According to ACT's press release "Fewer Students Returning to Same School for Second Year of College," only 66 percent of first-year college students returned to the same institution in the 2007-2008 academic year. This means that 34 percent of college students transferred or dropped out after their first year.
This can be both time-consuming and expensive, wasting a student’s time on course credits that may not transfer to another institution and tuition money that could have been paid elsewhere.
Before enrolling at an educational institution simply because your best friend goes there or because the cafeteria food is not too bad, give serious thought to the following campus characteristics.
Enrollment Size and Faculty-Student Ratio
Enrollment size can be easily overlooked by prospective students but has a high impact on a student’s success rate. This campus characteristic requires honest self-reflection. Is the student the type who will go to class whether the professor notices his presence or not? Can the student perform well without intensive one-on-one instruction? If yes, then a large university could be a perfect fit.
On the other hand, if the student needs smaller classes with greater one-on-one attention from the instructor, a low-enrollment college (1,000 students or fewer) would be a better fit.
Another point to keep in mind when examining enrollment size is the role that the student wants to play in extracurricular activities and athletics. The larger the campus enrollment, the larger the pool of students from which to select members.
If an incoming freshman wants a spot on the student newspaper or more minutes on the basketball court, a lower enrollment institution would be more likely to produce results. However, the student should also consider the quality of the extracurricular programs (see “Extracurricular Programs and Activities” below) before making a final choice.
Majors and Academic Program Offerings
Though seemingly a no-brainer, students should make sure their colleges of choice have the academic programs and courses that they want. If they want a pre-med track and the college only offers a biology major without pre-med, another institution may be a better fit.
Nevertheless, a journalism student may find that one institution with a strong Communications department is better than another institution with a mediocre Journalism department. Simply because the college does not have the exact program a student desires does not mean it is not the one best suited to their needs.
Meet professors from the department and learn about the courses. Ask students currently enrolled in the program about its quality (*Tip: To find current students, ask faculty for a list of names or use social networking tools like Facebook to find current students).
Examine Buildings and Facilities
Does the food in the campus dining facilities have the taste and texture of cardboard? Are the chemistry laboratories lacking fume hoods? Is the art department stuck in the basement of the university theater? Is the photography department’s darkroom a former closet turned into a college facility?
These are all important questions to ask. Before going on a campus visit, make a punch list of items, ranked from most important to least important. Perhaps academic facilities rank at the top of the list. Check out the classrooms, laboratories, and campus facilities connected to the program of study.
For some, dormitories may be the most important. Look into bathroom arrangements, how rooming assignments are made, the arrangement of the rooms, and whether some buildings are co-ed while others are not. If food facilities rank high on the list, visit the campus and dine with some current students.
Be sure to tour the library, parking facilities, student center, dormitories, athletic facilities, and academic buildings.
Extracurricular Programs and Activities
Only half of the college experience occurs in the classroom. More and more, employers are looking to see what extracurricular experiences a student had during college. Look into study abroad programs that a college or university offers. Contact the Career Services Office to learn what internship opportunities are available in the area.
Also, pay attention to the list of clubs and organizations that the institution offers. Flag two or three that are either of personal interest or of applicability to future careers.
Institutions with equally qualified programs of study may not have equal extracurricular offerings. An examination of programs and activities could be the tipping point in choosing a college.
A Step Closer to Success
These four points will not guarantee a one hundred percent success rate for a prospective student, but an examination of these campus characteristics before move-in day can improve the chances of returning to the same campus for sophomore move-in day.
