How, not where

I work closely with all my clients to make sure that the colleges that land on their final college list are good fits, and that they and their families feel good about their plans to pay for college. I spend a lot of my time and energy figuring out which colleges are the right ones for each student.

That said, there's a significant body of research suggesting that how you go to college matters a lot more than where you go to college. The Gallup-Purdue Index (2014), which studied 30,000 college graduates in the United States to measure the most important outcomes of higher education, found that college selection had no impact on future workplace engagement or long-term well-being. What did affect these outcomes was how students engaged on campus, not where they went to school.

I have three pieces of advice for students about to enroll in college for the first time:

1. De-emphasize the importance of where you are accepted and emphasize what the college experience might be like. Talk about how you want to engage on campus when you get there. What activities or clubs appeal to you? What will dorm life be like? What classes pique your interest?

2. Visit campus before you commit to a particular school. Students who had a good experience visiting campus were more satisfied and were more likely to graduate from that school, and were more likely to graduate in four years.

3. Limit how often you visit home during your first year of college. Understandably, you may feel homesick and want to return to comfort and familiarity on the weekends. Your parents likely will welcome you home. However, research shows that frequent returns home negatively affect student satisfaction. Too much time away from college, especially in the first few months, limits your ability to fully engage in student life, create strong bonds, and get involved in campus offerings. Validate your desire to return home and the feelings driving that urge, while staying on campus on the weekend and getting actively involved in campus life. This will pay off in the long run.

For more information on success in college, use the contact form on my website to schedule your free one-hour consultation! #iec