Overline: The Principal’s Office

For readers joining this series in progress, I’m guiding parents and students through the complex college admissions process, step by step. As I’ve said and I’m sure you’ve heard, this can be very intimidating. My goal is to make it much more manageable by being methodical and organized. I’m addressing the students— with the hope that their parents are “eavesdropping.”

In the first two installments of this series, I talked about the need for a family meeting to set some parameters before the senior gets his or her heart set on a school which is just not feasible for a variety of reasons. Then I discussed the need to narrow the field, so to speak. How do you begin to put together a list of schools to which you will apply? I underscored the need for campus visits before finalizing those decisions. I expressed my shock at how many seniors apply without having made those trips, only to be disillusioned when they begin their college careers. And I stressed the need for planning those trips, mapping out the routes before taking off. Finally, I emphasized the information you must find out from the admissions office before getting into the car.

Next up: What do you look for when you’re on campus? Before we get started, let me urge you to take notes. After several visits, all the schools will start to run together and you won’t remember one from the other. Write down a capsule description of each … what you liked most and what you liked least. I’d even add a letter “grade” for each school.

First, take the tour from the student guide. Ask questions — anything and everything you want to know about the school. For example: How big are the classes? Are the professors readily accessible to students? What extra help services are available? If you are a special needs student, what support is provided? If you have a major in mind, does the school offer courses and have a strong department in that area? Where do students eat? Is there a choice? A required meal plan? If you have special dietary needs, will they be accommodated? What about special facilities — the libraries, the laboratories, the gyms? Are they open all the time? What is the social life like? Do students tend to stay on campus on the weekends — or is this a “suitcase school” when students go home or to nearby cities? Is the fraternity/sorority system a major part of the school? What sports and extracurricular activities exist? Is there something to your particular liking? And the list goes on! Quite a bit of information you need to find out! I hope that now you understand why the campus visits are so important.

Second, buyer beware! After taking the tour, don’t be shy about approaching random students and getting their take on the school: what they like most … what they like least … and what surprises they found on arrival. The cafeteria or library is a good place to get this information. You’ll get the real scoop. An accurate picture of what the college is really like will start to emerge.

Again, caveat emptor. I want to share one of my favorite stories. During the scripted tour at one college, we were shown a large dormitory room which looked as though it had been decorated by Martha Stewart, with everything matching from the curtains to the garbage pail. I was very impressed. I wouldn’t have minded living there! Then I asked the tour guide: “Do all the dorm rooms look like this?” After a pause, the guide sheepishly replied, “No.” This was the “model” which had received a “makeover” from a local bed and bath shop. Hence, I assertively asked to see a more “typical” one. The guide complied, and took me to another down the hall. It looked as though a tornado had ripped through it. The room was half the size, with a narrow corridor between two beds, desks and standing closets at the opposite end. Books, papers, yogurt cups and tissues were strewn all over the place. Dirty clothes were piled high, underwear and towels were hanging everywhere, and a slightly used jockstrap was suspended from the lighting fixture. Not a pretty picture! True, this wasn’t the school’s fault. But do you get my point? You have to ask questions and dig deeper on these tours to get the “real” insights.

So much for the campus visits. In the next installment, we’ll look at the variables to consider when putting together your final list of schools to which you’ll apply. I think you’ll be surprised to see how long that list is. I’ll also talk about the optimum number of schools to which to apply.

Dr. Steven Kussin was a high school principal for 21 years. You can hear his “CBS on Education” reports three times a day weekdays on WCBS Newsradio 880. He is also an adjunct professor at Hofstra University and an educational consultant for school districts around the country. Contact him at sk3015@aol.com.