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5. Requesting Materials: You can often request
materials directly from a college's website.
Admission officers will send appropriate materials
and may also ask coaches, drama directors,
orchestra conductors, and others to get in touch
with you. e more information you provide,
the more specific the response is likely to be.
6. Books about college admission you might enjoy:
e College
Admission Mystique by Bill Mayher
Since its publication, many of the colleges
discussed have become more selective.
However, this is still a great introduction
to the college process written by a veteran
independent school college advisor.
Letting Go, A Parents' Guide to
Understanding the College Years by
Karen Coburn and Madge Treeger
is book discusses the joys and challenges
of parenting a college-age child.
e Gatekeepers: Inside the Admission Process
at a Premier College by Jacques Steinberg
is book was written by a New York Times
reporter who spent a year following an admission
officer and several applicants through the
admission process at Wesleyan University.
Looking Beyond the Ivy League and Colleges
that Change Lives by Loren Pope
Pope discusses colleges that are less selective
than some of their better-known peers
but which provide excellent educational
opportunities for a variety of students.
College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the
Best School for You by Steven R. Antonoff
An independent educational consultant
who gives students control of the entire
college admission process with easy-to-use
worksheets and loads of practical advice.
RECORD YOUR RESEARCH
Criteria for Choosing a College
ese are criteria that can be used to evaluate and
ultimately choose a college, though some may be
more pertinent than others in your search.
1. S T U D E N T
E N R O L L M E N T
» ENROLLMENT – Small (1,000-3,000), medium
(3,000-7,000), large (10,000-15,000). Freshman
class size. % of undergraduate students.
» RETENTION – % of freshmen that eventually
graduate or return for their sophomore year.
» BACKGROUND – Male/female ratio.
% commuter/resident. Geographic origin.
% minority. % on financial aid.
2. LOCATION A ND SURROUNDINGS
» LOCATION – New England, West Coast, Middle
Atlantic states, the South, a foreign country.
Distance from home. Travel costs and convenience.
» SETTING – Urban/Suburban/Rural.
Weather. Nearest city or countryside. Recreational
opportunities.
» FACILITIES – Library. Laboratories. Study and
practice rooms. Student center. Athletic complex.
Art studios. Theater. Bookstore. Food sources.
3. COLLEGE T Y PE A ND PHILOSOPHY
» TYPE – 2/4 year. Religious/public/
private/historically Black. Coed/
Single-sex. College/university.
» PURPOSE – Liberal arts. Technical/vocational
institute. Conservatory. Art/design college.
Pre-professional for business, education,
engineering, fine arts. Degrees offered.
» PHILOSOPHY – Traditional/progressive. Deeply
scholarly/career oriented. Comprehensive.
» CALENDAR – Semester/trimester/quarter/
module. Inter-term program. Accelerated.
