Academics - College Admission Counseling

Block Plans at College – Are They a Good Fit For You?

Jared Hobson — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:17:48 +0000

The other night I stood at a local college fair and listened to numerous students and parents walk up to colleges and ask, “what makes your college different?” Sometimes, colleges who may be strong in a variety of academic areas across the board – but not have a specific strength – have a hard time answering this question.

However, colleges such as Colorado College and Cornell College can easily answer this question from prospective students. The answer? Their block plan.

For those of you unfamiliar with block plans, they are a unique academic approach that allow students to take one class at a time for three and a half weeks. This differs substantially from the traditional semester approach where students juggle four or five classes at one time. These block plan courses may allow for experiential learning and deep focus into subjects you are interested in.

For example, professors may be more willing (and able) to take you on a significant field trip since you don’t have to worry about missing another class. Their course is the only one you are taking at the time. You will also be able to immerse yourself in the subject matter and explore it from every angle. Do you dislike feeling the need to switch subjects to prep for another test in a different course before you feel you have completely learned and mastered the material for the one you are taking? Block plans might be for you. Most block plan classes are small and discussion based. With the extended learning time you may also have the chance to develop a strong connection with your professor.

As you are thinking about what college you want to attend, it is important to always consider the academic options offered and the type of curriculum that best suits your learning style. Read more on the subject of exploring colleges with unique curriculums as discussed in my previous blog post When Looking At Colleges Don’t Forget To Look at the Curriculum .

Great College Advice

The post Block Plans at College – Are They a Good Fit For You? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

What’s A Party School? Greek Life, Drinking, Making Good Choices

Jared Hobson — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:13:15 +0000

While on a tour of colleges in Ohio, I made a stop at Ohio Wesleyan University to have a look around. OWU is a nice mix of both the liberal arts and professional education on a relatively small, intimate campus in Delaware, Ohio.
OWU is known to be something of a party school, and its Greek life (fraternity and sorority life) is very strong. However, it’s unfair to single out Ohio Wesleyan as somehow more of a party school than any other campus in America. Opportunities to get drunk, do drugs, and otherwise misbehave exist at all colleges and universities.
The issue is more about the choices one makes while in college. Some kids–even at the so-called party schools–are making excellent choices and are focused on their education. And just because an individual student drinks now and then does not mean that he or she is not serious about academics. The college years are a time of figuring out priorities, of trying to understand what it means to be an adult. For better or worse, alcohol plays a central role in that exploration.
I stopped to record this short video on the subject. Have a look.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

If you prefer, you may read the transcript below.
***********
I’m here right now on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. This is a Methodist – traditionally Methodist university in Delaware, Ohio, which is just north of Columbus. Ohio Wesleyan University is a nice mix of the Liberal Arts, and Business, and Pre-Professional Education; about 2,000 students, so it’s a very nice, intimate, little campus.
Ohio Wesleyan has a reputation of being a party school, and it’s true that it has a very important fraternity and sorority program of Greek life here, and the administration is often trying to rein the Greek system in and make sure that the alcohol use is under control. But I think it would be unfair to say that Ohio Wesleyan is a party school. I think pretty much every campus in America is a party school in one way or another. There are some where alcohol plays a relatively minor role, but really any campus is going to have alcohol available.
So, for the student who makes good choices – I think that’s what we have to think about when we’re thinking about party schools, is, are students prepared and able to make good choices once they arrive on a college campus? Now, if a student is unable to make those choices and is turned loose, shall we say, on a campus, whether it’s Ohio Wesleyan or any other university campus in America, yes, they’re going to make some bad choices, and end up getting fined and maybe put on probation, as Ohio Wesleyan sometimes does. But really, if you make good choices, if you remember that college is about your education and not just about the partying, then you’re going to get a great education at a place like Ohio Wesleyan.
Now, opportunities are terrific. There are small class-sizes, really good relationships with professors. The opportunities are here. But the opportunities also are here for getting into trouble, so that’s really the case at any college campus.
As you’re making choices about which school, yes, you can decide whether you want the Greek system or whether you don’t want the Greek system, but what you really need to decide is, how are you going to stay on track academically and achieve your goals educationally, so that that will propel you into your future?

