Lots to Write Here About the Value of an Education at a Small Liberal Arts College...

Hi Everyone,


I’d been tentatively planning to hold an informal workshop tonight at school called something like “Four-Year College Choices for Not-So-Perfect Students,” and then realized it would be following much too closely on the heels of last week’s “Intro to College Choice” night. I don’t want to cause burnout so early in the game here (I do want all of you to want to come back!), so it seems to me I can pretty effectively introduce this information right here in this blog. But when I sat down this morning to write it, I then concluded that one first needs to have a primer (of sorts) regarding liberal arts colleges and the kind of education they provide, prior to my starting in on opportunities for B/C students. That said, let’s back up for a just a bit here and cover some of the info we presented in last week’s “Intro to College Choice” workshop…and then some. After it sits with you for a few days, I will post some more writing that presents viable colleges for B/C students – how’s that?

Let me just say this – If you want to be aware of the very best writing out there concerning liberal arts colleges, it exists within two books written by the savvy education consultant/writer Loren Pope. These two books are called “Colleges That Change Lives” and “Looking Beyond the Ivy League.” The most popular one – “Colleges That Change Lives” – is probably responsible for changing the way college counselors look at the college-going landscape and how it works in order to best serve our students. There is now actually a small consortium of colleges that are covered by Pope in this book who go out on tour together each year, bouncing off the buzz created over the last 10 years by this book’s release. So I will openly admit to being a fan and follower of Pope’s writing, and much of what I’m about to say here comes straight from his books. After all, I doubt that I can do any better, because he’s certainly done a superb job of thinking things through for us. Also, both books are on the shelf of our very own College Counseling library shelf, waiting for your perusal.

So here are some of my favorite passages (with some liberties taken) from Pope’s writings, all about small liberal arts colleges:

1. These schools share two essential elements: a familial sense of communal enterprise that gets students heavily involved in cooperative rather than competitive learning; and a faculty of scholars devoted to helping young people develop their powers, mentors who often become their valued friends.

2. These are the kinds of professors who make the difference because they put the focus on the student….in (large) universities, professors are not usually part of a community or interested in their students’ projects. They do little, if any, teaching, leaving that chore to grad assistants and part-time faculty. In short, the (large) university cheats the undergraduate. There is no other word for it. Education should include dialogue and involvement, not be just a monologue to the passive ears of note takers busy because what they’re hearing might be on the exam. To an alarmingly large number of large-university professors, undergraduate students are (treated as a) by-product or a nuisance and are second-class citizens, with the activities associated with research, publishing, consulting and graduate teaching in first position. Not true at small liberal arts colleges, usually populated with anywhere from 450 to 2,000 students. They truly are the whole show on their campuses – everything there exists for their benefit.

3. (Liberal arts colleges) develop people who can land on their feet – whether they are strong, intellectual students or those needing tender loving care – because they encourage a strong sense of community and interaction among students and teachers. Students find that their social lives are just so much better on small campuses, even if they’re located in remote places. Think about it. Being one of too many is usually an alienating experience and not an empowering one. And going to school in a large, expensive city can turn out to be quite frustrating. My own son went to NYU Tisch, partially because he imagined leading a rousingly urbane weekend life. But here’s the question -- Who will pay for your child to have this imagined experience? NYC is probably the most expensive city in the world, so just how many Broadway show and nightclub tickets –as well as pricey restaurants -- do you expect your student will actually be able to buy? In many of our cases, the remote small college campus is easier to access and friendlier to our bank accounts.

4. A broad-based liberal arts-centered curriculum is usually the best choice for an undergraduate student, rather than one that is pre-professional – because just about everyone in college will in ten years or less be working at jobs that don’t yet exist…thus (liberal arts colleges) are eager to help you pay the bill with all the financial aid for which you qualify on the standard forms. In other words, don’t feel limited by finances to the nearest or cheapest college. If the family income is really that low, you will qualify for financial aid and it literally may be cheaper to go away to an expensive private college than live at home and go to a public one! More than one financial aid officer has said too many parents just assume they’re not eligible for aid and don’t ask. Merit aid is there as well as need-based aid.

5. We often hear about east-coast college superiority – but the truth is that student bodies in many Midwestern colleges are more cosmopolitan and diversified than in many Eastern ones. No college has more diversity than Oberlin, which is in Ohio. About 29% of Beloit’s (in Wisconsin) and Grinnell’s (in Iowa) students are Jewish, which bespeaks two things about a school outside the East: high quality and diversity. At Earlham College (in Indiana), a Quaker school, over half the students come from more than five hundred miles away, and some years the freshman class has more Jewish students than Quakers, as well as more Catholics or Methodists.

