Choosing The Right College Researching Campus Culture as Part of Your College Search Written by Sara Calvert-Kubromon July 24th, 2024 My passion for higher education and working with students began as a resident assistant, admissions overnight host, and study abroad enthusiast as an undergraduate student at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Working with high school and college students has been at the core of my professional experiences ever since. My first few years out of college included serving as an AmeriCorps member, working in public health, and teaching yoga. I later worked for the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Boston College and subsequently served as a lead administrator of a freshman study abroad program at Northeastern University in collaboration with their admissions team. While at Northeastern, I worked with faculty, deans, students, and parents in a wide-array of academic disciplines in several countries. It was exciting to provide robust academic and cultural experiences for students all over the world as they started college before returning to Boston to pursue the rest of their degree. I most recently served as an admissions officer at my alma mater, where I recruited students of diverse academic interests primarily from the East coast, California, and Arizona, and worked with applicants from all over the United States and the world. While at Lewis & Clark I worked with deposited students taking a gap year, coordinated the college’s release of admissions decisions, served as an athletics liaison working with athletic coaches and recruits, helped oversee visit and student-interviewer programs, and managed and trained new admissions counselors. Learn More About Sara choosing the right college, college lists, diversity, researching colleges, Brian Swann, former admissions officer at Carleton College, contributed to this post When researching colleges and deciding where to apply, there are so many factors to consider that vary for each student – cost, location, academic quality and programming, athletics, student life, professional development, and so much more. We often talk to families about the importance of a college being a strong “fit” for a student, but what does this really mean? Although some aspects of fit can be quantified and measured, sometimes it is a feeling that a student gets when they step foot on a campus, or a profound resonance with the campus values and culture. For many students we’ve worked with, elements of diversity and identity have been critical in researching colleges and ultimately determining where to attend. This is part of the college search process that is deeply personal, often vulnerable, important to authentically reflect on, and wildly different for each family. Here are some elements of diversity that we’ve discussed and explored with students when researching colleges: race, ethnicity, country of origin, gender and/or sexual identity, religion, geographic diversity of students’ home states, physical and mental health, disability/accessibility support services, social and political beliefs, socioeconomic status, and family background/exposure to higher education. But how can a student research the diversity of a college, campus culture, and an institution’s commitment to truly welcome students like them? As a student begins their preliminary college research, it can be helpful to begin with numbers and statistics. As a starting point for your search, here are a few helpful resources: The College Board’s Big Future school profiles include a “Campus Life” tab with data about the student body. These profiles often include information about race and ethnicity, gender, athletics, special programs, and more. The Campus Pride Index is a national listing of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. U.S. News and World Report has some helpful rankings for most international, most racially and ethnically diverse colleges , and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The U.S. Department of Education maintains a list of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). The Women’s College Coalition has a helpful search tool for exploring women’s colleges. Hillel International provides robust online search options to learn about colleges with vibrant Jewish communities. The Social Mobility Index ranks colleges that provide the most upward mobility for economically disadvantaged students. Although the aforementioned examples are helpful resources, they are merely examples, as each student may be looking for different elements of personal identity and diversity in their college experience. And, although numbers and statistics are a helpful starting point, they only tell part of the story in this very human process. Based on our experience as admissions officers, we have compiled a list of ways students can explore campus culture as part of their college research: Look for information about diversity on college websites. How easy (or hard) is it to find information about diversity and inclusion and evidence of anti-racism initiatives? The prominence of this information can sometimes signal institutional priorities and commitments. If you are the first in your family to attend college, look for resources the college has specifically for first-generation students. Look for clubs, organizations, and academic and student life offices related to your identity and interests. Reach out to the office of admission and/or campus offices and inquire about following: Opportunities to speak with staff or faculty to learn about if/how diversity and inclusion initiatives fit into the curriculum, courses, and programming. If students are empowered and included in diversity and inclusion initiatives. What campus climate and culture are like and how issues of diversity, identity, gender, religion, and politics are celebrated and discussed on campus. Understand if changes to state or federal laws have impacted the experiences of students. Find ways to speak with current students to hear their perspectives from different identities and lived experiences: Many offices of admission have student ambassadors who can speak with you. Reach out to graduates from your high school, community, church/synagogue/mosque, etc. Reach out to campus offices working in the religious, health and wellness, and diversity and equity spaces (if you aren’t sure what those offices are, ask the office of admission). Email student clubs and organizations involved with political, religious, and diversity-based interests. Attend on-campus and virtual events and meet with admissions officers when they travel in your area (e.g. college fairs and school visits). Explore the college’s student newspaper to get a sense of what is on the mind of current students. Investigate the social media feeds affiliated with the college. Once you’ve done this research, we encourage you to ask yourself: Do I feel comfortable? Can I see myself here? Can I see myself growing and developing in this community? These reflections help students determine if an institution is a fit for them. There is not a magical tool to assess “fit” with a college or to know what it will be like to join that community, but thoughtful research and asking important (and sometimes difficult) questions can make a huge difference. When emerging adults embark on their college journey, they are taking a leap of faith and hoping to commit to an institution for several years, which is a substantial percentage of their adolescent lived experiences. In our ever-evolving society, we hope that students find colleges where they will feel safe, welcomed, empowered, and valued. Leaving home and joining a new community can be scary and challenging, so doing the research suggested above can be key in easing the transition and finding your new home away from home. Find out where our team of admissions decision-makers came from and why they joined College Coach. Meet The Team Related Resources Read | Posted on December 10th, 2024 Navigating Medical School Applications: The Three Types of Letters Applicants Send Read | Posted on November 12th, 2024 Unlocking College Admissions: The Power of the Common Data Set Read | Posted on October 3rd, 2024 Does Where You Go To College Matter?
