<p>On a different thread, Interesteddad suggests that answering this question is one key to selective college admissions. He then says: Research the schools. Find out what they have too much of...and what they need more of.</p>
<p>Some of this is obvious. A kid from New Jersey should look at schools in Ohio. A female should consider tech schools, and a male should look at the formerly all-female LAC.</p>
<p>If youve already found schools that interest you, I suppose the goal then is to tailor your application to emphasize your qualities/activities/interests that fit the colleges needs. (Notice, I did NOT say that you should tailor or change your interests to fit the colleges needs.)</p>
<p>My question: How does the student get this information? I guess Im looking for research pointers here. For experienced parents where specifically did you look for, and find, this information? Now, I do know that this changes every year, that there is no way to know that LAC#1 needed a French horn player this year and LAC#2 best debater graduates next year. But obviously some of this information is out there.</p>
<p>And since Im self-serving, Ill be specific. My daughter is a journalist, dancer and environmental/political activist whose academic interests are art history and environmental studies. What should she look for? Im NOT looking for college recommendations here, but given the colleges shes interested in, how should she research them with this in mind?</p>
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My daughter is a journalist, dancer and environmental/political activist whose academic interests are art history and environmental studies. What should she look for? Im NOT looking for college recommendations here, but given the colleges shes interested in, how should she research them with this in mind?
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<p>First I would look for colleges that offer the major and the extra curricular opportunities your D is interested in. Suppose she wants to do environmental studies, she should look for colleges that offer this possibility. Many will not have a specific program in environmental studies, so you and she should look for departmental offerings that would satisfy her learning requirements and see if the college is flexible about allowing students to construct their own major. Next investigate whether the college has a newspaper, newsletter and how good it is. Many a journalist has started out at the Harvard Crimson, for instance, but Harvard does not have a journalism major.
Finally, investigate the opportunities for dancing (I am assuming here that it is less important to your D than journalism). Do the same for Art History.</p>
<p>Given her very diverse interests, I would suggest she write her essays on different topics, but tie them in a sentence or two so that she appears well-rounded and multi-talented as opposed to scatty. And it is good to look for colleges that are not too specialized. She may change her range of interests once in college.</p>
<p>You did not ask for specific recommendations, but I would suggest you look into Wesleyan, Vassar, Bard to start with.</p>
<p>The first thing that one needs to do is to figure out what your D wants in a college. </p>
<p>The second thing is to figure out what colleges would meet her needs.</p>
<p>The third thing to figure out is what she has to offer those colleges.</p>
<p>If your D, for example, lives in the Sun Belt and has no desire to live in snow country, it won't matter that U of South Dakota or Notre Dame might love to have her: She'd hate being there. </p>
<p>Instead, sHe'd need to narrow her college field to the Sun Belt colleges that have what she's interested in. Then, she'd need to figure out the ones that she has a lot to offer to.</p>
<p>I just got back from CMU to attend DS graduation and spending 4 days there. I am amazed at the quality of students, his friends, the varied interests of the students, and the environs of CarnegieMellon/PITT, and Pittsburgh. This is truly an international school with an understanding of the relationships between disciplines (they call it the "da Vinci Effect"). In a few more years, I would guess that this school will be gold standard school, either at the undergrad, grad level, or satellite campus.</p>
<p>Sly_vt, If you able to get CMU's this year's commencement program listing the names and degrees of the graduating students, you will have a better understanding.</p>
<p>we are done and time to move on.