6. Parents just keep on believing all of the myths about large name-brand universities, based on little more than hearsay from their friends and the media – and then that flawed belief system is passed along to their children. Even though college is probably the second-largest investment parents will make in a lifetime (just behind a home), they continually base college selection for their children on faulty or no reasoning other than a cattle mentality. I love what Loren Pope says about this situation: No one would pick a wife or a husband or even buy a house or a car with so little information.

7. Here are some truths for you to consider: Two thirds of the college students change their career plans at least once, often twice, in those four years. Most grads change jobs at least once in the first five years after college, even on the graduate level. Only 30% of those who start in engineering graduate, chiefly because it does demand an early commitment. Two thirds of the administrators in all business fields did not major in that field. The liberal arts graduate quite often has more trouble finding her first job than does the engineer, accountant, or other specialist. But she winds up better satisfied and – because she has learned to think, to adapt, and to communicate – being the specialist’s boss. So, making decisions aimed at a first job is like assuming the first-inning score is going to be the final one. That kind of thinking can damage peoples’ lives.

8. More quick advice: Don’t rule out a college because you don’t like its particular state. Similarly, cast off home-state shackles in reaching your decision. A lot of parents believe that if they put their son or daughter in a closer-to-home location, they’ll come home more often. Nothing in the research shows that belief to be true. They’re building their social, academic and even professional lives at on that campus where they attend school, not in their home backyards. They’re growing up and separating, the same as you did way back when.

9. Pick a school because you like its ethos, its atmosphere, what it stands for, because it fits you (your student), not because you’ve heard it has a good department in the subject you (your student) plan to major in. You may well change you major; most people do.

10. With Loren Pope’s excellent writing at hand, what I’m hoping to do here is “to free parents and their sons and daughters from the worship of the false gods of name and size and prestige and help them identify the real virtues of mental and moral growth, so they can make their most important investment one that will give a lifetime of satisfaction.”

So just to get you started – following are some good liberal arts colleges for you to Google and learn about. It’s a list that doesn’t even scratch the surface, but it contains excellent small colleges from all over the U.S., at all ability/selectivity levels. All have aggressive need-based aid and merit-based financial help to offer. And in several days – I’ll cover the ones that are especially good for B/C students to consider.

Short list: Kenyon College, Earlham College, Whittier College, Pitzer College, St. Mary’s College of California, Occidental College, Colorado College, Cornell College (the one in Iowa, not the big university in NY), Knox College, St. John’s College (my favorite), Whitman College, Lake Forest College, Goucher College, Juniata College, Hampshire College, Bard College, McDaniel College, Guilford College, St. Andrews Prebyterian College (great for those with learning disabilities), Evergreen State College, Reed College, College of Wooster (another one of my favorites), Kalamazoo College, Hiram College, Beloit College, Ripon College, Emory and Henry College.

Thanks for Reading,

Anne

NACAC Performing and Visual Arts College Fair at UCLA

Hi CHAMPS Friends,

Following is a link to all of the information you need in order to get the most out of the NACAC Performing and Visual Arts College Fair, which will be held this coming Sunday, October 18th at UCLA from 1:30 to 3:30.  I hope to see you there!

http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/pva/Pages/09PLA.aspx

Anne

Hi CHAMPS Family and Friends,

Welcome, welcome, welcome! This first entry’s going to be long, so for that I do apologize. I promise they’ll be shorter in the future.

I just want to start off by sharing with you some thoughts about our 23-campus (truly!) California State University system. However, following are some housekeeping items I want to pass along to you before I get started:
First, for those sophomores and juniors who are signed up for the PSAT – don’t forget! Arrive at the CHAMPS gym on next Saturday morning, Oct. 24, a few minutes before 9:00 am. You should be finished by 11:45. Pick up PSAT practice booklets in the Student Services office (ask for me or Ms. Howard). Bring along #2 pencils as well as calculators.

Second, we have admissions reps from three great colleges visiting CHAMPS this week – Sara Berkshire from Emerson College (Mr. Campi’s room at 10:00/4th period on Wednesday the 14th; Jeanie Porcelli from Pace University at 9:00/3rd period on Friday the 16th up in the College Counseling Center; and Michelle Howard from Oklahoma City University, also on Friday the 16th, 11:00/5th period in the Counseling Center. CHAMPS students, if you’re free during any of those periods, you are invited and encouraged to attend – parents as well. However, it would be great if you’d let us know so that we can plan adequate space for you. Email www.college.champs1@gmail.com. Briefly – Emerson’s tops as a communication and arts college, located in Boston’s great theatre district. (By the way, CHAMPS parents Maria and Howard Lapides -- sophomore Olivia L.’s mom and dad -- are Emerson alums and as well as current Emerson Board members, so they’re great Emerson boosters and information resources for us!) Pace has two New York City-area campuses, one that is located in downtown Manhattan. It’s a great alternative to NYU and hosts the popular Bravo TV series “Inside The Actors Studio.” Oklahoma City University is a best-kept secret in the world of college admissions, particularly strong in dance and musical theatre. You’ll find its grads working all over Broadway and in touring companies. All three of these colleges have superb financial aid/scholarship programs, so don’t write them off because of their higher-end sticker prices. They are potentially (and most likely) so much more affordable than you think.

