“Party Schools” – Fact or Fiction?

Written by Guest Author Vivian Kerr

Any parent about to send their child off to college worries whether they’ll truly be getting a return on investment. No one wants to fork over $100,000+ on 4 years of undergraduate just so their student can party like a rock star the whole time. But are these so-called “party schools” really deserving of their reputation?

In 2012, the Top 10 party schools are as follows according to Princeton Review:

1. West Virginia University

2. University of Iowa

3. Ohio University

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5. University of Georgia

6. University of Florida

7. University of California

8. Florida State University

9. Miami University of Ohio

10. Syracuse University

So where on this list is the notorious Penn State? Proof that schools, unlike leopards, might actually be able to change their spots, Penn State has dropped out of the Top 10 . You may recall Penn State’s wild ways documented on a 2009 episode of This American Life called “#1 Party School.” This year it was re-ranked as #11.

This year Penn State was also ranked as one of the top fifty universities in the world, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities in Shanghai. Its reputation for academics is stellar. Students may like to party there, but it would seem they also like to study. Check out the entire podcast from 2009 from This American Life and judge for yourself!

But what about the new Top Ten? It’s true that these schools have active social organizations, including fraternities and sororities, but keep in mind many of these so-called party school “rankings” are online, vote-based. If enough students decide their school is a big “party school,” it may unjustly get ranked as such. Each of these schools has significant “pros” besides the party school label “con.” Find out more on Princeton Review.

This is all the more reason to take tours of prospective schools with your son or daughter. You’ll want to talk to academic chairs and look at the campus itself, of course, but also consider a drive or walk around on a Friday or Saturday night during the school year. Are there a lot of students out? Drinking in public? But more importantly, does it feel safe? These party schools almost uniformly have local police and campus patrols to keep their undergrads in line. Ultimately, it will be up to your student to strike the balance between work and play.

About the Author:

Vivian Kerr: Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring in the Los Angeles area since 2005. She graduated from the University of Southern California, studied abroad in London, and has worked for several test-prep companies including Grockit & Kaplan for whom she taught ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, and did admissions counseling. 

Most Common College Admissions Mistakes & How to Avoid Them (PART II)

A few weeks ago we outlined some of the most common college admissions mistakes and how you can avoid them.  In part II of this series, we will outline a few more mistakes that can be detrimental to your applications.  Remember, if you take your time and do things right, applying to college doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems.  You should begin your applications well before the deadlines and never leave anything to the last minute.

Here are a few additional application and admissions mistakes to avoid:

Asking the Wrong People for Letters of Recommendation:  Colleges typically ask for 1-3 letters of recommendation.  In most cases, they want you to ask your academic teachers.  They want to know about your character and about your performance in the classroom.  The best teachers to ask are those who you’ve had for more than one year and in more than one subject.  It’s also great to ask a teacher who you’ve had in a subject closely related to your intended major (some colleges and/or programs actually will require this).  Do not ask a teacher that you had back in 9^th grade that you haven’t spoken to since, even if you got an A in the class and they loved you back then.  They don’t know you well anymore – they know you as a 9^th grader.  If you know someone famous, say the governor of your state is your uncle’s girlfriend’s brother’s best friend, don’t be tempted to have them write you a letter.  Typically, admissions officers don’t like this.  They really just want someone that truly knows you well, can speak to your character, and that has detailed evidence and personal knowledge of how you work as a student.

Forgetting to Send Test Scores: Don’t forget that sending your test scores to your prospective colleges is your responsibility.  This is done separately from the application.  If you have SAT, SAT Subject Tests, or AP scores to submit, you send your scores through CollegeBoard.org.  If you have ACT scores to submit, you will do this through ACT.org.  This is a very important part of the application process; don’t assume that your guidance counselor or someone else will submit your scores on your behalf.  Look into the testing policies of your potential schools.  Most schools want you to submit all of your test scores and will only take into consideration your highest ones.  Additionally, some schools will require SAT Subject Tests and some won’t.  Make sure you know the exact testing policy of your colleges.

Applying Early Decision When It’s Not The Right Choice:  Be careful, here.  Don’t apply Early Decision only because you think it will be your ticket for admission.  Early Decision is a binding agreement that must be taken seriously.  If you are accepted through an Early Decision agreement, you are legally required to attend the college.  Typically, schools that offer acceptance through Early Decision will not give out generous financial aid packages because they know that you are obligated to attend.  And, you are unable to compare financial aid offers from other schools before making your decision.  Also, many students will change their minds about their college preferences throughout the process as they do more research and go on visits.  For these reasons, we typically do not recommend Early Decision.

