STUDENT-CENTERED SOLUTIONS FOR COLLEGE PLANNING

By Tom Willoughby, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, University of Denver

Editor’s note: At a time when it is becoming harder to find a college that offers interviews to prospective applicants, the University of Denver makes them mandatory. Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, Tom Willoughby, talks about the value of the interview in the admission process at DU.

At the University of Denver we value the opportunity to meet students face to face. That’s why we send faculty and staff to 30 cities every fall and every spring to team up with alumni to interview our applicants.

We learn so much more about a student during the interview process that goes beyond what their application tells us. Being able to put a face with an application adds another dimension for us to consider which most often enhances a student’s application.

At the University of Denver we are interested in learning more about a student’s motivation for learning, their openness to new ideas and their sense of integrity –all important values to our community.

Selecting a college or university that is a good match increases the likelihood of a more fulfilling and rewarding experience in college. The interview process in my mind only enhances the opportunity for the college to make better decisions about who might be a good fit for their learning community.

One of the highlights of my career has been the opportunity to meet and interview so many different students from all over the country. These students have always given me great confidence in the future. Clearly the students that have done best in the interview process were the ones who made the conscious decision to be who they are and to give the best of who they are in the interview. Too often we are all tempted to try to please others by trying to be something we are not. In the end, that often leads to a poor match.

In summary the real values of an admission interview are the following:

• It allows the reader of your application or the admission committee to know you as a person—who you are, how excited you are about learning and embarking on new experiences, what you’re passionate about and what you value.
• It allows you the student to make the reader of your application or the admission committee aware of any special circumstance about you or your academic record that deserves or needs explanation.
• It allows you the student to express your level of interest in the college. Expressed interest is a factor that more colleges have recently given greater consideration to in their admission decision.

Remember that the interview is only one of many factors that a college may consider when making an admission decision. However in some instances, especially when the decision is close, it can mean the difference.

Did you know that barely half of the students who enter college each year will graduate in 4-5 years? That statistic is numbing when you consider the potential costs involved—your time, your parents’ money, and the lost opportunity to you as a wage earner upon graduation. Over the last five postings in this space, I have given you ideas about how to identify the colleges that are best for you—places that are likely to attract and keep you through graduation. Before we wrap up this discussion, it might make sense, then, to address some of the common pitfalls that lead to unproductive college choices—colleges that do not fit well.

Scenario #1: Love I hate to break it to you but the best college for you is not the place that your love interest attends! Before you and your boyfriend/girlfriend get too far along in planning the rest of your lives together, you need to know that the odds of maintaining the relationship over four years of college are not in your favor. In fact, most high school romances break up before the end of the first year of college. Does it make sense, then, for you to commit to four years at somebody else’s college just so you can be together when there is a very good chance that before the end of the first semester she’ll find some other guy—and you’ll end up being a spectator on her campus. Would you call that a good fit?

Scenario #2: Friends The same logic applies to your friends. While you are ready to graduate from high school, you might not feel like you are ready to leave the people with whom you hang out. As a result, the whole gang heads off to college together—in many cases, site unseen. If anybody asks why you chose to attend that college, your response will probably be, “my friends go there.” How much sense does that make?! One or two of your friends have it figured out. They know the program and have made considered decisions. But the rest of you just want to hang out. Now, you are on a campus that is strange to you except for the guys you want to hang with. A good fit?

Scenario #3: Parents The best school for you is not likely to be the place your parents attended or the place they want you to attend! This can become uncomfortable if your parents are already working on your college list for you. While you don’t want to disappoint them, you want to find your own college—a place that is the best fit for you. After all, you and your parents are different people. What worked for them might not work for you. If you sense a conflict in interests brewing, you need to find a diplomatic solution to it early in your search. The longer you allow your parent’s expectations of a destination to linger prominently in the picture, the harder it will be to extricate yourself from those expectations later in the process—that is, assuming you truly want to look in different directions.

Scenario #4: Sports The best college for you is not likely to be the place that won the national championship. Everybody likes to be around a winner and there is something to be said for body painting and the crowd frenzy on crisp Saturday afternoons in the fall. Just remember, though, that whatever colors you bleed, you still need to be a student Monday through Friday.

Scenario #5: Prestige Finally, the best college for you is not necessarily the place that will give you the most impressive car sticker! Consider how the events unfold. The “Committee of We” has been involved in an exhaustive college search process. I don’t need to explain that mom and dad are integral to this committee! “When are we going to get started?” “When are we going start visiting schools?” “When are we going to get the applications finished?” “When are we going to hear?” Does this sound familiar?

