Setting up a college info worksheet - what to include?

[AuntieM]

I am about to set up a worksheet to gather information about colleges ds wants to consider. I will include space for the following things -

 

cost/financial info

# degrees granted in his desired major

dorm situations

 

I have a few other things in mind, but would appreciate your help in thinking of the most important points. What other things should I put on the list?

 

I am hoping that making a common worksheet for each will help us make comparisons more easily. Anyone already done this so I don't have to reinvent the wheel? :bigear:

[Jane in NC]

It is interesting to see how people begin their college search. For my son, it was all about his intended major, archaeology. Given that an undergraduate degree in archaeology is not all that common, his search also led to schools with archaeology as a concentration within the anthropology major. We learned that not all anthropology departments are equivalent: many are more oriented to sociology.

 

So...that is my long-winded preface to the suggestion that if your student is fairly confident that he or she wants to study a particular subject, take a close look at the department. For example, School A may have a renowned history department, but if their strength is Latin American history when your student wants to study Russian history, you may want to scratch the school.

 

Of course, most students do not begin with such a specific intention. It seems that most students ask themselves the simple questions of large or small? Urban, suburban or rural? LAC or state university? My niece who attended James Madison College at Michigan State University seemed to strike a balance between the LAC and state university experience. It seems that a number of state universities have similar programs, either for intended majors or honors students.

 

Personally, I would not put cost as the number one priority when opening the college discussion. Seeing that an LAC has tuition/fees/room and board of $40K to $50K annually does not reveal the complete picture since many students at private schools receive financial aid of some form.

 

IPEDS, the government statistics site, has been most helpful to me. Nothing glitzy there. Just the facts, ma'am.

 

There are things which may enter your list after your student visits campuses. "Town and gown" is important to us--is the college integrated into the community or an ivory tower? Websites and statistics alone do not reveal this.

 

And ask questions here! I have found insight from like-minded posters to be very helpful.

 

Jane

 

P.S. What do you mean by "dorm situations"?

Edited December 4, 2009 by Jane in NC
Forgot an important "not" on the cost issue

[JFSinIL]

Are the classes taught by professors or grad. students? Is there a four-year grad. guarantee if the student takes a full load? Are classes that look interesting in the course catalog even offered each year? Textbook rental?

Commuter or residential campus? Weather (is a Florida kid applying to Minnesota, for example - may be in for a shock!) How is the dorm food (that was a deal-breaker for ds at one school!!! AWFUL!!!) Are merit scholarships available...and are they enough to make the school affordable??? What are the average ACT/SAT/class rankings (this is on College Board site) and is your kid near the top (and thus more likely to get merit money) or in the middle? IS the campus near a city/life...or secluded in the middle of nowhere? How big a presence is Greek life on campus...and are there Greek houses, or have the Greeks been told they have to live in the dorms (we found this at a few places - a good thing.) Is ROTC available if you want it?

 

Just a few of the oddments this year's college search with ds bring to mind. Note he did, in fact still does not, have a definite major in mind, so I have shown him colleges that have decent departments in history and now biology. He applied to 11 - a few state school (out-of-state), a handful of 2,000-2,500 size private where he is in the top 10 - 25% according to college board site, and one Big Ten school and one long-shot private school. So far he has been accepted at five places and gotten big merit awards for four (#5 doesn't give until March.)

Edited December 4, 2009 by JFSinIL

[Nan in Mass]

Do you have to take an airplane to get there? Male/female ratio? How many freshman return for their second year? How many graduate in four years? Five years? Don't? How many stay on campus for the weekend? How many are from out of state? How many international students? What are the library hours? Too big or too small (both bad for us)? City campus (not ok)? More than one interesting major in case you switch? Too big an adjustment culture or environment-wise (too hot, too flat, or too conservative not likely to work)? Those are the questions we considered (not necessarily in that order, though).

 

Don't underestimate the difficulties of moving to an unfamiliar part of the country. I tried moving south and found it unworkable, for me. My sister's roommate moved north from someplace hot and couldn't walk the first icy month. As soon as she stopped thinking about walking, she'd stride out and land on her back. My sister remembers her sitting on the sidewalk sobbing that one day when she was extra tired. She just wanted to be warm and to be able walk normally. She did adjust and come to like the north, but it is somehting worth thinking about unless you feel adventurous.

