TodayCollege rankings not whole story
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Article RatingIt’s that time again. Popular magazines have come out with their annual “ratings” of colleges and universities. Some rate schools on “academic quality,” some on “financial grants,” others on specific programs such as “engineering or business.” Wish that it were this simple.
After a lifetime as a university professor, I offer some opinions to haggard parents seeking the best for their children. The student is more of a key than the institution. A good student at one school will likely be a good student at another school.
Example: Some of my own undergraduate work was at Harvard and some of it at Texas Christian University. The only difference I found was in the competition in the classroom. At Harvard I had to work a little harder due to the tougher competition; the lectures were no better, the courses no more difficult.
Things have changed, of course. Today many schools cater to the student. “You don’t want to take basic English? Well, take ‘The History of Comic Books’ instead.” You think I am kidding? Parents should examine the school “catalog” to see what courses are REQUIRED for entering freshmen. I am still, after all these years, a strong believer in the liberal arts. Universities are not trade schools. A good one helps prepare a student for life, not only for a job.
I have no problem with trade schools. But for the student who expects to enter a profession or go on to graduate work, the university (or college) is the answer. School size, class size, library, etc. are all variables to be examined. As I said, the student is the key to higher education.
Students often think they need to “select a major” immediately on entering the university or college. Nothing is further from the truth. In a good school with liberal arts credentials, virtually all freshmen and sophomores will take the same courses. If that is left up to the student — beware. Most 18-year-olds are not sufficiently mature to make such decisions that will ultimately affect the rest of their lives. And few have the knowledge or expertise to comprehend the staggering number of career possibilities in today’s world.
Specialized courses in a major typically begin in the junior year and continue on in the senior year. By the beginning of the junior year the typical student is better equipped to make a choice of major. Picking a major when applying for admission may exclude the student from a particular institution.
Some majors are more popular than others; hence, it is more difficult to be accepted for admission when selecting certain majors at the outset. Proposing a “major” in a field less popular may help the student to gain admission. Majors can always be changed later. Still another strategy is to enroll in a junior college (like HACC) for the first two years and then transfer to the chosen college or university for the final two years and the degree.
Junior colleges (or community colleges) are sometimes disparaged by students (and parents), but some may actually be superior in many respects to the larger, nationally known universities. I say that based on my personal experience. In some of the larger universities, professors actually refuse to teach freshmen or sophomores.
Such courses may be taught by graduate students instead. Now this does not mean they are necessarily worse teachers than the professors. But parents sometimes are attracted by the “big names” at well known universities and think their children will get to study under these people. Many of the larger universities, however, emphasize research and publication. Thus, the full professors may only teach graduate students.
This short article should by no means be taken to cover the whole complicated business of choosing an institution of higher education. Visiting the campus is advised, talking to parents of kids already enrolled is advised and, as noted earlier, checking out the catalog is a must.
Before closing, I should add two areas which trouble me greatly in higher education today. The first is the inability or unwillingness of many institutions to control abusive drinking. I am not a prude or against “kids having a good time.” Binge drinking, however, seems out of control on many campuses. If a parent finds a school labeled as a “party school,” I would have serious reservations about sending my kids there.
The final item concerns costs. Especially disturbing to me are the very large number of students graduating with huge student loan debts. While student loans have certainly helped many students go to college who would not otherwise be able to afford it, I believe availability of loans has helped kick up college tuition costs.
What’s the answer? I don’t have one. But as a parent I would not let an 18-year-old make the decision on where to go entirely on their own. Thought needs to be given to costs and to the possibility of starting out life after graduation with an enormous debt. Higher tuition does not guarantee a better education, I might add.
James O. Whittaker, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus of Penn State University.
