STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

Expectations. Everyone has them. In fact, they are such a part of our daily lives that we rarely stop to think about how our expectations influence the choices we make. When we expect certain outcomes, we tend to think and act accordingly as though those outcomes are certain to become reality. They are our manifest destiny.

Consider, for example, a college education. For many, going to college is a long held expectation. If not an end in itself, it is regarded by many as a means to a greater end. The choice of a college, then, is regarded as critical to leveraging desired outcomes and quite often holds greater significance than the fact of college attendance itself.

Across the spectrum of credentials presented by more than two million graduating high school seniors each year reasonable expectations with regard to admission outcomes should enable them to gain entrance to appropriately “fitting” institutions.

The key word in this assessment is “reasonable.” It’s not surprising that many students and parents have high expectations with regard to college outcomes. However, at a time when extraordinary competitiveness and economic uncertainty frame college access, outcomes don’t always match the expectations. Having the requisite credential to compete for admission—being “qualified”—at selective colleges is not enough to secure admission for many students who will find themselves in competition with thousands of other applicants who share their ambitions—and their credentials.

Finding happy—and appropriate—outcomes, then, is a function of managing expectations. Having the “goods” academically is no longer a guarantee of admission at selective institutions that are bound by increasingly complex admission agendas—agendas that cater to special interest groups and students with unique talents as well as agendas related to yield (who will show up if admitted?) and ability to pay.

The implications of these agendas are especially impactful for students who may require financial assistance. While colleges are awarding tens of millions of dollars in financial assistance, they are directing it strategically at students whom they value most.

If you are a student, then, you need to be thoughtful and deliberate in your decision-making so you can put yourself on “competitive playing fields” that make sense for you when applying for admission. For example, focus on schools where your chances of getting in are least 50-50 rather than applying to high profile places where you think you might have a chance of gaining admission. If cost is a factor, focus on places where your credentials are likely to put you among the top 25% applicants—places where you will be valued for your potential contributions. Those schools are more likely to admit you and give you what you need financially.

That said, I would urge caution with regard to three tendencies I have observed among applicants. One, they often succumb to the notion that the more applications they submit to “reach” schools the better the chances of getting in—and getting financial assistance. Before you buy in to this notion, think logically about what is likely to happen. If you are a good but not superior candidate for schools that admit 20% of their applicants—or fewer—applying to more of them doesn’t increase your odds of getting in.

On the other hand, managing expectations—applying to 4-5 colleges where you are in the top of the applicant pool—means you are likely to see very compelling opportunities financially.

The second worrisome tendency is that many students will target elite institutions with the understanding that, if things don’t work out, they’ll go to local state universities. What this suggests is that the decision-making is destination-oriented rather than student-centered—it’s not about what’s best for you.

Focus instead on your academic priorities and apply accordingly. When you do this, you should see consistency in the types (size, shape, selectivity) of institutions you are considering. In this case, managing expectations can produce huge dividends in terms of learning opportunities you might not have otherwise considered.

Finally, an increasingly popular assumption is that “we can find comparable value (to private colleges) academically at state universities for much less the cost.” The good news: this is true. The bad news: it seems like everyone is coming to the same conclusion! State universities, especially flagship programs, have seen record levels of interest over the last two years. As a result, their enrollments are pressing their institutional capacities to meet students’ programmatic needs.

While you might be able to get into these schools, you need to be alert to the pressures they are feeling to accommodate their students academically in four or even five years. As you visit their campuses, be sure to inquire about graduation rates—in general and in your intended field of study. In fact, ask the same questions of all colleges, public and private. Make sure the likely outcomes meet your expectations.

As you proceed through your college search and selection processes, you are in a much stronger position to influence the outcomes than you might imagine. Take the time to reflect carefully on what you want to accomplish during your college years—and how you can best accomplish it. Set your expectations accordingly and be prepared for happy outcomes!

If you are a rising high school senior, close your eyes and imagine a day in the future. No more applications. No more essays. No more SATs or ACTs. No more worrying and waiting. The final choice of a college will have been made! A year from now, it will all be over except for the celebrating.

It’s a wonderful image, but you aren’t there yet! Getting there—getting to the point where you are in a position to make that choice—actually boils down to making many good choices in the coming weeks and months. Every day, you have opportunities to make choices that can have a bearing on how you live the rest of your life. And if you are about to become a high school senior—and a college applicant—the choices you make take on added importance each day.

