Is a Particular College a "Suitcase School"? Here’s How to Find Out

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A NY Times article mentions that according to a 2012 end-of-year survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, 39% of first-year students at less selective campuses said they had gone home frequently. As the article indicates, this is a concern at regional campuses. And is a trend and culture that many educators are trying to reverse.

College educators and administrators are concerned that too many students heading home each weekend will drain some of the civic life out of their campuses. As well as prevent students from experiencing the challenges and rewards of meeting new people. The trend is part of a vicious cycle. The more deserted campus is on weekends, the less there is to do. Thus more students are apt to leave.

Why Leave Campus?

Students may leave campus on the weekends for a variety of reasons. They go home to visit their family (do their laundry or eat a home-cooked meal), see their high school friends, visit their significant other, or leave for a job. Some students may just leave for a part of the weekend. They may go skiing if the mountains are nearby or take a road trip with their friends to go see an away football game. Whatever the case may be, when you are looking at colleges it is a good thing to ask – is your school a “suitcase school?”

5 big mistakes when applying to college

Many colleges anticipate this question and are quick to respond adamantly that no, there is plenty happening on campus to keep students engaged and wanting to stay involved and on campus. However, you might want to dig a little deeper and ask not only the admissions office but current students and alumni about their opinion on the suitcase school issue.

Here are some questions you could try:

– Do you, or your friends, leave campus on the weekend? If so, why?
– If you stay on campus do you feel that there is enough going on?
– Are students packing up to leave for the whole weekend? Just for the day and coming back?
– Do you ever feel like you might miss something by leaving campus on a weekend?
– Are a lot of students going home on the weekend?
– What if I am from far away and will not be able to get home easily?
– Does the campus empty out on the weekends?
– Is the college doing anything to try and keep students on campus on the weekends?
 

Good luck to you in your college search and decision making process!

 

Calculating the Value of a Public Education When Student Services Suffer Cutbacks

Students and parents are looking for value in higher education, and generally most families see their state colleges and universities as providing the greatest value for the price.

But with public, taxpayer support for higher education declining with the recession, families may have to recalculate their understanding of value.

An article in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) describes the cuts in student services that will have a detrimental impact on the student experience at public colleges and universities.  Of course, most institutions of higher ed want to protect these front-line services, because they know that such services help them to retain and support students through graduation.

But student-affairs divisions are still taking their share of cuts. As a result, she says, staff members are reporting concerns about negative effects on their campuses. They expect fewer face-to-face interactions with students, less progress on new projects, and slower response rates to students’ requests. Staff members also anticipate higher stress levels, increased workloads, and anxiety about further layoffs.

So what is a prospective student to do?  Inquire. Ask about cutbacks and layoffs.  Visit the student affairs office, the financial aid office, the freshman dean’s office.  Ask how the economic crunch has had an impact on that campus. Talk to other students and ask about how easy it is to get good academic advice, or how long the lines are at the financial aid office, or whether the clubs they belong to are getting sufficient financial support from the university.

The fact is that the economic crunch is having an impact on all campuses, public and private.  And it behooves savvy consumers of higher education services to know exactly how budget cuts will affect their educational experience.

Further, it may make sense, given the economy, to consider private colleges and universities.  While no college has gone through the economic downturn unscathed, some have been better able than others to protect student services budgets (as well as financial aid and faculty salaries).  After all, value is a function of both the quality of the service and the price, and you may find–as with so many other things in life–that you get what you pay for.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

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More on Picking the Right College: Large Universities like VCU

I visited Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) last week. It’s a large, public university in a dynamic, urban environment. Some students crave this sort of bustle and excitement. I enjoyed my time on campus, learning especially about its life sciences (a.k.a. biology) and arts programs.
Listen to how important it is to find the right college match–no matter your test scores or grades or interests. There is a college out there that is right for you.

Mark Montgomery
Montgomery Educational Consulting