Today’s college search process requires students to consider several factors as they choose the best fit for themselves. Old considerations are campus size, location, academic and cultural fit, and cost.
An academic institution’s regional strength should be another top concern, especially when looking ahead to the job market, said Gabe Cramer, managing director of mentoring at college admissions consulting firm Command Education.
For example, “If you’re going to a school in Boston, there’s tremendous competition between Northeastern, Harvard, MIT, and Boston University, to name a few, [looking] for employment opportunities in the area, which are likely to go to graduates from the most prestigious schools here,” he said.
As you edit your wish list of schools, it’s also worth researching what university lab and research opportunities are like. “Are they accessible and plentiful? “Some schools are incredible search engines, but it can be difficult for students to secure such opportunities,” Cramer said.
Finally, as you go on campus visits and talk to regional admissions officers, “Trust your gut. There’s no science behind it, but your instincts are often right. Whether you have a strong positive or negative reaction, it has tend to be true. You’re the one going there. Even with all the advice you’re getting, you’re spending the next four years or so of your life there. You’re also going to spend a lot of time NOT in the classroom is no longer a schedule from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Your time outside of the classroom will also affect your experience,” Cramer said. “You have to be comfortable with that.”
Taking this due diligence a step further, smart students should investigate the curriculum and degree offerings at their top institutions of interest. Their differences can be the deciding factor in deciding where to sign up.
Additionally, career service offerings are still a top consideration, according to Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of the Princeton Review, a leading tutoring, test preparation and college admissions services company.
“Will students leave this school to gain an essential career? Does a college offer experiences outside the classroom through internships, co-ops, experiential learning opportunities, international experiences? All of this should complement what they are doing inside the classroom to set them up for an outstanding career after graduation,” he said.
The heated political climate on college campuses is another dynamic affecting college choices right now.
“I think it’s certainly something students should consider,” Franek said. “Whether a school leans politically left or right, whether queer students are accepted or not, whether diverse students interact — that’s part and parcel of what your experience will be in and out of the classroom. Students would be doing a disservice if they wouldn’t think about those things with counselors and parents as part of research and adaptation.”
Here are some future proofed schools and courses that may pique your interest.
Politically minded
With the Middle East in turmoil and turmoil elsewhere, you may be keen to improve your peacemaking and negotiation skills for the sake of the world.
If so, George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies/Latin American studies, hemispheric studies, or a Bachelor of Science in international affairs.
If you focus on the Middle East, lessons in Business Arabic, Israeli media, the Arab-Israeli conflict, land and power in Israel/Palestine will be first on your course curriculum.
Additional academic institutions to target for such a study include Tufts University, American University, and Smith College.
Healthy living
Healthcare heroes shined during the pandemic, and the fields in which they practice have not lost their allure. Aspiring nurses should look to Angelo State University in Texas for its award-winning nursing programs. The BSN degree offered here prepares students for careers as registered nurses (RNs) in any health care setting. Dose calculations in nursing, adult health nursing, pharmacology, and obstetric and pediatric nursing practices are exemplary courses here.
Research Baylor University, Drexel University, University of Delaware, and Villanova University also offer comparable high-quality programs.
Climate control
With wildfires and other natural disasters ever-present, considering a career in environmental studies is timely. Schools like Emory University, Northeastern University, SUNY Binghamton, and Colorado Boulder are gaining electives for this subject, to name a few.
For example, at SUNY Binghamton, graduates of either the BA in environmental studies or BS in environmental science programs here should be able to address broad environmental and societal concerns in these fields. Some classes to consider are environmental ethics and policy, farm-to-table food, and people and the physical environment. Typical career paths for graduates include positions within advocacy groups or consulting firms, environmental law, and public and private sector jobs.
Social skills
We live in a world of social media. Such platforms are our real-time sources for both breaking news and product/service marketing, and much in between.
It follows, then, that schools for unknown social media moguls and journalism majors are a magnet. Leading candidates include American University, Arizona State University, Boston University, New York University, Syracuse University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
At Syracuse University’s School of Public Communications, bachelor’s degrees are offered in the fields of advertising, broadcast and digital journalism, public relations, magazine news and digital journalism, television, radio and film. Classes specific to the social media-minded include Social Media for Communicators, Social Media and Society for Public Relations, and Social Media and Data for the Music Business.
Shrink wrapped
Calling them all mental health crusaders. With crime and mental illness across all ages and socioeconomics dominating the news, psychology experts should be well employed in the future.
Excellent schools for such degrees include Agnes Scott College, Barnard College, Florida State University, Ohio State University Columbus, Quinnipiac University, Siena College, and State University of New York Geneseo.
For the BA psychology degree at Siena College, interesting courses included in the curriculum are child psychology, personality theories, tests and measurements, and physiological psychology.
shark tank
America’s wave of entrepreneurship shows no sign of abating. If you want to swim with the sharks and be your own boss, getting a business school or finance degree is a smart option.
Some of the best places to pursue such academic interests are Babson College, City University of New York Baruch College, University of Miami, Pace University, and University of Florida, among others.
At Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, the BA in Entrepreneurship helps students cultivate their entrepreneurial mindset to prepare them for experiences in startups, large companies, or nonprofits in the fields of technology, finance, healthcare , education or art. . Classes sure to ignite the solo-flyer spirit include developing an entrepreneurial mindset, family business dynamics, the art of persuasion, social entrepreneurship, new venture financing, and multicultural entrepreneurial experiences.
Computer literate
In our digital age, those at the forefront of computer engineering and computer science can forge their own paths more easily than many others. Whether it’s forensics, gaming, machine learning, artificial intelligence or drone software, the opportunities and avenues are many and exciting for today’s ambitious computer gurus.
Exciting paths begin at graduate institutions such as Brown University, the California Institute of Technology, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Los Angeles. A bachelor’s degree is also offered in the related field of electrical technology and computer engineering here. Classes include computing, circuits and systems, microprocessors, engineering ethics and technology practice, and principles of operating systems.
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