THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE BOUND FOR COLLEGE NEXT YEAR, and their long-suffering parents, are eagerly — well, mostly eagerly — awaiting word back from various colleges and universities to which they’ve applied for admission. It’s that time of the year. At one college where I worked, we called it the “Season of the Witch.” We watched and heard many a student go through exhilarating off-the-charts joy and anticipation; some compulsively nursed their choices in endless what-if scenarios, while others merely aged in place, teary-eyed and tense, or sometimes crudely medicated for days/weeks at a time. A few, morose, gave up talking — shrugs of the shoulder seemed to suffice. Add in a healthy dollop (particularly within cultures other than ours) of items like family shame, ethnic and generational pride, fear of failure (and sometimes of success) and imagine the prickly mood across campus …

Sometimes a little context — looking at the larger and longer-term picture — helps. Here are a few things to consider for both parent and student:

1) The “Eyebrow Factor.” This refers to the pedigree or prestige that a university seems to have. They might flaunt it, and why not? They may indeed have a dizzying roster of alumni — world leaders in many fields — and the trophies and fame and walk-on-water greatness that truly amaze we remaining mortals. But pause a moment. Have they strength in the major field that you plan to study? And if you don’t reach that vaunted highest stratosphere of academia, is the quality still there for the “average student”? A crested reputation often brings about for intense, competitive pressure as well.

Also, while graduation from any number of these highly impressive institutions is indeed admirable, there seem to be fewer and fewer occupations whereby graduation from such a specific school is virtually mandatory. Sometimes, yes. But high-tech networking options are widely available, while LinkedIn and other websites and programs make job openings (and insider information) easily accessed. In fact, graduation from a prestigious school, say from the Northeast, may not do a student who ends up living in a totally different section of the country much good, at least as far as leveraging personal and professional contacts.

2) The siren call of the college at the beach. Or in the country. Or Manhattan. Or Oz. The point is — location can matter in education a great deal, as in real estate. Some job markets are simply best served, and draw from, the graduates of nearby colleges and universities: Broadway-level directors are not as likely to look closely at students graduating from, say, the Ozark Mountain schools. (No offense, Ozarks.) However, simply because a college is in one-heckuva-great-town, city or near-the-beach, etc., isn’t enough by itself to assure a great education. As one who reveres the beach, for example, it would have been the last place I’d have done good work as an undergrad. Too many distractions, too much great salty air and wind and surf and sun and bikinis … and so, like a Lenten monk, I chose SUNY at Buffalo, honoring the crusty stoic in me, and finding a fantastic English department therein. (And yet still had a great time outside of school as well … )

3) Where you attend college is not as important as how you attend college. Do your research diligently and seriously. Both read and talk endlessly to folks in a position to know about a school. Determine what you want most in a college, and yes, prioritize. But remember that college is, a bit, like life: It’s largely what you make of it that matters, and that applies anywhere and everywhere.

It’s how you seek out friends, counselors, tutors and instructors you can trust, respect and learn from. It’s how you ask for help and support from the professionals and programs all around you. It’s how hard you hone your study skills, critical-thinking and listening skills, and whether you dare to challenge your beliefs, facts, blind spots and long-held perspectives. It’s what courses and clubs and seminars and guest speakers and panels you attend and gain information from — not merely to get by, but to thrive and succeed. (N.B. In this heated global economy and job-marketplace, doing your very “mediocre-ist” won’t cut it.)

When they enter the workplace, this generation will have their job performance reviewed and evaluated like no generation before it. Lifelong learning will be expected and demanded if you wish to continue on successfully. Those habits that you’ve refined in college, any college, will greatly impact your “evidence-based” job performance evaluations regularly. And those greatly determine the potential for your advancement — or non-advancement — in a career.

Given that the average college graduate is looking at some 40 to 45 years of work ahead of them, it’s obvious that you want work that’s fulfilling, profitable, maybe even mostly fun — and a great fit.

College, in addition to its many, many other great adventures, helps one prepare for those challenges ahead.

Rob Peters is a long-time resident of Benicia. He has been a full-time counselor at Diablo Valley College for more than two decades.

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