| One of the most important decisions a young person | | | | Location. Most prospective students consider |
| or parent will ever make is the selection of a college | | | | questions about distance away from home, climate, |
| or university. A number of sources identify criteria for | | | | geography, and proximity to culture and recreation. |
| making that selection, but it's absolutely essential to | | | | But probe further to assess the impact, if any, of |
| ask probing questions that take you beyond quick | | | | the surrounding community and social environment on |
| top-line answers. Ask them now! Don't be a semester | | | | the college experience. A small school 100 miles from |
| into the college experience to discover the facts. | | | | the nearest metropolitan area may engender a very |
| Student/faculty ratio. Sounds like an easy calculation: | | | | close--but closed--college community. There are |
| Number of students divided by number of faculty | | | | benefits to that, but also the downside of limited |
| yields a ratio. But that's not enough! Probe to | | | | opportunities for finding diverse enclaves of people |
| discover how many courses those faculty teach. You | | | | and experiences. A similar school, 25 miles from a |
| may find that many faculty teach very few classes, | | | | metro area, may retain its small community feel but |
| with many of those exclusively to graduate students | | | | afford easier access to a variety of outside |
| and PhD candidates. The student/faculty ratio is | | | | environments. By contrast, a school located within a |
| meaningless if undergraduates are taught | | | | metro area may have its own culture and |
| predominantly by graduate teaching assistants and | | | | experiences overwhelmed by that of the surrounding |
| adjunct faculty in an intimate setting of 500 students. | | | | community. |
| Academic strength and faculty credentials. Yes, it's | | | | Money, Money, Money. Unfortunately, for many, the |
| absolutely essential that an institution be | | | | determinant selection factor is financial. That, of |
| independently accredited by an agency such as the | | | | course, is the net cost after scholarships and other |
| Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. But | | | | aid, plus an assessment of the long-term impact of |
| probe further to determine the accreditation of | | | | loans and debt. But once again, probe further to |
| specific programs of interest. A quality college of | | | | determine what you get for what you pay. Before |
| business should also be accredited by an agency such | | | | considering a prestigious private school, carefully |
| as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of | | | | assess whether its educational and collegiate |
| Business (AACSB). Faculty credentials are critical, too, | | | | experience is in any meaningful way superior to that |
| but impressive degrees aren't enough. Probe to | | | | of a public state university. And before considering a |
| determine what a faculty member has accomplished | | | | flagship state university, carefully assess whether its |
| outside of academia, particularly in a profit-focused | | | | educational and collegiate experience is even as good |
| environment. Academic theory is all well and good, | | | | as that offered by a regional state university. Many |
| but applicable skills and a real-world perspective are | | | | regional state universities deliver an education and |
| strengths appreciated by recruiters looking to hire | | | | experience superior to the prestigious private schools, |
| graduates. Faculty who have "been there" provide | | | | at a tiny fraction of the cost. Do your homework! |
| those skills and that perspective. | | | | |