AVOID THESE ASSUMPTIONS
V. Peter Pitts, M.A.
I hear the following statements everywhere: in coffee shops, on radio talk shows, in high school classrooms, at the Sunday family dinner, and at any other place where the subject of choosing a college comes up in the conversation.:
1. “We don’t have a lot of money, therefore small private colleges are out of the question.”
2. “My son/daughter is brilliant, therefore he/she really needs to go to an Ivy.”
3. “I am undecided about a major, therefore I need to go to the community college to get my ‘gen-eds’ out of the way.”
4 “My son wants to be an engineer, therefore he needs to go to the University of ________” (fill in the name of a popular university for engineering)
5 “I want to be a lawyer, therefore I need to major in political science.”
6 “My daughter has a C/C+ average, therefore she needs to go to a community college to get her grades up so she can get into a good college.”
7 “I go to a large high school, therefore I need to go to a college bigger than my high school.”
8 “I am not a religious person, therefore I need not look at colleges with any religious affiliation.”
9 “I am a very social person, therefore I need to attend a big university where there are a lot of people.”
10 “We make a lot of money, therefore colleges will not give us any financial aid.”
11 “I want Greek life, therefore I need to attend a big university.”
12 “I want to major in computer science, therefore liberal arts colleges are out of the question.”
And so on, and so on, and so on. So many assumptions that are not based on facts lead to these “therefores” that result in decisions, and these decisions quite often result in students ending up in colleges that just don’t fit their needs or their personality. The results also sometimes end up costing a family more money than they can afford. A “dream college” can turn into a “nightmare” in a heartbeat.
It will be clear from the following responses to the above list of “therefores”, that I am a champion of small colleges. I am not anti-big-university, nor am I anti-community-college. If an institution fits a student, then that is the place for them. I merely do not want parents and students to immediately exclude small private colleges from their college search purely based on assumptions and “therefores.”
*The majority of small mid-range private colleges give a lot of their own gift money (merit aid) to make college affordable for students. In many cases, at small colleges, parents will spend less than (or the same as) they would spend at a flagship public university.
*Collegiate elitism just makes me sad. Let me explain. I attended two colleges as an undergraduate and I have worked for several colleges during my 42-year college admission career. None of these colleges had a massive endowment. Most admitted 60-90% of their applicants (admitting C+ to A+ students). Most had 45%-55% 6-year graduation rates. Most admitted students right up until the first day of classes. All of them offered generous merit awards to admitted students to keep their costs low. And guess what? All of them had 90-99% job and graduate school placement within six months of graduation. All of them produced future doctors, lawyers, and CEO’s. All of them have a devoted and loyal alumni following. Lives were changed on a daily basis!
Some of my favorite recruits through the years were academic superstars (4.8/36 ACT types) who intentionally went to colleges where they would stand out (and believe me, faculty really pushed them!). It is good that, in American, there is diversity of collegiate institutions. Elitism just makes me sad. Please, folks, keep an open mind. There are a lot more A/B/C students out there than A/A+ students. All students deserve an opportunity to grow and achieve.
A brilliant student does not have to attend an Ivy (or any of the highly selective colleges). Many times, at small private colleges that are a bit less selective, the high-achieving student is given research, publishing, and presentation opportunities (even as a freshman) that build their resume and enable them to get into the same graduate programs as do the students from Ivy’s. In small classes, faculty at small colleges have students doing graduate-level work long before graduation. Being a “big fish in a small pond” makes for a lot of very happy and successful students who still have enough mental energy left to enjoy and do well in graduate school.
*Despite what companies who publish “rankings” have to say, there is no “best college for ______________ major.” There may be one that fits your needs better, but assuming that college XYZ is the place for engineering, or business, or any other major, makes your search too narrow.
*Law schools admit students from many different majors. So do medical schools and many other graduate programs. For example, one of my doctors was an English major and another was a History major. Assuming that you need to major in political science to become a lawyer is just wrong. I always tell pre-law students to major in whatever they would do with their life if they should decide to not be a lawyer. If they want to get into politics, then, sure, political science might be their choice.
*Small private colleges are great for the undecided student. Class sizes tend to be smaller, and advising is usually done by the student’s PhD professors. Students who are undecided can get great advice (consistently over a four-year period) from these PhD’s and other professionals. Many smaller colleges even require students to use their Career/Placement Center in their freshman and sophomore years. Also, general education classes are not something to be “gotten out of the way” (like pushing peas and carrots to the edge of your plate). They are the very foundation for your entire educational experience. In addition, going 2+2 (two years at a community college, then transferring to a four-year college) often causes confusion (being advised in one direction for two years and then in a different direction for the last two years).
*There are several small colleges that do a great job with the C/C+ student. Parental and student obsession with getting into a “good” college is so misguided. All colleges are “good” colleges if there is a good fit between the institution and the student. Most small private colleges have over 90% placement into employment and/or graduate colleges. Small classes at private colleges provide the individual attention needed to help the C student become an A/B student.
*Comparing the size of a high school to the size of a college is like comparing a bowling ball to a ping-pong ball. The very nature and structure of a college is so drastically different than that of a high school. Other than the fact that both have people, athletics, food, and classes, high schools and colleges are not at all alike. Students cannot really get to know more students at a big university than they can at a small college. I read somewhere that a human cannot really put name and face together for more than 1,500 people. Having 40,000 close friends is just impossible!
*Religious affiliations at small private colleges vary greatly. The spectrum is wide, from colleges that require chapel or signing a statement of faith, to those that only require a couple religion/philosophy classes, to those whose affiliation is mostly historical and have no required religious “anything.” Students need to ask questions about this, but they need not merely dismiss an entire class of colleges from their search.
*There are “social” students at all different size institutions. I have worked for seven different small colleges, and I can tell you I have never seen a more fun-loving and social group of students. In fact I have a theory, purely from observation, that friendship groups tend to be bigger (and much more diverse) at small colleges than at large universities.
*People who make more than $110,000 can find hundreds of colleges that automatically discount the cost for most if not all students upon admission, regardless of family income.The problem is, if the parent and/or student is status-conscious and wants highly ranked (popular) schools, then, yes, the discounting seldom occurs. The more highly ranked the college, the less merit aid there is awarded. Most elite colleges give only need-based gift aid.
*Greek life is vibrant at a lot of small private colleges. In fact, the most highly ranked programs (based on GPA, lack of hazing incidents, level of community service, and philanthropy) tend to be the smaller colleges.
*Math, Computer Science, Engineering, and other STEM areas are very strong programs at many small liberal arts colleges. Due to the generosity of their loyal alumni, the science facilities often rival (in quality) those at major universities. In fact, employers who are looking for STEM professionals who are great candidates for leadership roles recruit actively at small private colleges. These liberal arts STEM students have developed (in addition to their scientific skills) the soft skills and attributes that employers are looking for: communication (verbal and written), teamwork, creativity, tenacity, work ethic, interpersonal skills, time management, leadership, attention to detail, and other desired skills. The ability to talk to groups of people and provide well-written reports helps move liberal arts graduates to leadership positions quickly.
In summary: Parents and students need to consider and visit all different types of colleges and universities. This is not a one-size-fits-all world that we live in. My advice to parents is simple: Avoid assumptions. Avoid the “therefores.” Research carefully. Visit, visit, visit. Give small colleges a chance. Use your head and your heart, and don’t just follow the herd.
Comments