Good Luck.</p>
<p>I agree that looking at schools outside of your geographical area is a good idea, providing that your student is amenable to that idea (schools in MI and SC were very interested in my DS who is a CT Yankee).</p>
<p>Also, provided that the school has a decent department and activities in your student's area(s) of interest, consider schools that perhaps aren't as well-known in that field or have smaller departments. For example, I'm sure that U of Chicago is flooded with applicants who are interested in economics, but perhaps they'd be interested in hearing from a theater major. A LAC that has just built a new science facility would want to attract more "science-y" types.</p>
<p>Sly, as your daughter is looking at websites, have her do a search under "strategic plan." Quite frequently these plans (usually in five-year increments) spell out some of the things you are looking for, since they address the future vision/direction for the college.</p>
<p>Digging deep in a school's website sometimes yields some extremely valuable information re: likely areas in which the school wants to recruit students. I have found interesting bits of info. by searching for mentions of faculty members in departments of interest and programs and events sponsored by those departments as mentioned in the alumni magazine, news releases, internal news magazines, campus newspaper, etc.</p>
<p>Maybe I wasnt clear enough. Were far along enough in this process done enough college visits, etc. -- that my daughter has already narrowed down the schools she is interested in. We already know whether they have art history, newspapers, etc.</p>
<p>Given the existing college list, and knowing her strengths (which really arent that scattered; she dances for fun/exercise and I think the interests in environment, politics and journalism are connected) what is the next step in terms of figuring out which of those interests to "sell" to the colleges she is already interested in?</p>
<p>Looking under strategic plan is definitely one good idea. Any others?</p>
<p>Example: how do you figure out whether a school wants to boost its art history department, or that it is maxed out of environmental studies majors? (A different student might ask these same questions about the economics or religious studies programs.)</p>
<p>Im sure, for example, that Northwestern gets bombarded with students interested in journalism. (Just like Oberlin gets many applicants interested in music.) How do you learn that school X doesnt, and might want some?</p>
<p>Often your chances are better at a new department or discipline within a college, when they don't have a "name" yet and are seeking good students to fill the major. I know 5 years ago when Emory was either beginning or expanding its Jewish Studies major they were offering free rides. My D chose to go to elsewhere, however.</p>
<p>If your daughter wants to be in the midwest, Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Oh is an LAC noted for strong environmental/political activism. They do have a dance department, and they are big on letting you design your own major. Combine Journalism and Enviro Science, for ex.</p>
<p>Sly, I also found alumni publications, usually available online, to be valuable. Sure it's marketing, but the key is to see if you can identify a trend in WHAT they're marketing...the latest and greatest bragging point is often an indicator of the type of student they hope to ensnare.</p>
<p>In addition, I always read up on fundraising campaigns that might be ongoing...another good indicator of how a college is trying to put their money where their mouth is (and the students they will need to complete their mission).</p>
<p>When we got to the point where we had actual catalogues in hand, I immediately flipped to the section detailing endowed scholarships. Scholarships that have been around for 100+ years and open to "students of good character" don't tell you very much (although historically interesting), but recently-funded scholarships can give you an inkling of possible priorities for the school.</p>
<p>You are posing two questions. Which interests to sell? This is something to be done through the resume, recs, and essays.</p>
<p>Which colleges would be interested in your D? Other posters have good suggestions. As well, look at enrollment figures. If there are 600 econ majors, your D would not be a stand out if she were interested in econ. But if the Russian department had many tenured faculty and small enrolments, it would look kindly on a prospective Russian studies major (as calmom learned). And if the college is announcing a new fund raising campaign aimed at expanding its sciences offering, someone in environmental studies would be an attractive candidate.</p>
<p>I have a further question: Let's say D wants to major in environmental studies. Let's say College A has a great reputation and strong department in that field. College B doesn't have such a great department, but would like to make it stronger. So going by the maxim of finding out what the individual college needs, it makes sense that D targets College B. But suppose the department at B really isn't very good? Or is improving, but won't be good for five years?</p>
<p>The effect is that D attends a school where environmental studies isn't a big deal, whereas she might have been better off at College A!</p>
<p>Good question. I would think that a department ought to be good enough and yet still improving, expanding. For example, Yale is on a major campaign to strengthen its science offerings. But even before the campaign was launched, its science offerings were pretty impressive.
