Find An Academic Program that Meets Your Needs
As you begin your college selection process, it is important to stay “student-centered.” Focus on what is most important to you as think about where and how you will spend your years in college. Students who are truly reflective in this manner as they enter the process are more likely to make decisions based on a set of core priorities that guide them in the discovery of colleges that fit them best.
The discussion of finding a good college “fit” is central to student-centered college planning. It’s a concept I explore at length in Winning the College Admission Game and The College Planning Workbook and one I will address over the next six weeks in this space.
In searching for a college, it is important to find an academic program that meets your needs. On the surface, this might seem self-evident. Amazingly, though, thousands of students chose colleges that don’t really have programs in their intended areas of study. Such choices turn out to be costly in terms of both time and money. Let’s take a closer look.
Many students enter the college search process with specific academic programs or career interests in mind. And why not? If you know what you want to study in college, it makes sense to target places that will accommodate your interests and support your strengths. For example, if you want to pursue chemical engineering, focus on schools that offer it. The same is true whether your interests lie in business, elementary education, or graphic design.
That said, be careful not to let emotional interests override your academic priorities. Embracing a college or university simply on the merit of its overall ranking or reputation, or because it has a great athletic program or is in a location you like, on the assumption you’ll be able to figure out the academic piece later, is not wise. When you do that, you become “destination-centered” and set yourself up for frustration down the line. Think about it. How often do you hear about students transferring because the colleges they have chosen don’t offer the programs they want to study? If you know what you want to pursue academically, put yourself in the best position possible to do so.
It isn’t always that easy, though, as many students are still searching for their passions and don’t feel drawn to particular career interests or academic directions. If this sounds like you, don’t worry. You are normal. It’s difficult to know at any age what you’ll do for the rest of your life, so relax. You’ve got a lot of time to figure it out.
And here’s the good news: hundreds of institutions across the country—liberal arts colleges as well as universities with robust general studies programs—are eager to embrace the undecided student. If you are not sure about your future directions, look for places that will allow, if not encourage, you to explore. Whatever you do, don’t succumb to the notion that there is something wrong with you if your future plans are not laid out in great detail. You’ll be fine—you just need to plan accordingly to give yourself options.
Whenever I present to groups of students and parents, I like to ask the parents: “How many of you are now doing in your careers what you knew you would do when you were 17 years old?” Rarely do more than 15% of the parents surveyed in audiences around the country indicate that was true for them. Despite their many achievements in life, most people in your parents’ generation have arrived at their current positions in life by pathways they couldn’t have imagined when they were your age. You, too, need to be flexible in finding and following your path. A good college fit is one that will encourage you in this direction.
It is important, then, that you go into the college selection process with your eyes wide open! Make your college years count by being true to your passions. Focus on places that will give you the best opportunity to achieve your academic goals.
And, if you need the opportunity to explore, be careful to add schools to your list that offer you academic flexibility. If you are undecided about your future academic direction, yet find yourself looking at an application for admission that requires you to declare a major as you apply for admission, you are looking at an institution that is not a good fit for you. Don’t abandon your academic needs in favor of factors that will have little or no impact on your learning experience.
Did You Know…
- You will probably change your major in college? Most college students do at least once.
- The majority of students entering college are “undeclared” with regard to a major?
- The odds are you will change jobs at least four times and change careers twice?
- Many colleges report that 80-90% of the people who graduated more than 25 years ago are now in careers that did not exist when they graduated?
For help in finding colleges and universities that “fit” well given your academic interests, check out the following websites:
www.petersons.com
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com
www.collegeview.com
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