The campus visit is a crucial part of the college decision process. It is a time to ask questions, take a tour, sit in on classes, and obtain an overall perspective of the college's atmosphere. Visiting different colleges will give you a better understanding of which college is right for you. Since you may have various questions about the campus visit, the following should help you when you make each trip.
How should you prepare for the visit?
Before you visit a college campus, you should do a little research on the college. Look through brochures and view the college's website to find out basic information. This will give you more time on the tour to find out information that is not found in the printed material. You should also schedule a campus tour at least two weeks before you make the trip.
What should you bring along?
There are several items you should bring with you in order to make the campus visit a success. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes since you will actually be taking a tour of the campus. You will also want to bring a journal so you can write down any notes that will help you remember the college. Since you may be seeing a lot of campuses, this journal will come in handy if you forget any details about certain colleges. Pictures will also help you remember particular details about colleges so be sure to pack a camera. This will allow you to look back at pictures that can't be found on the college's website or in the brochures.
Who should you talk to?
Try to meet with various members of the campus community. You will definitely want to meet with an admissions officer to discuss the school's requirements, deadlines, and financial aid programs. If possible, try talking to some professors to get a feel of what they expect out of a student. All professors are different so try to talk to as many as you can; you may even want to sit in on some of their classes to obtain a good perspective. Don't be afraid to go up to current students and start a conversation. Find out what they think about the college as a whole. Ask if they are happy with the college choice that they made. Since students are not employed by the college, they will not give you biased answers.
What questions should you ask?
Now that you know who to talk to, you may be wondering what questions you should ask these people. You will want to ask a variety of questions so you will go home with enough information to help you make a decision on where you want to go. Use the following questions as a guideline, and if you think of anymore, be sure to ask.
Academic Aspects
• What academic factors are considered during the admissions process?
• What is the average class size?
• Are professors accessible outside of class?
• What is the typical way to get in touch with a professor? Email? Phone call?
• Do you usually get in all the classes that you need to register for?
• On average, do professors or graduate students teach freshmen level classes?
• Are there academic scholarships available through the school?
• Are there tutoring services available on campus?
• What are the college's most popular academic programs?
• What is the grading system like at this college?
• What is the attendance policy?
Financial Aspects
• What is the cost of attendance?
• If you have financial need, will you be able to get a financial aid package that meets all of your demonstrated need?
• What percentage of students receive financial aid?
• Are there work-study jobs available on campus? Off campus?
• If you don't qualify for work-study, what other jobs are available near campus that you could apply for?
Housing/Food Aspects
• Are you required to live on campus your first year?
• What percentage of students live on campus all four years? Are the dorms single sex or coed?
• Are there community baths in the dorms?
• What are the rules for students living in dorms?
• Do the dorms have laundry facilities?
• Do the dorms have computer labs?
• What types of meal plans are available?
• What hours may students access food services?
• How many restaurants/cafes are on campus?
Social Aspects
• How do students spend their free time?
• What are the most popular extra curricular activities?
• What do most students do on the weekends? Stay on campus? Go home?
• Are there sororities and fraternities on campus?
• How many students participate in Greek life?
• Are parties allowed on campus?
Community/Transportation Aspects
• Do you like the surrounding city or town?
• Is the city or town big enough for your taste? Does it have a variety of restaurants, museums, nightclubs, parks, and movie theatres?
• Is the city or town small enough for your taste? Is it rural and peaceful?
• Will you have to have a car to live on campus? Can you walk to most restaurants, nightclubs, etc.?
• What is the city's public transportation system like?
Athletic Aspects
• Is the college considered an athletic school?
• Are there athletic scholarships available?
• What sports are played at the school?
• Do athletes have to miss a lot of classes in order to participate in games?
• Do athletes have their own dorms?
Safety Aspects
• How safe is the campus? How often are crimes reported?
• How are safety issues addressed?
• Is the campus well lit?
• Are there emergency phones on campus?
• Is there a pick-up service for students walking at night?
• What if you can't visit?
