Originally Published in Hindustan Times Education Supplement
I often repeat that there are thousands of
colleges to choose from across the world. And there is a ‘right’ place for
every student. Furthermore, there are multiple modes of discovering which
college is right for you. Thankfully the internet now offers incredibly helpful
information at our fingertips. But the rich and replete information offered
online also sometimes has the effect of flattening out the differences between various
colleges, especially for a student who has never visited a college campus.
Let’s take the example of my own alma
matter, UCSB and that of my partner, Wake Forest University. These two colleges
are located on opposites sides of the United States and they are very different
in size, history, culture, etc. If you were interested in both colleges and checked
on their websites, here is what you will find:
“Wake Forest blends the personal experience
of a liberal arts college with the resources of top research universities.”
“In the humanities and the arts, as well as
in engineering and the sciences, UC Santa Barbara introduces students to novel
ways of thinking, learning and conducting research.”
These two statements are so generic that
they practically have the same meaning – both colleges offer science and
research opportunities as well as an exposure to arts and humanities for every
student. This is essentially the American liberal ideal of education. And note
that neither of these institutions fall into the category of what is, these
days, called a Liberal Arts College. But
with this kind of information you might assume these colleges are similar and
apply to both. But this would be a mistake. It is hard to imagine a scenario
where these two colleges would be on the same list – they are so different.
How can a prospective applicant get beyond
the internet’s flat and sanitized presentation of different colleges and truly
understand unique distinctions? One major factor to keep in mind is geography.
In India the best colleges tend to be in and around major metro cities. But in
the US this is not always the case. Some of the best colleges are set away from
large urban environments on their own distinct campuses. Often when a student
hears about a college being in a smaller town, they immediately cross it off
their list because in their mind a small town means living in a village somewhere
without access to the usual comforts. But in the US this is never the case. If
you are at The University of Richmond, there is still a vibrant local community
and a medium-sized American city. Though it is not New York, LA or Chicago,
everything is available in Richmond.
At the same time large cities like NY, LA
or Chicago are all homes to some very small colleges. College size is another important
variable in college choice. Many of applicants say they want to attend a large
college, but they actually have no reference point for an organization as large
as, say, UCLA, with over 42,000 students enrolled. Even if applicants imagine
an institution that is five times larger than their high school they are still
only thinking of a small college size by American standards. Often students say
they want to attend a large college because of research opportunities, but lots
of small colleges also have undergraduate research opportunities which are very
hands on and involve working closely with faculty, rather than assisting
graduate students in research. Students who want forge personal relationships
with a lot of their classmates should look at a small college, those who can
navigate large systems, giant physical spaces, and anonymous evaluations, will do
well at a large college.
Whatever suits you, make sure that you are
comparing apples to apples. A college list, from dream to safety, should
include colleges of similar size and characteristics. Once a student
idenitifies what he/she wants from the college experience, chosing a consistent
list of colleges should be any easy task.
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