THE GOOD MATCH
When I first meet a student, I
am very interested to learn what colleges he and his parents
have considered and what has prompted their interest. Most
often we have to work from that beginning to a reality check,
answering questions that hone in on colleges that will provide
a good match.
THE INGREDIENTS
What are the student's
academic credentials? What are the areas of academic interest?
What kind of a college does the student envision? How does the
student learn best? Is he/she an active learner, a passive
learner? Would small classes work better than larger classes?
Would knowing professors, assisting them on research,
participating with them in projects outside of course work be
an opportunity? Would anonymity suit him/her better? How much
academic challenge does the student seek? Is he/she
comfortable in a competitive setting, or one where
collaborative learning is the rule? Does the student seek a
campus where "community" is strong, where students are
involved in a variety of activities, social, athletic and
civic? Or does he/she prefer to have less involvement? Is it
important to get to know peers with different backgrounds?
Should that school be close to home, or in a new geographic
location? Should it be in a city? Should it be near a city or
in a rural area? Should it have a contained campus? Is size a
consideration?
THE DISCOVERY
Then we have to work through
the name brand issue. Is a student willing to explore schools
he/she has never heard of to discover those that might be
appropriate? Can we welcome new possibilities that student,
parent and counselor can consider with shared enthusiasm?
WHY IS A COLLEGE EDUCATION IMPORTANT?
And as we consider various issues, I search
for their answers to the question: why is a college education
- at a suitable college - important? The answers can reflect a
wide divergence of perspective. At one extreme is the view
that a college education must prepare a student for a specific
career; at the other end of the spectrum is the view that
college is a time to open minds to the past, the present and
the future.
In her October, 2007 inaugural address, Harvard
University's new president, Drew Gilpin Faust, said:
"A university is about learning that molds a
lifetime. We strive to understand who we are, where we came
from, where we are going and why. For many people, the four
years of undergraduate life offer the only interlude
permitted for unfettered exploration of such fundamental
questions. But the search for meaning is a never-ending
quest that is always interpreting and redefining the status
quo, always looking, never content with what is found. An
answer simply yields the next question. This is in fact true
of all learning, of the natural and social sciences as well
as the humanities, and thus of the very core of what
universities are all about."
THE CLAREMONT COLLEGES
In November, I visited
a number of California's outstanding private colleges,
including the five Claremont
Colleges: Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer
and Scripps. While the schools form a consortium located on a
common campus, each has its own identity and focus.
Claremont
McKenna (CMC) is known for its emphasis in economics,
government and international relations. It is self-described
as offering “education and training you need to succeed,”
where “students are goal oriented, career-focused,
driven.…[but] it will give you a lot more than a job…A CMC
education will teach you to think analytically and
critically…and to revise and refine your thoughts in the
process. To grow as a thinker.”
Harvey
Mudd offers undergraduate programs in engineering, science
and mathematics, while also emphasizing the humanities and
social sciences. It prepares its students to “assume
leadership in their fields with a clear understanding of the
impact of their work on society.”
Each school helps its
students achieve distinctive measurable goals, but the
intangible goals are shared. These are two of the five
colleges, all of which prize learning that enriches
individuals, as they seek to build meaningful lives.
THE GOAL:
BLEND PRACTICAL STUDIES WITH THE
HUMANITIES
It is always my goal to honor the
practical results that students and parents expect to gain
from a college education. However, it is also my fervent hope
that they will see the university as a place where students
will challenge themselves to think deeply about our world and
how knowledge of the past, gained through studying the
humanities, will help them to contribute to making the world a
better place. Certainly, I do not believe these expectations
are mutually exclusive. Indeed, the college experience that
stretches the mind while helping the student to develop a
career focus is often the best match of all.