What do people think they are paying for, or is worth paying for, at colleges?
Academic content being taught and assessed.
- Offering education in a broad range of subjects, particularly those in the liberal arts (non-preprofessional coursework)
- An effective education, meaning that there is demonstrable growth in the subject and core liberal arts skills (reading, analyzing, writing, etc) from the beginning of each semester to the end of each semester and thus, significant growth from a first-year to a graduating senior
- Offering one or more majors in fields that my kid would like to major in
Academic experience (i.e. in terms of class sizes, contact with instructors, etc.).
- Small class sizes (less than 20) taught by professors with very few, if any, classes with more than 50 students
- Classes where discussion and/or experiential learning predominate
- Contact with professors outside of office hours is encouraged and normal
- Most full-time faculty are on the tenure-track and part-time faculty members are professionals working in the subject
- A study abroad experience of at least one-semester, and preferably one year, where all classes transfer back for full credit with minimal hassle
- ETA: A satisfactory graduation rate
Credentialing and pre-professional preparation (including the effect of prestige, status, ranking, etc., or specific credentials needed for teaching, nursing, engineering, etc., or the BA/BS degree that is commonly required by employers “just because we can”).
- Internships or research positions that relate to my kid’s interests
- Strong networking and/or support to get outside internships or full-time employment, including resume & interview prep
- If a professional major is sought (architecture, engineering, education, etc) then the program is accredited by the appropriate organization
- If there is a test required for professional certification/graduate school entrance, that students do well on it (particularly in comparison to the student’s standardized test scores from high school)
- The reputation of the school is one that is respected or at least does no harm to any of its alumni
Non-academic aspects of the experience (i.e. residential versus commuter college experience).
- A residential campus where most students reside AND do not go home frequently
- A collegial, collaborative environment (as compared to a competitive & cutthroat one)
- A campus that has numerous extracurriculars, from sports, arts, etc, including several that interest my kid. There should be non-competitive/exclusive opportunities to participate in extracurriculars as well (i.e. no competing to get into popular clubs)
- A campus where there is no or minimal Animal House-style Greek system.
- A campus where open, respectful dialogue is encouraged
- A campus where there is a broad range of diversity (racial, national, sexual, political, religious, geographic, etc)
- A location that is within a designated geographic area and/or has strong connections to an area
- ETA: A satisfactory student retention rate