Spring reveals a busy, often anxious stage for those who plan to be college bound next Fall.  At DVC, we fully expect to see students grow a “third ear” with their cells affixed to their ear-drum 24/7.  UCLA reveal their transfer student acceptance decisions on April 30th, while Cal seems to relish in sharing their decisions on May Day, the 1st.  The gods at Mt. Olympus will be reaching for ear-plugs that weekend, even as parents reach for their digitalis pills and home equity web-sites.  Expect more than a few, ahem, parties that weekend.
So… conversations across Benicia’s living rooms, cellphones, blogs and internet will likely start to be about which specific college – the fates willing – will a student choose to attend. Here are some significant points to consider well:

1. Cost. Many a student spends the first two years of college at a local community college, and benefits from low-cost tuition and fees, small classes, teachers committed first and foremost to teaching, and a  chance to explore and feel out their academic and career options. When that person eventually transfers to a so-called four year school (most students today statistically take longer than four years) for their bachelor’s degree, the degree is awarded from that four year institution, and says so on the diploma.  Meanwhile, the cost savings and opportunities to explore options early in their careers are considerable.
On the other hand, financial aid programs abound, not merely for the super-talented or the economically-strapped. I believe firmly in finding ways to finance institutions of higher education that students dearly wish to attend –  even the expensive ones — so long as they’ve done their homework, researched reputable sources, freely chosen their goal, and have a solid, clear sense of what to expect. College is an investment that matures and pays off over a person’s entire lifetime in many ways, not merely in dollars and cents. www.finaid.org  is worth visiting for financial aid options, for starters.

2. Program offerings and reputation. First, let’s state the obvious:  does the college offer the undergraduate major and/or minor that you specifically want?  And are you clear what you are asking for?   Check their catalogue—all are available on the web—and look at its index. Read what they’re stating with an open mind, and then visit the web-site for that major for more information, links and dialogue.  (Most are available at the left side-bar of the www.assist.org site for the four- year, public institutions of California.)
Last year, Diablo Valley College was the leading community college in the state – and that means the world at large – for transferring students to UC Berkeley.  There.   Applause accepted.   BUT!   As for a highly-rated institution – and rating systems have been accused often of poor research – it may or may not have a stellar department in the major that you wish to pursue.  Dig around! Or, it may have a focus that doesn’t suit your interest.  For example, a Psychology major may wish to learn strong interpersonal, human relations skills and theory.  They may see their career goals in the arena of family counseling, one-to-one therapy models, etc.  That student may care far less about the physiological bases of people’s perceptions, motivation and behavior.  However, physiology is certainly an area of study in Psych – and a growing area.  It needs to train students in hard-core clinical research, lab-testing with animals, measurement and charting of responses, behavioral conditioning, etc.  The two emphases are, of course, complimentary; but a student may wish to specialize in one concentration over another. So – determine if the campus you attend has several such options or not.

3. Type of campus – what are the demographics of your potential school?  The Barron’s and Peterson’s Guides are useful here, as is the College Board’s web-site that allows you to compare/contrast different colleges
(see  www.collegeboard.com ).  The www2.calstate.edu   site also allows comparisons among the 23 CSU schools.  What is the male/female ratio, the school’s undergraduate/graduate enrollment?  Is it primarily a rural, suburban or urban school?  Do you have particular interests in knowing of the demographics on average age, ethnicity, clubs, sports, financial aid awards, out-of state or international populations?   How far is it from home, and how will you handle the long-distance travel, phone calls, and potential for typical “college homesickness” at various points?
Above all, visit the campus first hand with people whose observations you trust, and then visit two or three others.  This perspective and contrast that can help clarify your own preferences.  Stay overnight, visit the town or city nearby, and see the campus over a 24  hour period. Take the standard campus tour (some are self-led) and the virtual tours, but remember that those are usually manicured, public relations-oriented exercises.  Supplement them by honest talk with students attending the campus who are the actual consumers of the educational services, especially students in your desired major. How do they feel about the services, their peers, campus safety and the facilities? Are the faculty available, enthusiastic, up-to-date, and willing to give of themselves for their students?  A college’s glossy reputation without those components is a college that is merely coasting….

4. Location. While this also links to the above point, I’d like to present a different angle:  That of the transition from college to career.  While it may seem overwhelming to even consider careers at this stage, here’s a reason to at least ponder it:  Many students will major in areas whereby they will have an excellent opportunity to “sample” the local job market in their particular field. Colleges increasingly are demanding “hands on” experience from their students in the “real world” of work.  Oftentimes, this will be done by virtue of meeting their college’s major requirements for field work, internships, supervised volunteer time, class visitations, summer or holiday jobs, etc.
As a result, students from any number of major fields of study will be particularly marketable in the area in which the college is located.
Consider, for example, freshly-graduating teachers, nurses, occupational therapists, business, journalism and communication majors. They can’t help but  be learning the local  job market by their immersion in college study, and through the networking and internship possibilities garnered from field studies and by talking with their profs and their classmates.  That is not to say that students seeking work after graduation are limited to that immediate geographic area. But after all:  if you want to move to… say, Nebraska….who’s gonna know you?  Or your school’s reputation and career pipeline (in most cases).  Simply try asking yourself and your family:  From what I know about the larger community that this college is in, would I seriously consider starting my career in this locale?
Why? Because many a student has done just that!

Rob Peters is a semi-retired counselor at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. He’s both taught and counseled students for more than 30 years.

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