-Nan

[Susie-Knits]

the standard dorm, food, major, TA/prof were...

1. Are scholarship $s given in Freshman year good for all years? Some times there is a number of semesters limit. And would the $s be usuable for study abroad? What is the criteria for keeping the scholarship .. gpa?
   
2. What is the return rate (retention) of students from freshman year? We felt that was an indication of a "happy" student body.
   
3. What is the average number of years before graduation? I was surprised at the number of schools where very few students graduate in 4 years. Cost of 5th or even 6th year may even out a lower cost school with expensive school with 4 year guarantee.
   
4. Number of out of state students ... are students there on the weekend or will the dorms pretty much empty out. This point is important if you are an out of state student and not coming home on the weekends.
   
5. What is the general vibe of the student body (and profs)? Are they hanging out together studying, talking, interacting? Does your student see himself/herself there amongst them?
   
6. For us, was there a church of our denomination that was easily assessable to my student? On campus? Within walking? ...
   
7. Administration - easy to work with, friendly, interested in your student?
   

Best wishes on your student's search.

The year passes so quickly (sigh).

Susie

Edited December 4, 2009 by Susie-Knits

[AuntieM]

Oh, such great input, thanks to all and keep 'em coming!

 

I think I will start a master list, then rank the questions based on our own priorities. I will also then do a separate info page for the financial info. In other words, we can create a "wish list" and then "shop." It is encouraging to hear that so many more selective schools can actually be more affordable under the right circumstances.

 

As far as "dorm situation," the other current threads have brought to our attention such things as gender-neutral room assignments... that's just a question I don't want to go unasked!

 

Thanks again, this is most helpful!

[Jane in NC]

I will add that the government site, IPEDS College Navigator, can often clue one into information by reading between the lines. Statistics here include not only how many under graduate students graduate with specific majors, but how many master's/PhD students graduate with that major. This may not tell you if your student will be taught by a prof or a grad student, but it may help you surmise...

 

Further, IPEDS reveals graduation rates, the percentage of students receiving aid (which is quite surprising when you start comparing $50K schools), admission rates, SAT/ACT scores for the 25th - 75th percentiles, etc.

 

One thing to keep in mind regarding graduation rates: schools like Drexel that promote co-ops have a low four year graduation rate, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Drexel students graduate with experience--and often with job offers. Perhaps that this is a warning to look beyond all basic statistics.

[Gwen in VA]

**Library hours! This sounds weird, but some college libraries do shut ridiculously early. Library hours give a window into the emphasis the college places on academics. (After visiting a bunch of schools, my kids decided that they would NOT attend any school where the library shut before midnight, 2 a.m. was better, and open all night was ideal.)

 

No, they've never been in the library in the wee hours, but both kids have nearly ended up there after midnight to do a bit of last-minute research or to study when the roommate is trying to sleep.

 

** Does the college provide much funding to support summer research and/or internships? Since in many fields getting the "right" internships are necessary to get to a prestigious job or grad school and many internships don't pay, having a source of possible funding is a huge benefit. (And the corollary to this question is what percentage of students who apply for these funds receive them?)

[TravelingChris]

My second two children have medical issues. The one who is next has severe migraines, and several other issues. These affect which college she will go to since we are increasingly aware that she has to have a single room. She will likely fail if she can't manage her migraines effectively. I know how bad it can get since I was hospitalized with my migraines in college, they became so severe.

 

Other issues we feel important are how easy will it be for her to travel ( not necessarily to where we live now since we will probably be moving in the summer before her enrollment but wherever). Also for us a definite plus is flexibility with exam times, strong honor code, choral group or groups, and climate (she doesn't like the cold).

[Nan in Mass]

A tiny detail that we looked at (wouldn't make or break a deal, but certainly had to do with comfort) was whether final exams were before or after Christmas break. Do you have to be studying through Christmas or at least feeling guilty if you aren't?

[Kareni]

If you're looking at a campus far from home, another consideration is the frequency and duration of breaks. (My daughter's college has a week long fall break, a four day Thanksgiving break, a month long winter holiday break, and a week long spring break.) Are the dorms open during these times? Will your child have somewhere to go if the cost of traveling home is prohibitive?

 

Also, consider what housing is available and whether it is guaranteed throughout the four years (only, one hopes!) that your student will be attending. Some colleges only guarantee housing for freshmen.

 

Regards,

Kareni