Beyond ranking and desirable location, the key to a strategic college search - and successful college experience - is developing a school list that focuses on fit. By fit, I mean the school that best matches the student’s educational, social, and cultural needs.

As a former collegiate academic advisor, I was always heartbroken when, despite an abundance of academic opportunities and resources, incredibly talented students came to me struggling academically and personally because they hadn’t factored fit into their college search. Now, when I partner with teens and their families for college planning, I emphasize the importance of a holistic college search that incorporates thoughtful exploration and relationship building to understand campus culture. This process involves using a combination of online research, and whenever possible, campus visits.

When conducting research, I encourage teens to explore campus culture on four levels to determine the best fit. We’ll begin this two-part series by helping students discover if the institution and the student’s academic department of choice are each a good fit.

How Does the Institution Align with the Student’s Needs?

As a starting point, teens and families should review and reflect on the institution’s mission and value statements, history, and strategic plan to understand the context of the school’s heritage, how it evolved to the institution it is today, and what its vision and priorities are for the future.

Teens should also read the president’s and other key leaders’ biographies. These provide insight into the backgrounds and values of the leadership driving the campus vision and culture. Look for variety or recurring themes in their profiles, such as:

• Do key leaders tend to have backgrounds in business, science, or liberal arts?

• Are key leaders affiliated with political or religious organizations, and are these prominent parts of their biographies?

• Do key leaders volunteer in the community, serve on nonprofit or corporate boards, or have deep off-campus community ties?

• What percentage of past and current key leaders are alumni?

Explore recent press releases and scan the school's events calendar. These resources will offer an understanding of the institution’s values and priorities. Keep an eye out for:

• Accomplishments - cutting-edge research, student achievements, institutional recognition

• Campus growth and direction - fundraising initiatives, new construction or building remodels, notable endowments

• Speakers and events - high profile visitors, access to renowned researchers, academic or social focus of events

• Crisis mitigation - application of facts and circumstances, well-balanced response, assurance of safety
  

Teens should ask themselves:

• What community values and environmental factors are most important to me?

• Do the institution's values align with my values?

• Do the speakers, events, and opportunities I will have access to provide opportunities to hear and learn from perspectives both the same as and different than my own?

Clearly, there is so much to research within the institution, itself. It may seem overwhelming, but the financial and emotional costs of enrolling at a school where the student feels like an outsider far outweigh the time spent on this crucial research.

Will the Academic Department Put the Student on the Path to Success?

While the institutional research is key to identifying an all-around fit, getting a good sense of what life will be like inside the student’s academic program is vital. Students spend so much time with peers and the professors in their major, that this aspect of campus life will have a significant impact on their success.

Within the teen’s given academic interests, review the relevant school and departmental websites. Read the departmental overview, letter from and biography of the dean and department head, press releases, student highlights, and faculty research areas.

If a school visit is possible, students should arrange to sit in on a day of classes to get a sense of professor personalities. If in-person meetings are available, the student will want to meet:

• A department advisor

• A faculty member in the student’s main area of interest

• Student ambassadors or tour guides within the student’s major

During these meetings, the student will be able to learn about campus experience and determine if the environment is in alignment with his or her interests, values, and beliefs. The teen will need to come prepared with questions about student life, supports, opportunities, and campus culture. If the student has any particular priorities, this is the time to address them. For example, a student who wants to pursue a career in science but has deep concern for animal protection and rights will ask about the department’s use of lab animals and their animal care and testing practices.

If getting started on this research seems like too much to take in, get in touch with me to schedule an initial conversation. Having guided hundreds of families through this process, I have a lot of groundwork already covered and can help identify schools that are more likely to be a great institutional fit.