it can be a little overwhelming...here are some MUSTS that you should view... 1. Admission Criteria 2. Financial Aid-Net Price Calculator 3. Housing Options 4. Majors and Minors offered and their required courses 5. Clubs, Sports, Greek Life 6. A link to the school newspaper

Selectivity is important to consider when determining if a school is a good match. It can be misleading however, since many schools are very self selective. Therefore, a school with a 10 percent admission rate is not necessarily better than a school with a 20 percent admission rate.