You need to think about how those lists are made, those top 40 colleges aren’t the only Colleges that will “change lives.” Also, be sure to check for how that research was done. Anyone can make a list and call it “Top 10 ___” and someone will believe it. Before you buy into it be sure they are credible and have done their research. College is a great experience – but that experience can be great at a lot of places you go. It’s about finding where you fit best – size, location, community, and what the focus is at the college are most important, even more important than whether or not they are on some top 40 list. When looking for a college, you will want to narrow down what you want to study first. If you know what you want to study it is easier to search for a college that fits your needs. You can apply to places that are top in the nation for that certain subject. I would suggest looking into colleges based what they offer overall – be careful not to rule something out because it isn’t on the list you have. Also, look into the rate of employment after graduation for the school, some schools help their students get into the work world once they graduate, which is a big bonus. Keep an open mind, look for the right fit – good luck!

I have not seen your the list you mentioned, but I think you have already answered that question, it is one person’s list. It is like the list of best places to live in the US. Quite often some of the top places are cities I would not want to live; they do not meet my criteria. The approach you have been taking is very good. Stick with your plan. Find the schools that meet your needs and criteria. If one or more fall on that list of 40, great; if not, it does not matter. The quality of your education is not solely dictated by the reputation of a school. There are lots of small liberal arts schools out there that will give you a better education than UCLA, UC Berkeley, etc. When I was in college I had two choices within California for the degree I wanted; UC Berkeley and Humboldt State. I felt then and I feel now Humboldt (a school of only about 7,000 even now) was a far better choice. It fit my needs.

Second question; I do not think there is any magic way of getting over how you feel. I would love to just say “get over it,” but that won’t do a thing. Look at yourself, you are obviously a very intelligent person who knows what she wants and is charting a course to get that. Have confidence in what you are doing. If all of your study and your guts tell you a small liberal arts college is right, be at peace with that decision. Like I said before size and reputation are not what make a school good. Ultimately, you do not go to school to learn a bunch of facts. I think college teaches you how to learn. It is this process that gives you the preparation for the future. Yes, becoming a psychologist will require you to know certain things, but you can learn that anywhere. What is important is to be in a place that gives you the support and encouragement that you need, along with the specific classes required to get that degree. You may want to look at a particular school and make sure they are certified by whom ever for the degree, but if they have a certified program, it is most likely a good school acedemically.

Good Luck!

Hello, I’m a senior and getting ready to graduate with my English Degree, so I can understand a little bit of what you’re wondering. It all depends on what you want to do. Good Grades are great, but depending on the college, I think they look at more than just grades… I would recommend getting your basics out of the way and going from there. Also the top 40 list is like you said, based on one person’s opinion. Go and visit the colleges. See what else they offer, what you want to do, things that interest you and get a feel for the place before you make any final decisions. Yes, certain colleges have lower standards as far as grades are concerned, but you can not compare your achievements to others. Look into every possibility that you can, and also finances will definitely play a big role, Trust me.

The colleges on that list are all small liberal arts colleges that have something unique to offer. I know people who have gone to some of them & I think highly of them.

On the other hand — they are not the only colleges that can change your life. The fact is that going to a good university or college can open doors for you. There is something to be said for big universities as well. they give you more options and access to people doing cutting edge research. There is something to be said for going to a more selective school — you are surrounded by brilliant classmates, and can learn from them as well as your professors.

I would not recommend going to a school that is not very selective — if you can get into a more selective school. It could hurt your chances of getting into a good graduate program or getting a good job.

If you have great grades, then I would suggest that you look at great public schools (like Berkeley, Virginia or Michigan), great private schools (like Duke, Stanford, the Ivies) or great liberal arts colleges (like Swarthmore, Haverford or Williams).

Princeton Review has a tool where you can tell it about your background and your interests. It then spits out a list of schools that are appropriate for you. The link is below.

Lauren…first things first: breathe. You are going to be OK. I worked in admission at a selective liberal arts college for four years. I saw a lot of students like you during that time. You should know that what you are going through is completely normal.

The CTCL tour is a great group of schools. I worked at a school that was not on the tour, but when I read the book, I saw a lot of things that my institution (PLU) did better than the schools that were selected. Depending your interests and your passions, you will find a school that is right for you.

Loren Pope comments in his book that you need to stay away from the rankings that so many people stress over. He notes that those rankings look at schools based on the characteristics of students that go into them, not on the characteristics that the students develop when they leave. That is like evaluating a hospital based on what patients they admit rather than how well they treat those patients during their stays.

The one publication that I would suggest is called “Putting Students First” – it profiles ten colleges that have “got it right” when it comes to developing college students into true leaders in a purposeful context. Other than that – you just have to visit a lot of schools. The right one is going to jump out at you, and that is where you have to go.

Good luck!

Answers

1.) Go to the college you personally want to go to. When I applied for college’s I stuck to the one’s I wanted and did not second guess myself. Do the same and concentrate on what your goal is to getting into the college you want.

2.) A college looks at more than your grades. They look at ACT and SAT scores, extra curricular activites, and of course some of them require a essay. These will all be deciding factors for the University. Just because you have the grades is not a guarantee that you’ll get into your 1st choice. Have some backups and see what you get.

There are loads of people who have a vested interest in making you pay attention to certain colleges, and buy their book on ‘the best colleges’. I teach Higher Ed, and we tend to look at these rankings skeptically since they are created to sell magazines (USNews) or books (which tend to be better than the magazines but are still a for profit venture.) Most rankings (USNews style) tend to rely on wealth (who applies (rich kids get better grades and test scores), graduation rates (rich kids tend to do better in college since they went to ‘better’ high schools)) and other things related to money. Kuh et al have used the NSSE (look it up) to examine student engagement, and the list of schools that are highly engaging are interesting – and generally not the highly ranked prestige schools (Beloit, Sweet Briar, Centre) but are great schools.

So, get over other people’s rankings and think for yourself. Otherwise you are going to end up at some school that does not value your thinking by yourself. What criteria would you use to rank schools? That is a good place to start. Me, I like diversity (all types, especially international and economic), I like happy students, I like small classes, I like seminar classes with real professors, I like . . . . but that is my list. Create yours.