USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2008

College Personality Quiz

Yes, you start the process of choosing a college with a careful look at yourself, not with a list of colleges. For it is your own assessment of your interests, your attitudes, and your abilities that is central to finding a college. Why? Because the purpose of college-hunting is to find the right match between you and your eventual college choice. Many students want to start their search by looking at specific colleges. This sounds good, perhaps, but it is a faulty strategy. Before you start poring over viewbooks and catalogs from colleges, you want to examine yourself as a person and as a student. Such an appraisal will yield data about yourself that will allow you to move with confidence and greater knowledge to the next stages of finding a college.

Respond carefully to these questions about your educational attitudes, goals and perspectives. Be truthful and genuine and answer each question. Keep in mind, there are no "correct" responses. For each item, select the appropriate answer category—"very true," "sometimes true," "not sure" or "not true." Even if you are unsure of an answer, or your response falls somewhere between two categories, check only one answer per question.

Part One: What is Your Level of School Enthusiasm?

1. School is fun.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
2. I normally am enthused about the classes I am taking.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
3. I can truly say I enjoy school.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
4. Even if my friends weren't there, I would still like school.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
5. On most homework assignments, I do everything that needs to be done.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
6. On most days, I look forward to going to school.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
7. By late summer, I'm eager to go back to school.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true
8. It is easy for me to identify my favorite class in school.
1. Very true
2. Sometimes true
3. Not sure
4. Not true

Scores

High Scores: 57 or above
Medium Scores: 48 to 56
Low Scores: 47 or less

What Your Score Means

High scorers feel comfortable with the tasks and central qualities of school. In general, they like going to classes and have positive feelings about the academic nature of school.

If you scored low here, you may enjoy some of the social features of school more than the actual classes, teachers, and classroom information. Additionally, you may not have found school to be a successful academic experience, and your struggle with school may affect your attitude toward it. Your school attitude may impact your feelings about planning for college, your willingness to enter a challenging college environment, the level of competitiveness you prefer, as well as your motivation to stay in school. Think carefully about your choice of going to college. Is the time right? Would I benefit from a year of travel, work or some other activity before entering college? Do I currently have the motivation to be successful in college? On the other hand, you may not have enjoyed high school because the particular characteristics of your school may not have been right for you. If that is the case, you have a chance to choose carefully the college you will attend. Your analysis of factors important in selecting a college will be particularly meaningful.

Part 2: Are You a Participant Learner?