With acceptance letters in the mail and due dates for enrollment deposits rapidly approaching, high school students across the nation this month face a tough decision: Where to go to college?
But deciding what school to attend doesn't have to be stressful. Experts offer some helpful advice to some vexing questions:
* How safe is the campus?
A college should give parents and potential students peace of mind. Make sure you check a school's crisis policies and procedures, recommends Bernard Drobnicki, director of public safety at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. It doesn't hurt that Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson, the former chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is a seasoned crisis manager. "I know a lot of students take comfort knowing that President Jackson will calmly lead the university through any crisis," says Drobnicki.
* Will I just be a number?
When Erin Crocker from Wilbraham, Mass., started her first semester at Rensselaer, she wanted to continue her amateur sprint car racing career. School administrators and professors ponied up a $25,000 sponsorship for her race team and her car, and coordinated tests and assignments she missed while on the racing circuit. "I wasn't just a number or a tuition check to Rensselaer," says Crocker, who is now a senior majoring in industrial and management engineering. "They really encouraged me and helped boost my career. A lot of schools don't take that same sort of interest in their students."
* Can I get a job when I graduate?
"Check each college's career development Web site for placement and employment statistics," suggests Tom Tarantelli, director of Rensselaer's Career Development Center. "The average starting salary for a Rensselaer engineer or computer scientist was $55,000 last year. I'm sure that helped a few prospective students decide to enroll," he added.
* How do I afford college?
Make sure the school accepts "alternative funding," says Jim Stevenson, director of financial aid at Rensselaer. "Rensselaer allows students to keep outside scholarships without reducing their total scholarship packages. But some schools require you to report outside scholarships so they can reduce scholarship funding accordingly."
Stevenson also says, "make sure you get all you deserve." The top math and science students at almost 3,000 high schools around the world are automatically eligible for the $15,000-per-year Rensselaer Medal Scholarship. To see a list of participating Medal schools, click on http://66.40.170.198/medalist/.
* I have a laptop, but can I use it?
A school's technological capabilities must meet your needs and expectations. While a number of colleges and universities are equipping campus facilities for mobile computing, it doesn't mean that the service is available 24/7. "Make sure you can 'plug and play' anywhere on campus," says Sharon Roy, director of academic and research computing at Rensselaer. "As one of the most wired campuses in the U.S., Rensselaer offers ubiquitous computing, even in its residence halls. For today's tech-savvy students, that's really important."
* Should I visit the school? What if I'm far away?
Many colleges have what they call "Accepted Student Celebrations," says Teresa Duffy, dean of enrollment management at Rensselaer. "These events are a great way to meet other students and get a real feel for campus."
If you can't get there physically, most schools have great virtual tours and offer chat rooms where you can talk privately with counselors or students to get the lowdown. Rensselaer's Web site, for example, contains a link to an interactive, guided tour for students complete with "focused special interest" tours and flyovers, and each year the school sponsors several chat room discussions where current undergraduates, admissions counselors, professors, and financial aid officers meet online to answer questions from prospective students.
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