And third – Delina Pleasants (Kiara Artry’s mom) was on the ball, and urged me to remind you of the fact that on this very CHAMPS website is our very own growing list of links to useful college information-oriented websites. After you jump onto this CHAMPS site, go to “Students” at the top and then hit “College Preparation.”

Ok finally – here’s what I want to say this week:

Shortly after returning home from a crazy week at the yearly NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counseling) conference in Baltimore as one of 5,400 busy attendees, I turned around and reluctantly attended the day-long Cal State Fall Counselors’ Workshop in Ontario, CA, sponsored by CSU-San Bernardino . I have to say, I’m now so very glad I did, because I walked away with a whole different attitude about these various campuses than the one I brought to the table at the start of the day.

Friends, this CSU system we collectively possess is really nothing short of miraculous. I can’t believe I’m writing these words for public viewing here, because…ok, I’ll admit it. I’ve been a 5-star college snob. Like so many of us, I’ve been guilty for years of discounting our own Cal State-Northridge and its many-campus-strong brethren with a wave of my hand while rolling my eyes. And why? Well, I suspect it’s because it’s right here in the middle (or very close to the middle) of our everyday stomping grounds; it is constantly referenced in our daily lives; it’s big, beige and flat – and we’re so sadly accustomed to seeing its sun-dappled palm trees; and it’s largely known as a commuter school (even though it does have on-campus housing available to those who want it). But let’s be perfectly clear. CSUN has such noteworthy programs…business, teacher education and music, just to name a few of so many.

And what about the other 22 campuses? Well, I have to tell you – they’re something grand to behold, now that I stop to think about it. The beauty of Humboldt State U is nothing short of magical, being situated within the redwood trees, near the ocean in a pleasant and artsy town not so far from the Oregon border, featuring world-class programs in oceanography and theatre, among others. When I was in San Francisco in August, I walked the grounds of San Francisco State U and was blown away by its beauty, full-on collegiate atmosphere (which I didn’t expect), top-notch student services, housing facilities, performing and visual arts programs, great cityscape location with fog rolling in from the nearby Pacific, new architecture…did I mention its vast selection of arts programs? And California Maritime Academy in nearby Vallejo placed right on some docks of the Bay – nothing like any other Cal State campus in any way. It has its own glorious ship (compliments of the Feds) and its students actually do ship out of there for months at a time sailing to parts unknown, and learning all aspects of the various international maritime industries. More wonderful arts programs of every sort can be found at Cal State-Fullerton and Cal State-Long Beach. And some of the Cal States are known as being splendid residential campuses, such as Sonoma State, Cal State-Chico and San Jose State U. Who can beat the locations of Cal State-Monterey Bay and San Diego State U? Everything associated with winemaking and the wine industry (including beautiful rolling vineyards) can be found at CSU-Fresno. And Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo is so well regarded that it attracts a national student population, easily considered to be a prestige hit by high schools throughout the rest of the U.S. – roughly on par with UC-Davis (I’m estimating) in terms of its selectivity.

So I’ll finally stop in just a moment. But think it over…the CSU group of schools is much more affordable than the University of California system, and more importantly, is often wryly referred to within its undergrad admissions personnel ranks as “the compassionate school,” meaning that CSU admissions parameters are more relaxed than those of the UC. The CSU online applications are easy to file with no essays or teacher recs required. I’m unashamed to admit I heartily recommend that every senior include at least one or two CSU campuses on his/her final college application plan. If you (your student) are applying to college this year, the CSU online filing period opened on October 1st and will abruptly close on the evening of November 30th, so get busy now – time is of the essence. To learn more and/or to apply, go to www.csumentor.edu. Let’s not take the CSU system for granted. Unfortunately for all of us, California’s terrible financial state has caused the CSU system to now be mandated to cut 54,000 students by 2011. We will certainly no longer be able to take these schools for granted as they will become more competitive than ever. Accordingly, I hope you’ll join me in helping to eliminate the generally snarky attitude about the CSUs. It deserves so much better from us!

I hope some of you guys are starting to check in on this blog and want to ask questions or respond. Thanks for reading and I’ll talk (write) to you later!

Anne

Hello!

Hi Champs Friends,
Welcome to Champs' College Corner, which is our new college counseling blog. I will do my best to bring you timely information here. Stay tuned!

Thanks,
Anne Cochran