There are always circumstances in which a student cannot visit a college campus in person. If you are unable to make a campus visit but are still interested in finding out about the college, you have several options. You can call the school's admissions office to ask any questions you may have. If they do not have an answer, they will direct you to someone who does. You can also talk to your high school guidance counselor. He/she may have information about the college that you are interested in. If your guidance counselor knows someone who goes to that college, he/she may be able to get you in touch with that student so the two of you can discuss what the college is like. Finally, if you can't visit a campus in person, you can always take a virtual tour of the school.
Showing posts with label housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label housing. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
How Some Colleges Deceive Students and Parents
As fall begins, two million students and their families start to make one of life’s most critical decisions: picking a college.
Alas some colleges, even some reputable ones, don’t make the process easy.
DECEPTION: BURIED INFORMATION. Some colleges hide such information as their full published cost of attendance or their four-year graduation rate. The unfortunate truth is that the median four-year graduation rate at four-year colleges is just around 40 percent. The rate at many colleges, including some well-known public universities is even under 10 percent!
SOLUTION: Every college’s 4- and 6-year graduation rate and other key information are at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator.
DECEPTION: OFFER MAJORS THAT APPEAR TO LEAD TO A COOL CAREER. For example, some colleges offer enticing majors such as journalism, but fail to mention
that students may only enter the major after their sophomore year and, even then, competition may prohibit some students from being admitted to the major. Or a college withholds the fact that most of that college’s graduates never earn enough from journalism to even pay back their student loans.
SOLUTION: Contact the college’s career center and ask, “If I am admitted to the college, am I admitted to the major?” Also ask, “What percentage of graduates in (Insert major) are professionally employed within six months of graduation?”
DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #1. For example, the University of California proclaims that half its classes have 20 or fewer students. The problem is that few students take those small classes, for example, Advanced Greek. The commonly taken classes typically have 100 to 500 students.
SOLUTION: Don’t sign on the dotted line until you’ve asked students or at least the admissions office, “How many students are in commonly taken classes such as calculus or 20th century literature?”
DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #2: Be wary of colleges that say things like, "Ninety eight percent of qualified pre-med students get into medical school." A college may well only “qualify” those students who are a sure bet for admission, with the vast majority of pre-meds being deemed “unqualified.”
SOLUTION: Ask the program’s department chair: “Of every 100 students who start out pre-med (or pre-law) what percent end up actually attending medical (or law) school?”
DECEPTION: THE GLOSSY BROCHURE: Beware of colleges that have fancy brochures or web pages touting their, say, pre-med program. A slick presentation does not a good department make.
SOLUTION: Sit in on an advanced class in that program. After class, ask the students how they liked the program.
DECEPTION: THE SCHOLARSHIP SCAM: A college gives you a scholarship. You say, "Wow, I'll go there; they want me." In actuality, most or all freshmen may have received the same scholarship. Many colleges reduce the sticker price of attendance for most students in hopes that students are lured to the college by the "honor" of receiving a scholarship.
SOLUTION: When you receive your financial aid packages, compare the cash dollars you’ll have to come up with and the amount of loan you’ll have to repay. Those are the only numbers that count.
DECEPTION: THE DRUG-DEALER APPROACH TO FINANCIAL AID. A college gives a student a big discount in the first year, but thereafter, knowing the student is hooked, raises the price. A college may even guarantee “the same amount of aid for four years,” but fail to mention that more of the aid will be loan not grant, or that the aid won’t be increased to reflect the inevitable cost increases during the four years. Not to mention what would happen in years five or six?
SOLUTION: Before agreeing to send your child to a college, ask the college's financial aid officer, “If our family’s financial situation stays the same, in years two through four, and if necessary year five, can we count on getting the same percentage of our unmet need met and in the same ratio of grant to loan?” Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: THE WAITLIST SCAM. A college deliberately admits too few students and puts many students on the waitlist. It's human nature to want what you don't yet have, so waitlisted students who are subsequently offered admission are more likely to accept a weak financial aid package. Colleges with insufficient on-campus housing use the same technique, offering admission to waitlisted students who would be willing to live in substandard housing.
SOLUTION: Don’t accept a too-low financial aid package. And before signing on the dotted line, ask what housing you will be guaranteed, and for how long. Get it in writing.
