Five Questions to Save You From an Awful College Choice
by: Dr.CasperPoodel |
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Lots of families spend more time shopping for an automobile than selecting a college.
Even fairly inexperienced car buyers have a pretty good idea what questions to ask to determine whether or not a particular car is a good choice for them. However, not nearly as many people are confident they know what to ask to learn what they need to know about an individual college or university.
Sadly, some students, and even many parents are so intimidated by the college selection process that they are too shy or too embarassed to ask questions at all. This unfortunate tendency is seen most often in parents who have not attended college or helped an older child navigate through the college selection maze.
You are expected to ask questions. You should ask questions. And you should not fear embarrassing yourself; that almost never occurs (and so what if it does?). The real danger is making a poor college choice because you fail to ask the right questions. That's a decision that carries serious consequences. So, here are five questions to get you started. You'll surely think of more.
1. What are the characteristics of the students for whom your college is a good choice?
2. Would you please describe the relationships between students and faculty? Between students?
3. How engaged are students in academics? In campus activities?
4. Do interested students have the opportunity to be involved in internships, cooperative education programs, overseas study, service to the community, and/or other special programs?
5. What percentage of your students leave campus on an average weekend?
My guess is that you have already thought of at least three more questions, some far better than mine. Write them down, and add others as they pop up in your mind (they will, I promise). Remember that having a good list of questions is one of the best insurance policies you can have against making a bad (or even awful) college choice.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to make a great college choice. It's simply a two step process; coming up with the right questions and asking them.
About the Author
Dr. Casper Poodel's higher education and online education websites were created to help students choose an online college and an online degree program to meet their individual educational and career needs.
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