the ranking phenomenon
23
www.petersons.com
The first step, most educators agree, is for students to know what
they want from college. They should ask themselves:
1.
What do I expect the college experience to be like?
2.
What do I expect to gain from four or more years of learning?
3.
Does the institution help students make the transition to higher
education through orientation programs that introduce students
to college life?
4.
Does the institution make writing--as well as speaking and
critical thinking skills--a priority across the curriculum?
5.
Is general education an essential part of the curriculum?
6.
Does the institution value undergraduate teaching and require
teachers to make students their top priority?
7.
Does the institution promote student participation in the form of
discussion groups, projects, research, and off-campus study?
8.
Are students provided the opportunity to develop their own majors
and participate in independent study?
9.
How does the institution measure a student's success both during
and after graduation?
10.
How does the institution support students' academic and social
needs?
These are fundamental questions, yet they are too often overlooked
in a society where many students never question the decision to at-
tend college and at a time when the value of a college education is
assumed to be nothing more than the value of a college diploma. But
if they are not asked, and if students head off to a school that may be
"good" but doesn't satisfy their needs or interests, disappointment is
often the result.
The goal is not simply to find a college or university that is good,
but an institution that is a good fit. After all, getting into college is
