<p>My son wants to major in something like environmental policy/science/studies. Practically every school has one of those as a major, especially when you expand that to include geoscieces/earth sciences. Is there a place that ranks those programs? I’m not sure how to help him winnow it down. </p>
<p>Today, he went through the box of brochures he received after the PSAT last year, and he identified some schools he would consider. Four are schools we’ve visited and that he really liked – all in-state. Two we haven’t visited but still appeal to him based on the reading he’s done. He identified several more that we really know very little about – everywhere from Northwestern to Eckerd to Colorado School of Mines. We looked at their stats through Naviance and got an idea of how he “stacks up” at those schools. But now what? How do you go about comparing geosciences at Rice vs. environmental studies at Pomona vs. an environmental program at one of the Colleges That Change Lives (he has three of those on his list) or a state uni?</p>
<p>I’m not interested in posting a lot of stats and “chancing” him. I’m more interested in how a person objectively gauges a program. For instance, if two small LACs offer the same degree, how do you discern which program is better?</p>
<p>It’s not really an answer to your question, but for students interested in “Algae & Aphids” my science professor DW suggests double-majoring in Biology or Chemistry or Biochemistry — in part to help prospective employers address your question, and in part to show that the student can handle mainstream biosciences.</p>
<p>One possibly useful metric is “How many students does that school graduate in that major each year?” If you find out that for an interesting major that looks good on paper there are almost no students who complete that major, that could bump that school further down the list.</p>
<p>Visiting the school and sitting in on an upper level class in the major he is interested in and speaking with a professor is really helpful if you can do it. Easier said than done I know.</p>
<p>Again, though, it is important to realize that the majority of students do NOT graduate in the major they planned to when they started college. So, finding a college that is an all around good fit, even if the actually intended program is not huge or widely known, is the most important thing. IMHO! ;)</p>
<p>anxiousmom, we started with fit, which is how we ended up with three CTCL. We’ve visited two but have another on the list based on recommendation and location. But that’s the rub: Do we really need to investigate a Juniata across the country, if a nearby Hendrix is just as good? How do we know whether it’s just as good</p>
<p>Truthfully, he’s very flexible and would be happy just about anywhere. I do like the idea of a double major or something that feels more substantive than what he’s talking about now, which is, basically, how to avoid a desk job! Now he’s talking Peace Corps after he graduates.</p>
<p>“How do you go about comparing geosciences at Rice vs. environmental studies at Pomona vs. an environmental program at one of the Colleges That Change Lives (he has three of those on his list) or a state uni?”</p>
<p>You may have to
1]dig into the catalogs and schedules of the colleges your S is interested in. Compare total # of classes offered/ required for degrees- major and minors in EP and other areas. In general, you may find more classes offered in science courses at Universities than at LAC’s. Having more science classes in his field of interest[ including graduate level classes] from was the main reason my son’s interest in the type of college he wanted to attend changed from LAC’s to Universities.
2] Check present and past schedules to see how often those classes have been actually offered.</p>
<p>I’m going to put in a plug for USC here, since geosciences/ Pomona/ Northwestern were mentioned. Son is studying Geosciences at USC[ seismology in his field of interest] He was accepted at both Pomona & Northewestern, but decided on USC after getting a full tuition merit scholarship,[ USC gives automatic 1/2 tuition scholarships to NMSF] and because USC actively encourages double majors. </p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, sounds like your house had the same type of wild New Year’s Eve that mine did DD and I also went through the box of PSAT mail that she’d gotten after she took them sophomore year; we’ve been talking a lot about college and the process over this break because 1) we now know that she’ll probably make NMSF and 2) she’s getting excited about the process. </p>
<p>The more we look at though, the more questions we have…and for every college she’s taken off the list, I think she’s added 2 The list pre-Christmas was 21 and now it’s 33!</p>
<p>In addition to the number of students that graduate with the major…find out (though the dept head or the Career Services office) what they did after graduation: </p>
<p>Where did they get jobs? What were the starting salaries?
Where did they go to grad school? In what field? Did they get scholarships/stipends? (May need some general GPA and testing info. to evaluate where kids ended up.)</p>
<p>But…I also agree with poster who noted that many kids change their majors. So…definitely consider how easy it would be to change majors along with all of the other factors (non academic) that go into choosing a college.</p>
<p>If you’re looking at Pomona vs. Rice, or Hendrix vs. Juniata, or any equivalent kind of pairing, I think it’s fair to say that factors other than a specific program are going to be taken into account, and indeed are probably going to dominate: location, size, urban/suburban/rural, degree of greek culture and other social factors, athletics, etc. Cost. All of that is going to wind up being relevant to the experience, and it’s not only legitimate to take them into account, it would be stupid not to.</p>
<p>Also, there’s not shame in being a little arbitrary, especially when you are looking at the kinds of programs that many colleges have. You won’t be able to evaluate every potential college carefully. So what? Look at a bunch, decide which of them deserves an application, and don’t worry about the ones you haven’t seen. Did you date every person in the world of the appropriate gender and age before you got engaged? Of course not.</p>
<p>In choosing a college, it’s important to realize that most students change majors twice before graduating from college. Consequently, unless one’s student has demonstrated a longterm interest in a major that is difficult to find colleges that offer it, it’s better to look for the overall fit of a college, not its ranking in a specific major. It’s also very important to take your own finances under consideration. If cost is a consideration, then take a careful look at the colleges’ costs, and its financial aid and merit scholarship websites before allowing your child to apply, and make sure that your child is aware of your financial limitations so your child doesn’t fall in love with a college that would be unaffordable.</p>
<p>Thank you for approving arbitrariness as that is certainly how it feels and most likely how it will stay. I think this is another case of cc making me feel like we’re slackers for not knowing the minutae of every school and program. It could be a full-time job!</p>
<p>And I dated and “dated” quite a few people before becoming engaged, so I’m resigned to checking out more schools than I really need to. I liked dating. ;)</p>
<p>I’d also throw in that there isn’t just one place your son will be happy/successful. I believe size/location/cost will lead the charge. Then visits (my DS knew within about half an hour of being on a campus that it was either a “possible” or a “no way”). Then the fun of applications/essays. The real fun is when the results start rolling in. After we had the acceptances/financial aid offers, my son settled on his top two. We revisited in early April and he <thankfully> came away with a clear preference. So far he thinks it was a great decision, but is this the only school that could have worked out for him? Hardly.</thankfully></p>
<p>And I agree it’s a rare teenager who knows what he really wants to do professionally in life. I’d be leery of weighting his current thoughts about a major too heavily as you go through this journey.</p>
<p>Don’t get too stressed. I always get a little sad when parents make their kids miserable through their senior year.</p>
<p>I have told many people that to me the process was reminiscent of labor. A long, hard trek that does, eventually, end. And most often very well. Best of luck.</p>
DD and I also went through the box of PSAT mail that she’d gotten after she took them sophomore year; we’ve been talking a lot about college and the process over this break because 1) we now know that she’ll probably make NMSF and 2) she’s getting excited about the process. </p>