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

a pin on a map

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!

 

Carnival of Family Life, Newest Edition

Today’s Carnival of Family Life is hosted by Write From Karen.  This Carnival is tremendous.  The wealth of information is overwhelming.  Karen does an outstanding job of organizing the posts.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
David B. Bohl presents What Can Your Kids Teach You About Technology? posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, “Technology. The word itself is enough to strike fear into the hearts of those of us old enough to remember when a three-day turn around on postal mail was considered speedy communication, especially after spending some time with today’s young technological savants.”
hank@myinvestingblog.com presents What Effect Does It Have On The Economy When Companies Stop Offering Student Loans? posted at My Investing Blog, saying, “Thought it worth while, finding $$$ for your college aged student might be getting tougher!”
Trevor McKay presents Detection of Early Alzheimers posted at The Alzheimers Resource Centre. This one has nothing to do with College, but I found it interesting, because my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 60.  And, to make this disease more fun, my mother-in-law was diagnosed at age 58.  I think I’d be pretty good at detecting early Alzheimer’s.  Not exactly a skill I had hoped to develop, but…there you have it.
Enjoy the Carnival!
Mark Montgomery
Great College Advice

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: Is It Really An Important Statistic?

students sitting in classroom and teacher is standing while poiting towards screen

Student-to-faculty ratio is generally considered to be an indicator of the quality of the educational experience at a college. The lower the ratio, the more personal and intimate the experience ought to be. And yet some colleges have very low ratios and enormous class sizes. Plus, these statistics are easily manipulated by campus administrators.

But what do they really tell us about the quality of a campus. I spent some time on a campus recently and asked students and faculty about the student to faculty ratio. Everyone said it was important, but no one could explain why it’s an important indicator.

Have a look at what I posted on YouTube.

Check out these links for more insights about student-to-faculty ratios and average class size as indicators of educational quality.

And if you want to explore the unintended, negative consequences of having small classes and low student-to-faculty ratios, check out my explanation.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant and College Planner