Ask the Dean

What's the biggest mistake you can make in the college search process?

You might expect me to say something about choosing the wrong college—but if you've conducted a thoughtful search, it's really not possible to choose the "wrong" college. Many colleges are right for you, if you invest yourself in the learning experience. I believe that what you do in college is more important than where you go. You can get a mediocre education at some of the most prestigious colleges in this country if you don't take advantage of the opportunities.

You might expect me answer the question about the biggest mistake by saying something about choosing a college for the wrong reasons—and that does happen. Students choose colleges to impress others, to be with their high school friends, to be near a sweetheart, to feel comfortable. But the wrong reasons can unexpectedly lead you to a wonderful college experience.

No, the biggest mistake you can make is to rush the process—to start too late and then be forced to choose hastily. I had a conversation on the Kenyon campus recently with a wonderfully talented senior from Colorado who was running around the country, five days before May 1, checking out the 12 colleges he was admitted to. He confessed that he really wasn't into the college search process his junior year. "I don't know—maybe I was in denial that I was going to have to leave home," he said. "My friends who started earlier have already made their decision—I wish I had started earlier," he said ruefully.

I have every hope that this thoughtful student will make an informed and appropriate decision, but the pressure he is feeling, not to mention the exhaustion of doing back-to-back visits, could have been avoided if he'd started researching and visiting colleges in his junior year. The college search is a process —and that means it takes time for feelings, facts, and realities to sink in. The journey is nonlinear; you'll have one set of priorities in October and another set in February. That's the way it should be. You're changing a lot your junior and senior years—and so will your ideas about colleges.

So juniors—let the senior from Colorado's words inspire you to start researching and visiting campuses this spring and summer! Then, weeks (and maybe even months) before May 1, you'll know what home you're choosing for the next four years.

What about interviews? Should I have one, and when?

Perhaps you're booking your spring college visits and you're discovering that some schools will interview juniors while others won't. Your parents might be urging you to interview; perhaps you feel a little hesitant. Before you decide whether to take the plunge, let's talk about the role of the interview.

The interview is not the grand inquisition you're anticipating. Rather, it's an opportunity for you to learn more about the college, through the eyes of an admissions officer or upperclass student, and an opportunity for them to learn more about you. (We write up a short summary of our conversation with you, noting your engagement, interest level, and fit with Kenyon.) When I interview students, I follow whatever thread comes up. If they want to talk about their favorite class, great. If they want to ask questions (some even write them down beforehand), I answer to the best of my ability. It really doesn't matter what we talk about—it's just that we talk, and we get a sense of how students view themselves and their education. My favorite interviews are those that are basically an enjoyable conversation: easy, illuminating, and fun. But that all depends on chemistry, not something easily controlled. Other officers at Kenyon have a set of questions that they like to cover in their interviews in order to ferret out the essence of the candidate. I could tell you some of their questions, but that would be spoiling the fun!

That leads to reviewing some of the questions you need to ask yourself before deciding whether to interview or not. Do you have a sense of what you're looking for in a college? That question will inevitably come up, and if you haven't yet established clear criteria for your choice, then it might be wise to hold off on interviewing until the elements of college choice start to sort themselves out. You can use the analogy of shopping here. If you walk into a department store without any clear idea of what it is you're looking for, you'll wander around for a while. When a clerk asks, "May I help you?" and you still don't know what you're looking for, the question may be annoying. If, however, you are looking for a black sweater, you will welcome the help.

The same logic applies to "shopping" for a college. If you know you're interested in small classes or research opportunities or a particular program, the interviewer will be able to help you locate what you're looking for. For this reason, students usually have a more productive interview after they've visited a few schools, done some research, and established some preliminary criteria. If you're a junior and have already arrived at this point, then go for the interview! Most schools will write a summary of your conversation and include it in your file if you choose to apply. You can feel free to ask colleges whether their interviews are evaluative; this will also inform your choice of when and where to interview. Some students "practice" interviewing at schools close to home, and that is completely fine—just don't tell the interviewer that's what you're doing! You never know what school might seize your imagination, so leave yourself open to being surprised.

A word about who interviews you. At Kenyon, both officers and "admissions fellows," who are college seniors, do interviewing. Don't worry about who interviews you; it's often a matter of who is available. Our admissions fellows are trained paraprofessionals, and their evaluations are as important as those done by officers. The advantage of interviewing with a fellow is that they are close to the experience you hope to soon have and they can provide more "on-the-ground" answers to your questions. Plus, you'll get a sense of who chooses Kenyon. Feel free to ask the interviewer, "Why did you choose the college? What do you like, or not like?" Now you're the one conducting the interview!

With so many schools out there, where (and how) do I begin?

While most students usually know only a handful of colleges, there are actually nearly 4,000 institutions in this country. So relax: dozens of them can be right for you. And that's the most critical thing to remember as you go through this process. You will find many "right" colleges.

So how does one begin? First, of course, you need to assess yourself your goals, learning styles, preferences, and so on. We covered this important first step of the college search in an earlier newsletter. Read all about it at: http://www.kenyon.edu/tips.xml

Once you've done a "personal assessment," you can jump into the process by doing any number of fun things. Visiting colleges close to home is a great way to start sorting out what might be important to you in terms of college choice. I took my daughter to visit a college six long hours from home one that I was sure she would love only to have her say, "I don't want to go here." I asked her why. "It has no sense of community." I didn't know, nor did she, that community was important to her until that visit! We could have discovered that this was an important criterion to her by visiting colleges much closer to home. Spring break is a great time to visit colleges. But be aware that many colleges are also closed at that time. It's best to visit when colleges are in session if at all possible.

You can also begin by using any of a number of Web sites designed for purposes of helping students identify colleges that meet their personalized criteria. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (www.ucan-network.org) has the most unbiased site, as it was developed by an association of colleges. A few additional sites worth checking out: the College Board's (www.collegeboard.com), Peterson's (www.petersons.com), and Unigo (www.unigo.com). These sites can put before you colleges you've never heard of before but don't turn away from these schools just because they aren't familiar! You may discover one that's just right. I guarantee you, once you hear of one of these "lesser known" colleges, the name will spark positive responses from folks who have heard of it.

There are some missteps you can make in adding colleges to your list. Don't add a college because the name impresses others or because the school is highly ranked. Rankings are not a valid way to evaluate quality.

Once you've honed your list to a manageable number, start cruising Web sites. Take the online tour. Read the student newspaper if you can. Check out courses in your preferred major. I also often recommend the Fiske Guide to Colleges. It offers a great and honest perspective on hundreds of colleges. And don't forget to ask those you know and trust your teachers, coaches and counselors what they know about the colleges on your list.

Last but not least, once you've tightened your list even further, sign up to receive information from those colleges that interest you. That way you'll hear about open houses and other special opportunities. Colleges are eager to establish a relationship with you but they can do so only if they know how to contact you.

Happy searching!