Choosing a college: it's not just about the "rank"

It is that time of year. Students are finding out whether or not they have been admitted to the college they applied to. Those who applied to multiple colleges and universities will need to make a choice: where they are going to spend the next four years of their life. There are many factors that determine whether or not a school is a good fit for the student: size of the school, location, setting, tuition, major etc. Does the college have a reputation for being a “party” school? How is the food? And of course, there is that one factor that sells millions of copies of a certain magazine that is published once a year that provides a “rank” for colleges. Inside this particular magazine you will find an explanation of how this magazine ranks colleges. However,  there is a growing consensus, supported by educational research, that “rank” is not the most important factor, rather the most important factor may be a school’s level of “student engagement.”

How is “student engagement” defined?

According to Alexander C. McCormick, PhD, Director of The National Survey of Student Engagement at Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, “Student engagement is shorthand for a variety of practices and conditions that promote learning in college. The core of engagement is effective educational practices, that is, activities that prior research has found to be related to desired learning outcomes. Time on task, activities that require students to engage deeply with material in and outside of class, high expectations set by faculty and a college climate that promotes and supports academic success are all parts of engagement. NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) has identified five clusters of activities and conditions that can be seen as distinct facets of engagement: academic challenge, active & collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences (including things like learning communities, study abroad, research with faculty, internships & field experiences, culminating senior experiences, and interactions with people of different backgrounds) and a supportive campus environment.”

Sounds like getting a good college education depends on many factors related to learning. Imagine that, picking a college based on the idea that a student will have many opportunities to have an enriching educational experience. What a novel concept!

Although not as widely publicized as that “other” magazine, the NSSE does provide free information about participating colleges and universities in terms their levels of student engagement.
Here are some important and useful NSSE links:

• For types of questions about the undergraduate experience you could we ask admissions personnel and other representatives from the colleges and universities you are considering:

http://nsse.iub.edu/faq/pfaq.cfm#questions

http://nsse.iub.edu/html/pocket_guide_intro.cfm

• For non-ranked results of surveyed colleges and universities you might be considering:

http://nsse.iub.edu/html/usaToday.cfm

http://www.collegeportraits.org/

Just remember, getting a good college education is not about those school names that you hear floating around the room at cocktail parties. Some people think it is a whole lot more.