Great colleges you may not have considered - until now!
Heather Lampron Paula Macias-Gonzalez “Too often college choices are made based on false perceptions, misinformation, or a lack of information-and these uninformed choices have led to higher dropout, transfer, and failure rates in higher education”. www.CTCL.org Lampron & Macias-Gonzalez, 2013 A Few Myths About Colleges
• Colleges are either good or bad • Future employers and graduate schools give an edge to graduates from prestigious universities • Schools that cost more are higher quality • The tougher it is to get into a school, the higher the quality of education • A good college is hard to get into
Lampron & Macias-Gonzalez, 2013 Some College Selection Myths
• I’m a failure if I don't get in to ______• Some secret strategy can get me admitted to ______• Test scores are the most important thing when applying to college • Colleges always choose the "best" students • There is only one right college out there for me
Lampron & Macias -Gonzalez, 2013 OPTIONS, OPTIONS, OPTIONS! If the school fits.....
• Top colleges that rival the Ivy League
• Religious, minority, liberal arts focused
• Service Learning: colleges with a conscience
• Cool colleges for the unique personalities
• Colleges that change lives
• Cooperative Education
• Aviation, aeronautics, military academies
• Best colleges for B students
• Eco Schools
Lampron & Macias-Gonzalez, 2013 • Faculty - high level of full-time faculty, accessibility, opportunities to work with faculty, low faculty to undergraduate ratio, endowed chairs, diversity
• Outcomes - retention and graduation rate, successful graduation school admission, recruitment, employment
• Student body - selectivity, diversity, personality and culture
• Prestigious, rigorous, highly selective Let’s compare…
A State University An Ivy University
• 45,072 applied • 30,383 applied
• 40% accepted • 21% accepted
• 85% had job offers • 52% had job offers within 6 months after within 6 months after graduation graduation
Retrieved from Peterson's 440 Colleges for Top Students What are my odds of getting in?
For Ivy League schools and other top universities and colleges: • Acceptance rates are at an all-time low • Application rates are at an all-time high For example, for the class of 2017: • Harvard, 5.89%, 35,000 applicants • Cornell, 15% of 40,000 applicants • Princeton, 7% of 26000 applicants • Stanford, 5.69% of 38,000 applicants Are you saying I shouldn’t apply to a “name” university? Cast your net widely!
• Reach - Dream school (s), Early Decision?
• Match - Fit, academic record, test scores
• Safety - Be sure it is a school you would attend!
So.... Let’s expand your search!
And find the top school for you!! Top State Schools
Originally, eight public schools that rival the Ivy League were nicknamed the “Public Ivies”: • College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia) • Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) • University of California (campuses as of 1985) • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • University of Texas at Austin • University of Vermont (Burlington) • University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
Top State Schools - West
• University of Arizona (Tucson) • University of Colorado at Boulder • University of Washington (Seattle) Northeastern Top State Schools
• Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
• Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
• State University of New York at Binghamton (also known as Binghamton University)
• University of Connecticut (Storrs) Mid-Atlantic Top State Schools
• University of Delaware (Newark)
• University of Maryland (College Park)
• College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville) Great Lakes/MI Top State Schools
• Indiana University (Bloomington) • Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) • Michigan State University (East Lansing) • The Ohio State University (Columbus) • University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) • University of Iowa (Iowa City) • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) • University of Minnesota (Minneapolis–Saint Paul) • University of Wisconsin (Madison)
Southern Top State Schools
• University of Florida (Gainesville)
• University of Georgia (Athens)
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Texas at Austin What is a liberal arts college?
Highlighting Some Liberal Arts Schools
• Rigorous, excellent schools with unique and innovative approaches to education
• Classes taught by professors, not TA’s, opportunities for out-of-classroom learning opportunities, holistic admission policies, etc.
Examples of a few innovative and Exceptional Colleges
• Reed College, Portland, OR, Independent Study, rigorous academics
• St. Olaf, Northfield, MN, Global perspective, study abroad, Lutheran faith
• Bates College, Lewiston, ME, Ideas and principles
• Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, “Down-to-earth high achievers”
A few liberal arts colleges that rival the Ivy League - Northeast • Amherst College • Middlebury College • Barnard College • Mount Holyoke College • Bates College • Smith College • Boston College • Swarthmore College • Bowdoin College • Trinity College • Bryn Mawr College • Tufts University • Bucknell University • University of Rochester • Colby College • Vassar College • Colgate University • Wellesley College • Hamilton College • Wesleyan University • Haverford College • Williams College • Lafayette College • Lehigh University Some Top Liberal Arts Colleges - South
• Davidson College • Rice University • Duke University • Tulane University • Emory University • University of Richmond • Georgetown University • Vanderbilt University • Johns Hopkins University • Wake Forest University • Washington and Lee University
Some Top Colleges - Midwest
• Carleton College • Grinnell College • Kenyon College • Macalester College • Northwestern University • University of Chicago • University of Notre Dame • Oberlin College • Washington University in St. Louis
Some Top Colleges - West
• Reed College
• Stanford University
Highlighting a few unique colleges
• Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL, THINKOUTSIDE
• Haverford College, Haverford, PA, Honor Code, Independence, Curiosity, Confidence
• Beloit College, Beloit, WI, Long tradition of internship and research
• St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA, Committed to social justice, respect for all persons, and the power of education to transform lives A few additional Groupings of Excellence
• Black Ivy League • Jesuit Ivy • Little Three • Little Ivies • Seven Sisters • Southern Ivies • Military Academies The Eco League
A commitment to environmental learning
• Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK • Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH • College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME • Green Mountain College, Poultney, VT • Northland College, Ashland, WI • Prescott College, Prescott, AZ
Cooperative Learning
• Co-op - short for "cooperative education”
• Gain professional experience related to their major or career interest
• With employers across the United States and countries around the world
• Internship Video, Northeastern University
http://www.northeastern.edu/experiential- learning/cooperative- education/multimedia/awards2013.html Some schools with Cooperative Education and Internships
To list a few: • Miami Dade College • Clarkson University • RIT • Drexel University • Northeast University • Eastern Kentucky U. • University of Cincinnati • Johnson & Wales University • University of Mass-Lowell • Kettering University • University of Toledo • Lane Community College • Wentworth Institute • Long Island University • Merrimack College Colleges and universities committed to: • social responsibility • community and public service • civic engagement on their campuses • meaningful experience in college • Public mission of higher education • Educating citizens California Service Learning Schools
• Azusa Pacific University • Biola University • University of San Diego • Pepperdine • UC San Diego • Cal State San Marcos • San Diego State University • University of Redlands • and many more!
