Is fit overrated?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Ok, so hear me out. Now a days colleges are becoming more and more diverse, more clubs are being offered and you have a better chance of finding your "niche". Now I know not everyone will fit in great at every single school, but what are some reasons people transfer in and out from various schools? </p>

<p>I know that people may have problems with academics, or not being with their social peers. What are some repercussions of this? </p>

<p>I guess you will know going in if your school is dominated by greek life, especially if you read this forum, so I guess that would be reason to transfer if you don't like that. Isen't college social life almost the same everywhere, unless you go to a suit case school. </p>

<p>Ok, so I'm really not sure what I'm asking for and I don't really know what to expect from you guys, lol. I guess I'm just wondering about my own college list.</p>

<p>I'd personally kind of like to get away from home(Ohio) and kind of go far away. I've got top schools on my list like Cornell, Notre Dame and Columbia. The Naval Academy(polar opposite to all other colleges on my list, lol) , state schools like Alabama, South Carolina, CofC, UGA. Other good privates like USC, Miami, Tulane, maybe Vandy. So I'm kind of all over the wall as far as college goes. </p>

<p>Do you just sense "fit" when you walk onto a campus? I'm more worried about social fit, which I'm wondering is something to be less worried about because of reasons I stated above with more diversity, clubs, etc...</p>

<p>So, is fit overrated?</p>

2

<p>Absolutely. I periodically draw ire on CC by downplaying "fit," but when HS students are looking for a fit, they're usually looking to barricade themselves among people who are just like themselves and who will validate all the biases and viewpoints that the new students bring with them. Now if you're really interested in international issue and are interested in Macalester or Georgetown because of their unusual resources or international focus, then great. By when most prospective students assess "fit," they mean one of the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>my tour guide was hot</li>
<li>I do or don't like the prevalent style of architecture</li>
<li>I do or don't feel at home among guys who wear pastel polo shirts and pop their collars</li>
<li>I think (for the time being) that I'm very politically conservative or liberal, and I don't feel like having my positions challenged by others.</li>
</ul>

<p>I think you're best suited to surround yourself with the best and most dynamic peers you can get, and seek out ways to bloom where you're planted.</p>

3

<p>To an extent, I agree with gadad. It's completely reasonable to apply to a plethora of large schools and no small schools, or vice versa, if you've given serious thought to why it is that such an environment would be beneficial to you. But once you've got it down to size, urban versus suburban versus rural, geographic location, academic areas of serious interest, and social life (big things like prevalence of Greek life), you're probably going to be happy at a number of the schools on your list. A kid at Williams could be perfectly happy at Amherst and Dartmouth.</p>

<p>I do, however, question gadad's theory that students should seek out the "best and most dynamic peers" possible. How, precisely, do you define "best"?</p>

4

<p>No. What you state is accurate, particularly at larger schools. But every school does have its own predominant culture, and unless you are a contrarian who likes to be different and accepts a challenge, then it would benefit you to think real hard before plunging into waters that may be chillier than you first imagined.</p>

<p>Also, "fit" is more than just social culture. Its also academic, geographic and financial. What fit means is basically this: is this a school where you can excel and feel comfortable or is it a school where you will struggle academically and/or socially and be stressed about money? </p>

<p>Its a highly subjective response, depending on your personal objectives and situation.</p>

<p>With respect to gadad's commentary, I share his cynicism about what kids are looking for in colleges. Personally, I would not want to attend a cookie cutter school or a school that lacks diversity of race, creed, national origin or financial resources. But such schools are out there. Many have done an excellent job of breaking down those myopic viewpoints and student body makeup. That being the case, it would still benefit people to examine a campus closely to see if it is where they will excel and feel comfortable. No sense being miserable, overly stressed, or financially wiped out in college. In my opinion, students should stretch themselves within reason academically and socially as it helps them to grow personally. Which is why I am a strong proponent of schools which have a very diverse student body geographically and try to break down the "its just like my high school" routine.</p>

5

<p>I think that fit is more important for some people than it is for others. Some folks are going to be very happy at a wide variety of schools. They are folks who have a few general criteria they are looking for and there are lots of schools that have those things. I think in your case, you will be fine. </p>

