| Evaluating
Universities and Choosing Courses
How
to Evaluate Colleges
Information provided by www.kaptest.com/college
Yikes! Between all the unsolicited mail
you're getting from Noidea U., college fairs, and everyone you know
offering their opinions, how do you evaluate which school would be best
for you? Here are 10 handy guidelines to follow to avoid common pitfalls
and make the right decision. 10.
Pay little (if any) attention to school rankings.
There are as many ranked lists of colleges out there as there are colleges
themselves. You shouldn't put much credence in these us—they're way too
subjective to give you any valuable insight into a particular college or
university. And they change drastically year by year. 9.
Also, ignore the student/faculty ratio.
Trust us—it's not going to matter whether there are 4 or 400 students in
your biology lecture class. Generally, the student/faculty ratio reported
by campuses is meaningless; it's an average: there are going to be far
more students in an intro level lecture than in, say, a freshman writing
workshop. (But do pay attention to what percentage of classes are taught
by grad students us—if it's high, be wary). 8.
Some stats are worth noting.
Namely, you'll want to know a school's freshman year retention rate
(should be 93% or better) and the alumni giving rate (should be around
60%). These both reflect how students feel about the school us—whether
they like it enough to stay, and then whether they remember it fondly
enough to give money back in the future. If you're applying for financial
aid, check the average percentage of demonstrated need met us—it will
tell you more than just the dollar amount of the average aid package. 7.
Comfort matters.
This is where you will be living for at least 4 years. Is the food edible?
Does the school guarantee housing? How are the dorms? Are the bathrooms
clean? If you don't think you'd be able to live there, you probably
shouldn't try. This is why campus visits are so important. 6.
Ask about other colleges.
This is a question for an admissions officer. You should ask, "What
other colleges would I be interested in?" It's not necessarily
something to bring up at an admissions interview, but on a standard campus
visit, it's a good way to gauge the type of school this college sees
itself as being, as well as a good way to expand your list of target
schools. 5.
Check campus crime statistics.
New federal legislation requires colleges to produce and report campus
crime stats. Try to read between the lines on this one us—if you are in
love with a school that has a "high" crime rate, do some
investigating us—that rate could be attributed to nothing more than a
rash of bike thefts. Don't hesitate to contact campus security on your own
to discuss this. 4.
Talk to alumni from your high school.
Or contact someone from your high school who's currently attending a
particular college or university. Asking just any student at a college
their opinion of the school can be helpful, but it doesn't offer the same
insight as would someone who comes from the same town, same school, etc. 3.
How wired is the campus?
This goes beyond the number of computers in the school's computer lab. Is
there a T1 connection in all dorm rooms? 2.
Check that price again.
A state school at first glance may seem a fraction of the cost of a
private college or university. But do students at state schools generally
graduate in four years? As a rule, not many do. Check that state school's
four-year graduation rate before choosing it over a private school for
cost reasons. 1.
Identify the 3 most important attributes of the ideal school.
You should spend time thinking about the "must-haves" of a
college. For some, location is an important factor. For others, size (big
or small) is a consideration. Some students don't mind if their school
doesn't focus on athletics if students seem to have a strong interest in
intramurals. Top
Copyright 2008 by Kaplan, Inc., All
Rights Reserved. Kaplan is a registered trademark of Kaplan, Inc.
Randomly Selected Universities
Get a sense of what different colleges
have to offer by visiting the web sites of these five randomly selected
universities.
Old Dominion
University, Norfolk, VA
University of
Chicago, Chicago, IL
Syracuse
University, Syracuse, NY
University of
Houston, Houston, TX
California
State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Top
Choosing Courses
Information provided by www.kaptest.com/college
Choosing your courses is one of your
first—and probably most important—tasks as you head off to college. It
will affect every aspect of your academic and social life while you're at
school. Here are some guiding principles to keep in mind as you plan your
semester. The
Course Catalog is Your Friend
Although about as exciting as the phone book, your school's course catalog
is your roadmap to a successful first semester. The typical course catalog
provides information on core requirements and major requirements, lists
courses, course descriptions, professors, and meeting times. Within the
department listings, courses are probably numbered according to
difficulty, beginning with introductory-level courses and prerequisites
and ending with more advanced seminars or individual readings. Pore
through the course catalog and mark off possibilities. Use
Your Academic Advisor
Most colleges assign you a freshman academic advisor, probably a faculty
member chosen randomly, or based on the prospective major you put on your
application. By your sophomore year, as your interests develop and you get
to know faculty members, you'll probably get to choose your advisor. But
for now, it's hit or miss. Take the initial steps—be aggressive, make
appointments, and ask questions. If your advisor isn't helpful, your
academic dean, other freshmen, and older students might be. Cut
to the Core
Core requirements typically mandate that you take one or more courses in
each of several subjects or areas, such as philosophy, the fine arts, the
social sciences, mathematics, and the laboratory sciences. Whatever your
situation, get the darn things out of the way early. You don't want to be
stuck taking three science classes in your final semester or dealing with
a foreign language requirement when you'd rather be deciding on or taking
classes for your major. Take the requirements for what they're meant to
be: An opportunity to experiment, to add breadth to your education, and to
take courses that just might spark your interest. Take placement exams and find out if
Advanced Placement credit can get you out of a particular requirement.
Maybe the five years of swimming lessons your mom railroaded you into can
spare you a term of ballroom dancing to meet your gym requirement. Be
the Master of Your Schedule
As a general rule, you don't want to overload your schedule with either
too many humanities classes or too many math and science classes.
Literature, history, and humanities-type classes tend to lay the reading
and papers on thick, while science, math, or econ professors may bombard
you with time-consuming and intensive weekly problem sets. Five problem
sets due in one week versus five papers—it's hard to decide which is
worse. Save yourself the anguish of finding out by keeping your schedule
fairly balanced, both in terms of subject areas and course requirements. In addition, consider your personality
and habits. Don't schedule an 8:00 a.m. biology lab if you know you never
see the light of day until 10:00 a.m. Also, consider the social life. An
8:30 p.m. Thursday philosophy class may not be so attractive if all your
friends generally go out Thursday nights. No, we're not saying put your
social schedule ahead of your academic one. We're just being realistic. If
the temptation to skip is even moderate, chances are you'll skip. This
could present big problems later on. You know yourself best. Schedule
accordingly. Experiment
College, especially your first year, is a time to experiment. If your
school has a pass/fail option, take advantage of it to explore courses
you've had no exposure to. But whatever you do, if something in the course
catalog catches your eye, don't avoid it simply because you know little
about the subject. That random course in cultural anthropology could turn
into one of the best classes you ever take. It could even turn into your
major.
Copyright 2008 by Kaplan, Inc., All
Rights Reserved. Kaplan is a registered trademark of Kaplan, Inc. | 