College selection is a difficult process for most students, but it’s made more complicated when students don’t do proper research. These are the 5 myths I hear often from high school juniors and seniors. Colleges and universities who want to attract students who will stick around through graduation need to bust these myths in orientation, on phone calls students make to admissions and financial aid offices, and with contacts made to high school counselors.
[To learn about other common myths that students believe, read The 5 Financial Aid Myths Students Believe]
A good school is always ranked
I’ve had friends drop out of Ivy League schools because they didn’t like the school once they were actually on campus. Rankings are a great beginning research tool but don’t tell the whole picture of what it’s like to attend school on that campus. Administrators at schools that are ranked need to help students understand why it matters to them. For instance, is it research funding or an extensive alumni network to help with employment after graduation?
My career path depends on whether I get into a good school
Students often think they’ll only be able to network with their own alumni. Not true. I went to a state university for my MBA and attend the same MBA networking events as Harvard grads. This isn’t to say state schools don’t have high-profile alumni, too. However, the point is there are many ways to network. Career services should be able to describe them.
College tours tell me what my experience on campus will be like
College tours generally cover the student union and a few buildings on campus. Schools can do a great service to students by offering students opportunities to arrange appointments to talk to professors in their major when signing up for campus tours. Any campus tour should include career services and financial aid offices.
I have to go out-of-state to not live with my parents
I’ve had students tell me they are choosing an out-of-state college, so they can have distance from their parents. However, sometimes an in-state college is still far enough away parents won’t have you live at home and is often cheaper. For instance, someone who lives in Dallas, Texas is about the same distance from Oklahoma schools as they are to schools such as Texas A & M and UT Austin. There’s no need to pay out-of-state tuition to gain a bit of distance from mom and dad.
Choosing a major isn’t important
This leads back to the universal good school myth. A school can have an excellent engineering program and a slim fine arts program. Even if a student doesn’t know their exact major, it’s important to have a general idea of potential majors. A school may have a good program in both of the students’ interests. Shadow days while still in high school should be encouraged to narrow down options. Also, whenever the possibility presents itself, admissions departments should talk to prospective students about narrowing down major choices. This is a great topic for college tours, and schools will score points with parents and students if they discuss what they can and can’t offer students in terms of course of study.
