College Decisions: Choose Success Over Ranking

Echoing throughout the halls of most high schools is the message, “get into the best college you can.”  If you didn’t, landing a good job right out of college would be extremely difficult – if not impossible.  Near the end of my college experience, it finally became clear to me that this was not true; there are several criteria that I believe are important to consider when trying to find the university that will line you up for a successful early career.

Researching the School

Do you fit the school’s average academic performance?

Congratulations!  You made it into your “reach” school that seemed like a slim shot at best!  Before clicking the accept button, think carefully about this.  Although schools try to admit only students that they think will do well at their school, there will inevitably be a stratification in grades.  Letter grades at the college level are often assigned based on a curve, with the average grade around a B.  So, scoring below average at college can significantly hurt your GPA.

Top-performing companies today are expecting recent graduate applicants to have good grades, but almost as importantly, prior work experience.  This is typically completed through summer internships.  Well, good luck finding these internships if your GPA is lower than 3.0.  Many companies require a minimum GPA (I have seen some up to 3.5, but are often set at 3 or 2.5) for you to even apply for an internship.  Another way to stand out from other perspective new hires is to have experience as a Teaching Assistant on your resume… oh wait, that also requires good grades to secure a position.

Clearly, scoring below the average is a detrimental domino effect to landing an impressive job straight out of college.  So how do you determine if you are a good fit for a school?

With high schools using different GPA scales, some not reporting them altogether, and a wide range of education that is provided, it can be difficult to truly assess how you match the university’s average student performance.  This is where standardized testing can help to fill in the picture.  Compare your SAT or ACT score against the college quartiles to judge how you think you will fit in.

Some high schools also have excellent guidance departments that help with the college search.  They collect standardized testing scores and GPAs from their prior graduates as well as universities they were accepted into, rejected from, and currently attend.  If you visit your guidance department, they may be able to provide you with plots that show a particular college and where you fall compared to prior applicants.

Will you be burned out by graduation?

The sole purpose of college is to prepare you for the next step – whether that is starting a career or furthering education.  So, what’s the point if you graduate majorly sleep deprived and never want to look at a book ever again, even if you did get good grades? 

This somewhat ties into my point above, but looking at a college’s SAT quartiles won’t convey this message.  When I was searching for schools, I tried my best to talk to either current students or previous alumni to understand what the atmosphere was like.  Many colleges already help with this by conducting interviews.  These offer great opportunities to get an impression of the school’s vibe.  I had one interview for a college where I sat down with the alumni, and before he asked any questions about me, he spent five minutes describing how I would spend all four years engrossed in work, never seeing the outside of the library.  This was not quite was I was expecting from the interview but am very thankful I was told the truth.

Even if you don’t have an interview with the school, ask around your family and friends to see if anyone knows a current student or alumni that you could talk with and get their opinion of the school.  I did this myself in my search and had family friends call me with questions about my experiences while I was attending college; they will often give you both the good and the bad.  Just perusing the university’s marketing website will make it seem like it is the best college ever (if the marketing agency did their job).

Now, I am certainly not saying to avoid schools that require lots of work, but it is important to know what will be the best fit for you.  If you are a borderline workaholic and enjoy spending time learning as much as you can, then a rigorous education may be a great fit.  But if you are already groaning at the thought of spending late nights in the library, choosing a school that offers more of a balance may maintain your motivation for all four years.

Does the school have a large alumni network?

Competition is stiff for landing a corporate job right out college.  The reality is, most job requisition slots are filled by applicants who were referred by a current employee.  I will discuss networking more in a further post, but I found my school’s alumni network invaluable as I searched for jobs.  I reached out to countless recent graduates who were working in the field I was hoping to land in and conducted informational interviews with them, getting a sense of the company while practicing having a conversation about myself and my accomplishments.  Often times after following up with them thanking them for their time, they would offer to refer me in their respective company. 

Smaller schools lack this resource.  While it is not impossible to get a good job out of a small school, having the support of alumni makes it much easier.  Put some weight on this criterion when making your decision because getting a good job after college is the goal – one made much more attainable with a large network to connect with.

Will you be massively in debt?

It’s difficult to avoid discussing the financial side of college considering their tremendous costs.  All the tips I mentioned above are important, but it isn’t exactly ideal to hop of out a wonderful college experience into an esteemed career… and find yourself falling into an endless pit of debt.

Explore financial aid options and factor this in to your decision matrix.  Often times state schools have reasonable tuition rates if you live in-state. 

Well, hey – at least my opening message wasn’t to just accept the highest rated school you got into without considering alternatives.  That would be expensive.

Visiting the School

Will you enjoy living at the school?

Anytime someone rents or buys a house, they make sure to visit it in person since they will be living in it for the foreseeable future.  College will be your home for the next 4 years, so taking the time to visit in person is important.

Professional photographs of the campus that are on the website will make it look like a manicured resort.  It’d be mighty unfortunate if you get there and realize that those were taken twenty years ago before the paint started peeling and at an angle that doesn’t show the sketchy surrounding area.  Go get a tour and stroll around to get a sense if you like the area.  It is much easier to focus on your studies if you enjoy walking around the grounds; a campus that you hate or that feels unsafe even in broad daylight won’t help you in your studies.

Are they “your type of people”?

Colleges tend to attract similar personality types, so on your tour, try to imagine yourself as friends with the students you see.

One school I visited I thought was a very strong contender after looking at their website.  The campus, too, was nicely maintained.  However, as we were on our tour, we saw all of two students walking around.  The gym was empty.  When we got to the student union building that I was hoping to find bustling with activity (I am fairly social), it was dead quiet with students sitting with their laptops streaming TV or gaming.  I knew that this was definitely not a fit for me – I love to hang out with friends and spend at least an hour per day exercising.

The school that I did choose was alive with students walking around campus talking with each other and joggers running along the nearby river.  This fit my personality type much better and I made so many friends because I didn’t have to look far to find someone with similar interests.

A happy student is a good student – so find a school where you can make friends.

Conclusion

To sum this all up, I am not saying go with a low ranked school over a world class program – just make sure that the school will work for you and that it is within your limits.  There is much more to choosing a college than picking the one that ranks highest.