The post What’s A Party School? Greek Life, Drinking, Making Good Choices first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Centre College: A Gem in Central Kentucky

Jared Hobson — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:06:21 +0000

As college consultants, we visit colleges all the time. In order to be able to recommend a college to a particular student, it really helps for us to spend some time on a campus.

For years I have read about Centre, but have never visited; this year I have a student applying, so I took a quick trip last week. It is located near beautiful Lexington, Kentucky horse country in the small town of Danville, Kentucky. A “Colleges That Change Lives” school, students to whom I spoke testified that their lives had indeed been changed by their Centre experience.

One student from Colorado told me that not only were the academics superb. But that experiences we have here culturally and personally, in leadership positions and service opportunities. Really make us much more confident and interesting people.” Students told me that the small student body of about 1220 created an intimacy which they loved. And that they had very close relationships with professors, who are “almost all are really good teachers.” The campus is beautiful and does not feel small.

They are famous for their Centre Commitment, which guarantees all students three things: 1. an internship, 2. study broad, and 3. graduation within four years, or Centre will provide up to a year of additional study tuition-free. When asked, the admissions office said that it had never come to that! They also have a 4-1-4 calendar, which allows for a shorter study abroad or a focused month long course on campus just after the winter holiday break.

As my colleague mentioned in her blog post about Redlands last week. There are definitely opportunities for top students to receive generous merit scholarships here as well. Centre is often on the lists of “Best Buy” schools, and this year the “comprehensive fee” of tuition, room and board is a relatively reasonable $40,075. The top 30% of applicants receive $14,000/year in merit aid alone; that makes yearly tuition $26,075, a best buy indeed.

I was surprised and so impressed to learn this about Centre. This past semester the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and 29-year old conductor Gustavo Dudamel visited the United States. They performed in two places: Carnegie Hall and Centre College. Centre is home to the Norton Center for the Arts, a large auditorium which brings world class performances to campus. College President Roush states, “When you give a student an opportunity to be around greatness. Then they can imagine that they too might be able to do great things. The most important impact is that our people from Centre College believe that anything is possible.”

Later this semester the Joffrey Ballet and Stomp will grace the stage at the Norton Center. My tour guide already had tickets for herself and a large group of friends. She had already seen Smokey Robinson and Tony Bennett this year. Who she said “looked great for their ages.” Credit is even awarded to students who attend a certain number of events at the Norton Center.

So WOW!! I loved Centre. So did everyone I spoke to on campus.

The post Centre College: A Gem in Central Kentucky first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

Creating a Major

Jared Hobson — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:01:13 +0000

I often work with students who really have no idea what they want to major in when they enter college. We will do career assessments, research different aspects of an academic department, but sometimes they just can’t narrow it down to one potential career or major. There is so much pressure (from parents, teachers, society in general) to “know” what you want to be when you grow up, but often times, even grown ups don’t know what they want to be. That is why I love schools that let students design their own major.
Often times, the students I work with have a hard time nailing down a major because they are interested in so many things. Art, music, science, law, why would you want to eliminate any of these subjects? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights some of the 900 colleges and universities that are now offering “individualized majors.” While the structure of design your own major programs is going to vary from school to school, the opportunity will still allow students to explore their interests in a variety of different subjects or focus on a specific aspect of their chosen field. While many schools offer independent study programs, the opportunity to design your own major goes beyond just one research project.
While some critics of design your own major programs claim that a student-created majors are not as beneficial as traditional majors, as long as student is self-motivated and finds a good faculty advisor, the opportunity to study what you are passionate about is priceless.
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant

The post Creating a Major first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

More Advice to Entering Freshmen

Jared Hobson — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:00:58 +0000

Earlier this month the NY Times published short articles of advice to college freshmen written by professors. I was not surprised how many of them emphasized the importance of learning how to write well and the importance of reading, everything from the classics to an everyday newspaper. However, my favorite article was “Don’t Alienate Your Professor” by Carol Berkin. This article covers the importance of classroom etiquette and shows how your demeanor as a student can have a huge affect on your relationship with your professor. One piece of advice I would add to her list: Don’t fall asleep in class!
Katherine Price
Former First Year Student Advisor

The post More Advice to Entering Freshmen first appeared on College Admission Counseling.