The opportunities for decision-making are everywhere. For example, what courses have you chosen to take during your senior year? Will they challenge you to learn and grow—or are they merely place-holders as you ease your way to graduation? How will you choose to address the daily expectations of the classroom as a senior? Will you push yourself to achieve at the highest levels—or will you be content to do that which is merely good enough?

What will you do this summer? Will you find opportunities to invest in the things you like to do, seek new adventures or look for productive engagement in the community—or will you sit back and wait for the action to come to you?

Think also about how you will engage yourself in the college application process. Will you step up, take ownership and give definition to college planning—or will you sit back and let others do it for you? Will you reach out to colleges to learn more about application requirements—or is that something that can wait until later? Will you get an early start on your essays when doing so gives you perspective and allows you the opportunity to edit critically—or will you rely on the tried and true “adrenalin rush” to throw something together at the deadline?

These are just a few examples of the many situations that are bound to arise between now and the end of the admission process. While you shouldn’t feel the need to be on top of everything, you do need to understand how the choices you make may impact the bigger picture. With that in mind, I would like to share the following with you from the “author unknown” chronicles:

Be careful of your thoughts, because your thoughts will become your words.
Be careful of your words, because your words will become your deeds.
Be careful of your deeds, because your deeds will become your habits.
Be careful of your habits, because your habits will become your character.
Be careful of your character, because your character will become your destiny.

The thoughts, words and deeds of the coming months will indeed continue to shape your character and define your destiny as you apply to college and in your life beyond. Choose them well.

As you anticipate making important decisions over the coming year, remember that the Best College Fit™ provides resources that can be helpful as you navigate the college planning process. Visit the Best College Fit to learn how you can access these resources as a subscriber.

In the world of college access, May 1 represents both the beginning and the end of the admission process. Just as current high school seniors declare their college destinations for the coming fall, the next batch of rising seniors enters the queue of the college application process. And for the latter, reaching the “finish line” a year from now with happy outcomes will be largely dependent on three key factors: remaining student-centered, making good choices and managing expectations. I will devote this article and the two that follow to a discussion of these factors.

Staying Student-Centered in the College Search
We live in a world that is inherently destination oriented so it is only natural that young people and their parents have already begun to imagine the colleges they will attend. Actually, it’s more likely that many parents began thinking of college destinations before their children were able to walk! As a result, there is a tendency to move forward in the college-going process with the “answer” before the question has been fully examined.

In a student-centered approach to college planning, the question that should be posed to the student is actually quite simple: “Why do you want to go to college?”

The correct answer is not: “Isn’t that what you do after high school?” Or “My parents told me I have to go.” Or “I don’t know what else to do.” Regardless of your circumstance, going to college should never be the default answer! There is too much time and money at stake for you to follow a whim. That doesn’t mean you have to have the rest of your life mapped out before you can consider college, but it does mean that going to college needs to hold some sense of purpose for you.

Note to parents: while it may seem risky to allow or encourage a conversation around this point (“What if he says he doesn’t want to go?!”), it is essential that the question be asked in order to begin transferring ownership of the discovery process to the student. Your student needs to find his voice if the college application process is going to be fruitful let alone make sense—to him.

If you think college is indeed the answer to your post-high school plans, the next question to ponder is, “What are the three things you want to make sure you accomplish by the time you cross the stage at your college graduation?” As you think about the answers, you begin to identify your true priorities as you think about college—factors that will become important filters as you process information about colleges that come across your radar screen.

When my son answered this question, he said that he wanted to make sure he got a “good education.” This struck me as a pretty thoughtful response so I asked what a good education would look like to him. As he talked about how he liked to learn and the type of instruction that inspired him, he began to hear himself describe the qualities of an educational environment that would be important to him. When we had finished working through each of his priorities, he realized that he could be more intentional in evaluating his college options.

Focusing on this question of “What do you hope to accomplish?” will also help you get past a lot of the emotional stuff about wanting to live in warm weather climates or big cities—or on campuses with big-time athletic programs. While these characteristics of a college experience are not unimportant, they are the “gravy” or the value that is added when you have found a college that fits you and your priorities well.

So, stay student-centered as you begin to think about college planning in earnest. Stay focused on you and your priorities. Evaluate why you want to go to college and how you will measure the success of your experience. This is not college for your parents or for your teachers or for your friends. It’s all about you.

To learn more about finding the best college fit, check out the Best College Fit™ subscription opportunity where you can participate in live discussions of college planning issues from now right through May 1, 2011 when you will have made your final choice of a college.