June 29, 2008

5 Ways to Narrow Down Your List of Colleges

Thinking About CollegeGuest Blogger: Dr. Katherine Cohen, CEO of ApplyWise.com

So many colleges, so hard to find the best fit. Most students find that creating an expansive list of schools they’d like to go to is easier than winnowing down the list.

Here are some tips from Dr. Kat to help narrow your focus:

  1. Make sure the list is balanced.
  2. Verbalize or write down the pros and cons of each college.
  3. Get beyond the colleges’ names and get into their experiences.
  4. Consider the location of the college and the cost of traveling to and from home.
  5. Visiting colleges will often rule some out!

To read the entire article click here ==> 5 Ways to Narrow Down Your List of Colleges

Also worth reading: Choosing a College that’s Right for You


 

February 28, 2008

Have Our College Campuses Become Country Clubs?

This past weekend my family and I had the pleasure of driving from the Chicago area to Columbia Missouri, to visit the University of Missouri.  I must admit, college has certainly changed since I attended.

For one, the college experience now comes complete with:

  • Dorms that look like fancy hotel rooms
  • Spas and wade pools
  • Tanning salons
  • Food courts
  • And a host of other amenities

If I were a college student today, I would never leave school for the real world.  I think I might delay it for as long as possible. However, I came away very impressed with Mizzou. 

The campus was beautiful and everyone we met — faculty, administrator and student alike, were very pleasant.  Needless to say my kid is now even more in love with the school.

My kid wants to major in broadcast journalism.  Missouri is said to be one of the top schools in the country for this major.  The University of Missouri just happens to have its own NBC affiliate, how about that.

All-in-all, it was an enjoyable time and I must admit, deep down inside I kind of wish that I was back in school.

Share Your Experience

  • Have you gone on any college visits with your kid?
  • What was your impression of the visit?
  • After the visit did your child’s opinion of the school increase or did the visit cause them to re-think their decision?
  • Do you think that college has become a country club, thus giving our children a false idea of what the real world is like?