What Should You Look For in a College?

“People, rather than programs are decisive” in giving a college education value. (HOW COLLEGE WORKS-Chambliss. Harvard, 2014.)

Hmmm. Interesting thought…after all that time, effort and anxiety spent throughout high school nervously searching for the right march of college setting. Is it strong in my prospective major? What about career focused internships? Retention rate? Graduation rate?

NY Times columnist Frank Bruni makes a similar point in his fascinating book on just this topic; WHERE YOU GO IS NOT WHO YOU’LL BE (Grand Central Publishing, 2015). At one point Bruni refers to Michael Lindsay’s 2014 study of 550 corporate CEOs, college Presidents, and elected leaders.

One finding?

The undergraduate colleges attended by these accomplished leaders was varied and showed no pattern.

No Ivy league tilt.  Nope.

Research done on the colleges themselves suggest a similar, related, point. Dan Chambliss, a professor at Hamilton College (NY) headed a ten year longitudinal study funded by the Mellon Foundation to answer this question:

What is the key to making an (expensive) college education work for you?

The conclusion of Chambliss’s research?

The most important single factor? The personal connections you make: with a professor, your advisor, and other students in your major. (see HOW COLLEGE WORKS-Chambliss. Harvard, 2014.)

What does this mean for your college search?

Be an educated consumer.

Do your research.

Visit campuses.

Talk to people: a neighbor who attended the college that has your interest; a counselor with expertise in the college search.

Ask tough questions.

Many readers have found my post on the PG and Gap year to be helpful:
The “Gap” year – an option in the college search process