how to evaluate a college

Reinforcing a little of what Michelle has posted...if I was searching again for an undergraduate school, I would probably pay more attention to smaller, liberal arts colleges v. the large, public universities...while there are many fine public universities that are VERY comeptitive academically (e.g., Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, IU-Bloomington, etc.,), smaller colleges tend to provide students with a closer sense of community, and a far greater opportunity to interact with faculty, staff and other students...the (potential) downside is that small colleges usually don't offer the range of academic options as large, public universities, but the QUALITY of education in a smaller school is often far superior....

...I would probably pay more attention to smaller, liberal arts colleges v. the large, public universities...the (potential) downside is that small colleges usually don't offer the range of academic options as large, public universities, but the QUALITY of education in a smaller school is often far superior....

The other potential downside to smaller true L.A. colleges...at least the private ones (which account for the majority of L.A schools) is the often huge price tag.

That being said I'll grant you that I've certainly had more than a few Liberal Arts college graduates point out the superior quality of the eduction they received...unfortunately this conversation all to often takes place right after they asked me if I wanted fries with my order.

True...yet that's happening w/many college grads, irrespective of where they went to school....but you're right -- it's a little more painful after Mummy and Daddy have shelled out about $50k/year, so their little prodigy can obtain a degree in Medieval Philosophy or Sanskrit....

Berea that you mentioned, is a very unusual and interesting school. Caters mainly to eastern Kentucky kids. Usually no tuition although every student WILL have a job. Before going, check the website. Could be a great choice depending on the student and if you can get in.

Berea originated as a college for the youth of Appalachia but has morphed into something much more encompassing than that. After Berea started earning some notoriety for their approach in education (work/earn program) and recruited educators from some of the more elite universities like Yale and Harvard kids from all over the US started coming in. At one time 80% were from KY now,less than 1/2 of the student are from ANY part of KY. They do show percentages of anywhere from 7%-10% as being international students. Students must have a 3.0 to be considered for application. Almost all accepted had 3.5 GPA with the college only admitting around 20-25% of those that apply.

So while there are students from Eastern KY attending, to say that it caters mostly to Eastern KY students is a bit off base. It caters to serious students that simply don't have the financial backing needed for the more expensive universities regardless of where they are from.

Berea that you mentioned, is a very unusual and interesting school. Caters mainly to eastern Kentucky kids. Usually no tuition although every student WILL have a job. Before going, check the website. Could be a great choice depending on the student and if you can get in.

Berea originated as a college for the youth of Appalachia but has morphed into something much more encompassing than that....It caters to serious students that simply don't have the financial backing needed for the more expensive universities regardless of where they are from.

Carla,

Just kind of an interesting aside to your comments...My G-G Grandfather was one of the early graduates from Berea College. A very kind man, he was none the less drafted during the Civil War and after serving in the 58th NC Infantry, he returned home to the mountains of N.C. where he taught school well into his 70's. I haven't had an opportunity to research exactly what year he graduated...

Cool! I would have liked to have heard what it was like in those early years on campus.

Berea that you mentioned, is a very unusual and interesting school. Caters mainly to eastern Kentucky kids. Usually no tuition although every student WILL have a job. Before going, check the website. Could be a great choice depending on the student and if you can get in.

Berea originated as a college for the youth of Appalachia but has morphed into something much more encompassing than that. After Berea started earning some notoriety for their approach in education (work/earn program) and recruited educators from some of the more elite universities like Yale and Harvard kids from all over the US started coming in. At one time 80% were from KY now,less than 1/2 of the student are from ANY part of KY. They do show percentages of anywhere from 7%-10% as being international students. Students must have a 3.0 to be considered for application. Almost all accepted had 3.5 GPA with the college only admitting around 20-25% of those that apply.

So while there are students from Eastern KY attending, to say that it caters mostly to Eastern KY students is a bit off base. It caters to serious students that simply don't have the financial backing needed for the more expensive universities regardless of where they are from.

I agree with Carla. I don't know the actual statistics, but we became aware of Berea largely due to a number of Sudanese refugees ( placed in Louisville) who have recently gone to Berea. My parents took my teen daughter to graduation last year, and there were a sea of faces from all over. I don't remember how many countries/states were represented, but it was very impressive. Much more diverse than what we know of U of L or UK.

Deb