<p>However, other folks have much more specific criteria they are looking for. Some schools have very specific personalities and people who don't fit that personality are not going to be very happy there. I think the distinctions are much broader than what gadad outlines. I do agree that some people need to stretch themselves outside of their comfort zone, but fit is still important to many students.</p>

6

<p>Remember that you are not just choosing a school. Unless you are a commuting student, you are also choosing a home for 4 years. Why do people select certain neighborhoods, suburbs, cities to live in? Everyone has a choice of places to live within commuting distance of his or her jobs, yet an environment that may feel like "home" for your co-worker might not feel that way to you.</p>

<p>When you look for an apartment or house, do you go see it? Do you picture yourself in it? Or do you just say, "Well, they've all got 2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths (or whatever your criteria are), a kitchen, some closets. So what difference does it make?"</p>

<p>It's the same with a college. Each has its own "feel." A college that looks good on paper might not "feel" right. You need to feel at home to get the most out of the college you attend, regardless of its prestige or anything else.</p>

7

<p>"I think that fit is more important for some people than it is for others."</p>

<p>Yes. It's also more important at some schools than others. If you're considering a small, self-contained LAC in a rural area, you better be darn sure that you'll be happy there before you enroll.</p>

8

<p>I like the part about attending a school because you think the tour guide is hot.</p>

9

<p>It's not safe to assume that anyone could fit in socially even at a larger school. Even many larger schools have a predominant culture. This may be true even at public universities. (If 85%+ of a university's students are from state X, the university's culture is likely going to mirror the overall culture of state X.) Also, even at a large school, a prevalent and exclusive Greek system can limit the social life of students who aren't part of it.</p>

<p>That said, I agree that some "fit" factors are heavily overblown. For example, factors like architecture and weather are lifestyle issues at most. It's implausible that a student will succeed or fail based on how they like the campus architecture or how cold winters get.</p>

<p>Sometimes, a cheaper alternative exists which is as strong academically but is weaker in lifestyle factors. Would you borrow an extra $10,000 per year for the university with the better lifestyle? And if not, is it OK to ask your parents to give you that much money? I'm not telling anyone how to live their life, but it's worth thinking about.</p>

10

<p>I think fit can mean anything you want it to mean. And it holds whatever importance you place on it. It's not for anyone else to say.</p>

<p>If you hate keggers, frats, and drunken tailgate parties, certain schools might not be a good fit for you. We all know a few of those.</p>

<p>If you're an atheist, a Christian school might not be a good fit for you.</p>

<p>If you're into the arts and philosophy, then engineering schools might not be a good fit for you.</p>

<p>I don't think fit is overrated at all. I think it's what you're looking for in a school.</p>

11

<p>Fit is everything. Imagine you are a square block that belong to the "baby block set." Now imagine that you choose a school that may not fit you, it might be the circle shape on the insert grid. The more you push to feel like the social scene, academic scene, and activity scene fit, the more you might realize things just don't fit, so you try a school that you think does, and then the square will go through. If you pick a school based on prestige or other factors you might feel lost or let down.</p>

12

<p>Fit is really important for me. There are a lot of factors, for me, but everyone has different factors and some people do not really care. For me, these are my fit questions:</p>

<p>What is the surrounding area like? Am I going to need a car? I want a city, preferably someplace where everything is public transportation (especially metro) or walking accessible. I don't have a car or a license, so this is a must.</p>

<p>What is the atmosphere of the school? This is really important to me. I need a mix of academics and seriousness. Some of the Ivies (especially Cornell) feel too serious for me - too much studying. Other colleges, like College Park, feel like they aren't serious enough.</p>

<p>I could go on. My point is that I don't think fit is overrated. Yeah, I want to go to school that has name recognition and a school where I'm going to have great internship and career placement opportunities. I think that so many kids are too obsessed with name-based schools. So many kids will be crushed if they don't get into HYP or similar top ten schools, but I wonder if the kids will even be happy there.</p>

13

<p>I don't think fit is over-rated so much as it is often too narrowly defined. I believe, except for a minority of kids with very special needs of one sort or another, that most kids are smart and flexible enough that they can "fit" very nicely at a wide variety of colleges - big, small, private, public, urban, suburban, etc.</p>

