How to find a good college? Well first of all, I like small private schools where you get personal attention from the faculty. Second, there are large universities that I call "Mom
and Pop schools." It's like mom and dad are running the school.
The University of Missouri at Columbia and Indiana University-Bloomington are such schools. When you go there to graduate school your professors ACTUALLY expect you to graduate with your Masters or Ph.D. Yes, in graduate schools there is politics involved but at these "Mom and Pop" schools if you do everything right and try your best YOU WILL GRADUATE.
So small collge to begin with then a large university that helps it's graduate students both financially and with course work. That's the secret. Forget Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The State of Ohio has a lot of these types of schools. Both small schools and mom and pop universities.
Loren C. Wingblade Ph.D.of MI12:03PM August 24, 2010
would prefer if a region was a choice rather than a state.
Blackmerof PA6:16PM August 23, 2010
Great topic! Here's another slant on it.
Students who aim for the toughest school that will accept them will find themselves in class with the others who are at or above their own ability level. On the one hand, that's a great thing. Being surrounded by people who challenge you is an environment where great learning can take place.
However, for some students, this is terrifying enough to literally immobilize them. Suddenly they're no longer at the top of the heap; for the first time, they have to study *hard* in order to pass. When students have equated self-worth with the ability to pick up new material and get A's without a learning curve, they can become extremely depressed when faced with material that doesn't allow for instant success.
So what's the answer?
First, recognize that attendance at a high-price, highly selective school is not mandatory for success. Here's another great article that addresses this http://www.martynemko.com/articles/why-your-kids-shouldnt-go-harvard-even-if-they-could-get-in_id1247.
Second, make sure your student has experiences while still in high school that challenge her and require sustained effort, including repeated trials and "failures". Provide her with the support, whether yourself, a teacher, a coach, or a friend, to work through her feelings about not being instantly successful.
Finally, when she heads off to college, educate her about developing relationships that will provide the support she needs to persist when the going gets rough.
Fran Hendrick
www.launchyourlifecoaching.com
Fran Hendrickof OH10:51AM August 20, 2010
You might want to tell your readers: It just so happens that the school you landed at, University of Missouri in Columbia, has been the number one ranked school for journalism for years. So . . . I have to question your personal experience as one that promises a winning hand in general. Truth is, that was a stacked deck. I'd be surprised if someone coming out of the UM School of Journalism did not land a presitigious job and a successful career.
I do, however, hear what you are saying. I started out at a small private school (a Bible college) in Portland, Oregon, that had some great journalism courses, and in particular, one outstanding instructor. When I finished that three-year school and went on to a state university, I had lots of journalism students asking me to read/critique their writing. Apparently, the small, relatively unknown school that I first attended had positioned me quite well in the disciplines of journalism. But I still needed the reputation of a highly ranked university for credentials. Truth is, I did learn more hands-on skills at the smaller school, while the university gave me a better theoretical framework.
A fellow journalist from another great journalism school (University of Orgeon),
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Loren C. Wingblade Ph.D. of MI 12:03PM August 24, 2010
Blackmer of PA 6:16PM August 23, 2010
Fran Hendrick of OH 10:51AM August 20, 2010
SD of KY 12:01PM August 17, 2010