I'd avoid departments/programs that are too small and where there is no consortium. If you have a 3 person department, and one is on leave, one is on maternity leave and one breaks his leg, pfft... the department is gone for a significant time.</p>
<p>What happens to a single kid who has won best delegate awards in Model UN, won many debates, worked more than 25 hours per week in one of the oldest high school newspaper in the country, has taken science courses beyond AP BC calc and sciences and best student awards in school history department. Has done research in science in major labs and institution including MIT but also done research in policy analysis with Ivy League faculties. They have been trained by Ivy League music teachers yet they go out and do volunteer work and head political discussion on campus. They are involved in many activities on campus not for the sake of being busy but to find out what is their limits are. They are sleep deprived and still maintain toughest course load with top grades. </p>
<p>They have done outstanding job in many fields by winning prizes in and out of school and getting reorganization in various fields on regional, state or even national level. Their main aim in involvement is to know who they really are and what ticks them. In the process learn that they are more humanity kids than a math/science kid. </p>
<p>What colleges would do about kids who have achievements in and out of classroom and still play sports? How to tell colleges that they will vibrate the college community provided college offer them aid to get in.</p>
<p>Would colleges take a good look at them even though they need $$$$$$ in financail aid? And all this work by one single kid who likes to push himself and around them also to utilize what he got.</p>
<p>I hope colleges does look beyond $$$$$ needs</p>
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But if the Russian department had many tenured faculty and small enrolments, it would look kindly on a prospective Russian studies major (as calmom learned).
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<p>True enough, but some schools have decided to put more emphasis on pre-professional training, and a situation such as this could lead to downsizing the Russian studies department, or the equivalent, i.e., not filling vacancies as they come up, as not essential to the school's new mission. It's been proposed at our S's school for departments such as classics. So, as someone else recommended, look at the strategic plan statement on the website for clues to such possible changes.</p>
<p>You may be right that an applicant needs to sell oneself to the school, but it is sad if it is true. </p>
<p>Maybe I'm out of date, but I always thought it was our kids consuming the education, our kids that were the buyers and customers. Your first post makes it sound like the college is buying the student. Surely there is more to it? </p>
<p>I realize you're just looking for an edge at competitive schools, but the approach strikes me as sad, even if necessary - not a sadness brought on by you, the parent of an applicant, but a sadness brought on by colleges that seem to telegraph (OK dated term, IM maybe???) to the world signals of a game.</p>
<p>Choosing a college that is looking for special students to broaden diversity or develop programs sounds like a great idea. In practice that approach can often have serious limitations. Some LAC's are very interested in students with an interest in the sciences. Those interests can make admission and merit aid much more likely. The problem is that if the science program and facilities are weak that choice is not attractive. The student may be better off at a much lower ranked school with a good science program and a large number of students in the sciences. Most students will be attracted to schools with strong programs and they will be competing for admission with a large number of kids with similar backgrounds.</p>
<p>"You may be right that an applicant needs to sell oneself to the school, but it is sad if it is true."</p>
<p>I think it's always been a "marketing" process.</p>
<p>But that aside, my creating this thread came from reading comments by other longtime posters that this is an important way to approach the process.</p>
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True enough, but some schools have decided to put more emphasis on pre-professional training, and a situation such as this could lead to downsizing the Russian studies department, or the equivalent, i.e., not filling vacancies as they come up, as not essential to the school's new mission. It's been proposed at our S's school for departments such as classics. So, as someone else recommended, look at the strategic plan statement on the website for clues to such possible changes.
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<p>It really depends on the school. Classics is the best endowed department at Harvard; there's no fear it will disappear. AND I have heard there is a shortage of Latin teachers. Our high school was priding itself in being able to hire 2 teachers, apparently no mean feat.
At one point there were more faculty in the German department than there were graduate students. But they were TENURED faculty. The only legal way Harvard could have shut a department was to declare financial difficulties (huh?).</p>
<p>edad, why would a student be better off at a school with a larger science department? Wouldn't the student get better attention and more opportunities at a smaller LAC with a smaller department?</p>