We tend to view colleges in awe, as beneficent nonprofit icons. Alas, too many of them act like businesses, sleazy or not... That’s called Academic Capitalism, and it is a subject for another day.
Alas some colleges, even some reputable ones, don’t make the process easy.
DECEPTION: BURIED INFORMATION. Some colleges hide such information as their full published cost of attendance or their four-year graduation rate. The unfortunate truth is that the median four-year graduation rate at four-year colleges is just around 40 percent. The rate at many colleges, including some well-known public universities is even under 10 percent!
SOLUTION: Every college’s 4- and 6-year graduation rate and other key information are at http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator.
DECEPTION: OFFER MAJORS THAT APPEAR TO LEAD TO A COOL CAREER. For example, some colleges offer enticing majors such as journalism, but fail to mention
that students may only enter the major after their sophomore year and, even then, competition may prohibit some students from being admitted to the major. Or a college withholds the fact that most of that college’s graduates never earn enough from journalism to even pay back their student loans.
SOLUTION: Contact the college’s career center and ask, “If I am admitted to the college, am I admitted to the major?” Also ask, “What percentage of graduates in (Insert major) are professionally employed within six months of graduation?”
DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #1. For example, the University of California proclaims that half its classes have 20 or fewer students. The problem is that few students take those small classes, for example, Advanced Greek. The commonly taken classes typically have 100 to 500 students.
SOLUTION: Don’t sign on the dotted line until you’ve asked students or at least the admissions office, “How many students are in commonly taken classes such as calculus or 20th century literature?”
DECEPTION: LIE WITH STATISTICS #2: Be wary of colleges that say things like, "Ninety eight percent of qualified pre-med students get into medical school." A college may well only “qualify” those students who are a sure bet for admission, with the vast majority of pre-meds being deemed “unqualified.”SOLUTION: Ask the program’s department chair: “Of every 100 students who start out pre-med (or pre-law) what percent end up actually attending medical (or law) school?”
DECEPTION: THE GLOSSY BROCHURE: Beware of colleges that have fancy brochures or web pages touting their, say, pre-med program. A slick presentation does not a good department make.
SOLUTION: Sit in on an advanced class in that program. After class, ask the students how they liked the program.
DECEPTION: THE SCHOLARSHIP SCAM: A college gives you a scholarship. You say, "Wow, I'll go there; they want me." In actuality, most or all freshmen may have received the same scholarship. Many colleges reduce the sticker price of attendance for most students in hopes that students are lured to the college by the "honor" of receiving a scholarship.
SOLUTION: When you receive your financial aid packages, compare the cash dollars you’ll have to come up with and the amount of loan you’ll have to repay. Those are the only numbers that count.
DECEPTION: THE DRUG-DEALER APPROACH TO FINANCIAL AID. A college gives a student a big discount in the first year, but thereafter, knowing the student is hooked, raises the price. A college may even guarantee “the same amount of aid for four years,” but fail to mention that more of the aid will be loan not grant, or that the aid won’t be increased to reflect the inevitable cost increases during the four years. Not to mention what would happen in years five or six?
SOLUTION: Before agreeing to send your child to a college, ask the college's financial aid officer, “If our family’s financial situation stays the same, in years two through four, and if necessary year five, can we count on getting the same percentage of our unmet need met and in the same ratio of grant to loan?” Get it in writing.
DECEPTION: THE WAITLIST SCAM. A college deliberately admits too few students and puts many students on the waitlist. It's human nature to want what you don't yet have, so waitlisted students who are subsequently offered admission are more likely to accept a weak financial aid package. Colleges with insufficient on-campus housing use the same technique, offering admission to waitlisted students who would be willing to live in substandard housing.
SOLUTION: Don’t accept a too-low financial aid package. And before signing on the dotted line, ask what housing you will be guaranteed, and for how long. Get it in writing.
We tend to view colleges in awe, as beneficent nonprofit icons. Alas, too many of them act like businesses, sleazy or not... That’s called Academic Capitalism, and it is a subject for another day.
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