One day in late March of your senior year, the “thick envelope” from XYZ, a very prestigious college, arrives in your mail slot. A committee member is home (not you because you’re in school) and finds the letter. Unable to find restraint, this committee member rips open the letter to discover the good news and euphoria reigns—“We’re in!!” Before you know it, this unnamed person pulls the XYZ car sticker out of a drawer (where it’s been in safe keeping just in case), puts it on the car and begins to drive slowly through the neighborhood so everyone can see where “we’re going to college!”

This is an exciting time for the entire family because, of course, “we” got in. And good for you—if this is truly the place that you want to attend. Unfortunately, a lot of students and their families get caught up in the rush for “gold.”  For them, the process is more about winning the prize then it is finding the best fit. They may have “won” the car sticker and all the bragging rights that go with it, but does the student have the right college? Maybe, maybe not.

Summing it up
You need to remain reflective throughout the process in order to make sure a school, especially a high profile place, is the right one for you. College choices based on emotion are often regretted. They just don’t “fit” you well in the long run. (Would you buy a good-looking pair of shoes even if they were too snug in the toes?) As you move forward, resist the temptation to act impulsively or run with the herd. You must be able to live with your choice for the next four years and it needs to work for you in the years that follow. Invest in learning more about places that might be right for you—not your love interest or your friends or your parents. Now is the time to focus on you and what constitutes a good fit for you—so yours will be a successful four-year college experience.

When the dust settles on your college search, there should be abundant evidence that the college you have chosen is excited that you will be joining its number. You will sense this enthusiasm at every step along the way as you get to know the place and apply for admission. More than just another face in the freshman directory, you are someone who will be valued in that population for the things you do well.

Think about your close, personal relationships. A relationship works because both parties are equally invested in its success. Each side values and respects the other. Problems arise when the degree of investment in the relationship is not shared equally. Despite the determination of one party to make things work, one-sided relationships are often doomed to failure.

The same is true of your pending relationship with a college or university. Your investment in the relationship would seem clear. You know what you want out of your four years and you know what you are prepared to do in order to achieve your goals. On the other hand, what type of investment in you and your goals can you expect from the institution? Where is the evidence that it is prepared to help you achieve your goals?

Be discriminating as you look for this evidence. How accommodating is the institution of your needs and concerns? Are you given the information you need regarding college costs and the potential for financial assistance? What is the response when you inquire about opportunities to pursue special independent study projects or to study abroad? In general, do you find yourself meeting with people who are eager to help you make things happen or are you left to figure these things out on your own. The manner in which a college engages you during the recruitment process often reflects the way it will treat you as an enrolled student. Colleges that value you for what you do well will:

• Show an interest in actually getting to know you. They will recruit you and not just your application for admission.
• Give you personal attention throughout the recruitment process.
• Answer your questions about housing, registration and payment plans in a thorough and timely manner.
• Provide financial aid to meet your need.
• Recognize your talents with scholarships and/or special academic opportunities (i.e. study abroad, internships, research, etc.).

The last two points are especially important when it comes time to apply for admission. Why? What better evidence that you have found a good college fit than to be admitted and extended the financial support you need in order to enroll?! The best college fit for you will be a place that seems to be saying, “Among all of the really good candidates we are considering, we want you because of what you have to offer and we’re prepared to invest in your success.”

This takes us back to the discussion about relationships. The early stages of a college search are a time of discovery for both the student and the colleges. Just as you are trying to sort through your options in developing a short list of colleges that will fit you well, college admission officers are beginning to develop a sense of their own prospective applicant pools. While they are interested in attracting as many applicants as possible (to enhance their levels of selectivity), they are also sensitive to prospects whose candidacies would be most compelling. They are especially alert to students who present talents, interests or perspectives that would “fit” well into the community they hope to construct through the admission process. Ultimately, they will admit from among thousands of qualified applicants those whom they value most.

So, what does this mean for you? The secret to your success still rests in your ability to reflect honestly on “who you are” and “what you have to offer”—and to find a good college match for those qualities. Take stock of your gifts, talents and perspectives—and don’t compromise. What do you have to contribute to a new community and where might such contributions be valued most? Be true to yourself, then, and put yourself in a better position to experience a lasting relationship with an institution that makes sense for you.