Service Learning Outside California
• Cornell University, New York • University of Nevada, Reno • Montana State University • University of Michigan • Northeastern University, Massachusetts • Tulane University, Louisiana • Spelman College, Georgia • University of Colorado • University of Miami, Florida Great Schools for B Students Regional Universities (West Region)
• Loyola Marymount U. • Seattle Pacific University • Gonzaga University • Point Loma Nazarene • Mills College • California Lutheran U. • Seattle University • Western Washington U. • University of Portland • Westminster College • St. Mary's College of California • LeTourneau University • University of Redlands • Regis University • University of Dallas • University of St. Thomas Western Undergraduate Exchange WUE
• Reduced tuition rate – discounted or resident tuition
• At participating colleges programs
• Reduced tuition rate is NOT automatically awarded
• Many institutions limit the number each year
• Soooooooo, apply early! WUE STATES • Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
• Visit the website for participating colleges
• http://wiche.edu/wue Some Fit Categories To Consider
• Type of school • Selectivity • Location, Setting, Size of student body • Diversity • Class size, access to professors • Opportunities for work study, research • Internships/ co-op learning • Majors, honors, double majors, design your own • Sports, activities, clubs, organizations
Some “unique” selection categories
Pranks
Rodeo programs
Secret societies
Wacky traditions
Haunted campuses Why is fit so important?
College applications are an investment:
• Cost
• Match
• Time Instead of “Can I get in?”
Let’s add:
• Do I want to go there?
• Why am I going to college?
• What do I hope to get out of this experience?
• Which colleges and universities can help me reach my goals? College Search Options
1. Naviance Family Connection 2. bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search 3. Colleges That Change Lives, ctcl.org 4. College and University websites 5. Some have virtual tours online, Ex. Eckerd 6. Books, Library 7. School Counseling Center 8. Tours 9. Alumni Type of School
• 2 year or 4 year
• Public or private
• Size
• Coed or single sex
• Religious affiliation Location
• Location
• Proximity to home
• Specific regions
• Setting
• Urban or rural
• Commuter or residential
• Guaranteed on campus housing Learning Environment 1. Majors 2. Double majors 3. Design your own 4. Learning Environments 5. Internships 6. Research and mentorship opportunities 7. Honors 8. Study abroad 9. Living learning communities Activities, Interests
• Sports • Men’s, women’s, intramural • Activities • Music • Drama • Film • Radio station student newspaper • Sorority, fraternity • Academic societies and clubs
Selectivity
• Varies in Reach, Match, and Safety selections
• Open admission (all or most admitted)
• Less selective (>75% admitted)
• Somewhat selective (50–75% admitted)
• Very selective (25–50% admitted)
• Most selective (<25% admitted) What should I look for during a tour?
• Attend informational sessions • Take an organized tour • Sit in a few classes if possible • Ask current students what they like about the school and what they’d change • Talk to professors in your area of interest • Talk to coaches, club and society leaders • Check out media, website, radio, newspaper • Explore the surrounding community What’s the REAL cost?
• COST Sticker Price
• Find Out Your Net Price of College – Every college and university has an online net price calculator • Consider the entire financial aid package
Online Resources
• Campus Compact and the Princeton Review, Educating Citizens, Building Communities, http://www.compact.org
• CollegeBoard.org
– College search. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search
– Campus visit guide https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/campus-visit-guide
– Campus Visit Checklist. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/campus-visit-guide/campus-visit-checklist
– College Ed College Planning Program. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/educator-resource-center/collegeed-college-planning-program
– You can go! http://youcango.collegeboard.org
• CollegeMapper.com. Map your education. http://www.collegemapper.com
• Colleges That Change Lives, http://www.ctcl.org
• Cooperative Education and Internship Association Search Directory, (Note: Search by city, state, name, or leave search fields blank to list all schools) http://www.ceiainc.org/directory.asp?PageID=261
• The Eco League, www.ecoleague.org
• Fastweb! Paying for school just got easier, Fastweb.com
• Scholarship.com. (2013). Non-academic college scholarships. Scholarships aren't just for "A students" anymore. http://www.scholarships.com/financial- aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/non-academic-college-scholarships-scholarships-arent-just-for-a-students-anymore/
• ScholarshipMonkey.com
• U. S. News & World Report. Compare 5 top scholarship engines. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2011/01/20/compare- 5-top-scholarship-search-engines
• U. S. News & World Report. (2013) . Best college rankings and lists. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings
• Work College Consortium, http://www.workcolleges.org Thank you!