<p>Instead of trying to find the best fit, applicants should be cautious to avoid a bad fit.</p>

14

<p>Fit is super important in my opinion. </p>

<p>I have to feel comfortable wherever I am...And by that I mean I have to enjoy the atmosphere, get along with the people that I meet, feel that I won't be unfit for the academics and whatnot.</p>

15

<p>At a big enough school there will likely be people you can hang out with no matter who you are. At LACs I'd say fit is important, since the population's so small.</p>

16

<p>I know what you mean. My schools vary a lot in size, type, and general academic atmosphere... but it's like, there's something I love about each of them that none of the others has, ya know? </p>

<p>Maybe people like us don't have a specific mold that would be a "fit," but we have "anti-fit"; i.e., there are places where we couldn't imagine ourselves. For me, these are the schools that I didn't look twice at. Maybe if I'd looked harder, though, I would have found something...?</p>

17

<p>'Fit' isn't what happens when you arrive. It is about how the school figures out how you bring value to the school and insists on making you a part of that. Many schools leave a lot of you on the table. The best schools reveal things about yourself that you didn't know were valuable. Check the graduation rates. The best schools are around 95%. The students are voting with their feet that those schools can find the value in almost anyone. I always thought my old school, the University of Oklahoma, was an OK school and was shocked to find that so many students hated it. I did some research and found that the school was actually underrated by US New when it comes to the quality of the programs. What is true is that the social currents that flow through many outstanding schools, especially in the east were entirely missing. They say Princeton is in a bubble, but that entirely misses the point. Princeton is a place where the students have been striving since they could walk. At Princeton, they 'pull their legs underneath themselves' to spring into action in the world when they leave. In many schools you can study a subject as if no one actually made what you are studying happen. The art is just art, the history is just interesting. There is no striving for a better idea over a worse one. The worse kind of compromise you can experience in choosing a college is one that you never even knew you are making.</p>

18

<p>Of course fit is important, but IMO, most well adjusted kids will find they are a good fit at many schools. It's he idea of there's just one of anything for a person that is silly to me.</p>

19

<p>When I thought about applying to colleges, I put meeting people like myself at the top of the list because I had spent 18 years feeling like something of an outsider in two different communities and feared that my years after college were going to be more of the same. I found three schools which I felt would have "fit" me and applied to one of them.</p>

<p>Now, I chide myself for my lack of confidence way back when and imagine I could have been happy at all different sorts of schools. I look at my ability to make friends wherever I go and my ability to find things that make me happy, and I imagine I could have used these to adapt to almost any college environment.</p>

<p>But did I change my point of view because I had the opportunity to meet people like myself?</p>

20

<p>When discussing college "fit", I think it is important to remember that in almost all cases, colleges and universities offer a far bigger world than high school. (Exceptions include explicitly religious schools or some very small liberal arts colleges.) There will be more opportunities to try new activities and discover new intellectual interests than most high school students can even imagine. Assuming normal social skills, maturity, enthusiasm for new experiences and drive, most students should be able to create a world that works well for them in a wide variety of schools.</p>

<p>I don't think that means there are not some types of schools that work better than others. Students interested in wildlife conservation and large animal veterinary medicine probably do not want to go out of their way to attend an urban university, and in fact might benefit by finding specific schools that offer such programs and internship opportunities in those fields. </p>

<p>In general, though, I agree with gadad that the concept of 'fit' has been exaggerated. I have recommended to my kids that they carefully investigate academic issues, internship and research opportunities and the cost of the undergraduate program with reference to post-graduate plans. Those, in my opinion, are important aspects of 'fit', but most of the social aspects that concern high school students and some of their nervous parents are not nearly as important and should not be a huge factor in the college search or choice.</p>

<p>The OP mentioned that clubs/service organizations/volunteer opportunities, etc. are quite plentiful on most campuses now. That is true, and one can only join a limited number of them. As long as the right ones are available, one can fit in from the start. If the right ones are not available, one can get a group together and start one, and then one still fits in right from the start.</p>