Not Proof Reading Application & Essay:  The revision process (of both the application and the essay) is a critical part of the application process.  Spelling and grammar mistakes do not belong anywhere on your application.  It’s a huge pet peeve of admissions reps reading your application.  Steer clear of any text-lingo, too.  It can be habit when you are used to texting, but it has no place on your college applications.  Ask someone with a fresh set of eyes to proof read both your application and your essay before you submit.

Rely on Rankings in Magazines:  Do not confuse college rankings with quality.  Just because a magazine says that a particular college is number one on their list does not mean that it’s a good fit for you.  You may even find that the college of your dreams is ranked number 1 or number 10 or not at all depending on which list you’re looking at.  Colleges can be ranked very differently on different lists due to the different criteria used, not the actual characteristics of the school itself.  Ultimately, be careful.  College rankings can be a good starting point for researching different colleges and can even help you to discover schools that you haven’t heard of.  However, make sure not to confuse rankings and/or selectivity with quality.  You need to do your research and spend some time on campus to decide if it’s right for you.

Remember, the more you know about the process and the more research you do, the better off you’ll be. Using tools like our Admissions Assistance component or our Student Positioning component can make the process a breeze and really help to eliminate unnecessary stress. Take our advice here and you’ll be well on your way to admission as your top choice college. Until next time, best of success!

About Smart Track™ Toolkit: The toolkit is a web based service that assists families with everything from admissions and test prep, to student athletics and financial aid. Our intuitive software and on-demand workshops are key components to making sure students find their top choice colleges, and families can afford to send them there.

About the author: Laura Guarino is the Student Services Coordinator with the College Resource Center, LLC. Laura has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Boston College and a Master’s degree and license in School Guidance Counseling.  She also holds a certificate in College Admissions Counseling.  Laura is at the forefront of the college admissions process for the families of The Smart Track™ Toolkit.

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What Should I Do if I Hate the Colleges My Child is Applying to?

By Sam Coren of Student Advisor

Hate is a strong word. But when it comes to looking out for your kid, it's easy for parents to have knee-jerk reactions when it comes to the college search. Like many teenagers I too had to deal with defending the colleges I wanted to apply to until I was blue in the face. My dad? Every school I thought would be a good fit for me he deemed too expensive, too dangerous (I wanted to be in a city), or too far away and no amount of arguing could convince him otherwise.

While I know he had my best interest in mind, it made my college application process much more stressful than it should have been. Fortunately things worked out in the end - I went to my dream school, graduated with honors, and have a pretty fantastic career. My dad came to the realization that I probably would not have gotten to where I am today if I didn't go to a college I was 100% behind. However getting to that point was not easy, and I couldn’t help but think that much of the tension could have been eliminated if we were better at communicating with each other.

So let's say you're in my dad's shoes 6 years ago and you absolutely can't fathom your child going to any of the schools they have in mind. What should you do to avoid a whole mess of unnecessary drama? Here are some suggestions:

Before you express your disagreement, ask your child "Why?"

Understanding your child's reasons for choosing schools to apply to is absolutely essential to being a supportive parent in the applications process. For me, I only focused my search on schools with strong internship programs and those who offered the niche major I wanted. Size was also another important factor - I didn't want to be lost in a sea of 100+ undergrads in every class. When I explained this to my parents they had a much easier time digesting which schools were going to be better for me than others even if they weren’t completely in love with them.

Don't be a victim to college rankings and brand appeal.

Everyone knows about the various "best college" rankings that come out every year. It's easy for parents (and students) to get caught up in the craze of getting into the highest ranking, most-selective schools. But guess what? The "best college" according to whatever magazine might not be the best college for your child. There are over 2,000 four-year colleges in the US alone and there are plenty of amazing lesser-known schools out there that don't make the Top 100 for any given year. Use college match tools to uncover the hidden gems that might be a good fit and read up on college reviews to see if current students and alumni believe if the school is worth the money.

Understand that picking a college is the first "grown up" decision many teenagers will have to make.

For 18 years you've helped your child make decisions on everything from which clothes they should wear, which classes to take, what friends they can hang out with, etc. Now it's their turn to control their path to success and plan for their future. Badgering your child into picking the college that you would want to go to is a surefire way of alienating them and hurting your relationship. This isn't to say that you should remove yourself from the process completely - it's important for you to guide your child to the places where they can find answers if they're having trouble.

Be careful how you dish out your advice.  It's better to ask questions that make them think about consequences than to accuse them of being flat out wrong. For instance, if a school on their list looks out of your family's price range ask them if they've looked into the financial aid program, scholarships or loans. Once they understand the risks and responsibilities of choosing a pricier school they can make a better-informed decision on the matter.

Sam Coren is the Content Manager for StudentAdvisor.com, a Washington Post education site for college reviews and free resources on “all things college.” You can read more of her insights about the college search process on the StudentAdvisor blog.