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Why do we call them Colleges of Distinction?
They may be modest about it, but these schools have just as much history and heritage as the better-known, brand-name colleges. What’s more, they have a proven record in four key areas.
Engaged Students
GPAs and board scores are important, but Colleges of Distinction look for students who will be engaged outside the classroom, as well as inside it. These student compete in sports, do volunteer work, conduct independent research, and study abroad. They are not just thinkers, they are doers.
Great Teaching
Professors who teach in Colleges of Distinction know students by name and are committed to seeing them succeed. They’re experts in their fields and they are dedicated to teaching. Their students learn in environments that encourage lots of reading, writing, research, and personal interaction. Their students learn to analyze problems, think creatively, work in teams, and communicate effectively.
Vibrant Communities
Colleges of Distinction provide a rich, exciting living-and-learning environment, both on and off campus. They offer a variety of residential options, clubs and organization to satisfy every interest, plenty of cultural and social opportunities, and avenues for leadership, character, and spiritual development. Whether they are in rural or urban settings, they provide ways for students to be involved in the life of the surrounding community.
Successful Outcomes
Colleges of Distinction have a long record of graduating satisfied, productive alumni who go on to make their mark in business, medicine, law, education, public service, and other fields. In terms of the return they offer on investment, these schools are outstanding educational values.
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So how did we identify the schools in this book?
First we asked people “in the know” about colleges. We solicited recommendations from heads of admissions at different colleges. We then sifted through this rather large list looking for certain characteristics:
1 Evidence of schools looking for, and keeping engaged students. For the most part, we avoided schools that rejected more than 50% of their applicants, giving preference to those that consider factors beyond SATs and ACTs in admissions. We looked for schools that excelled in scores tabulated by the National Survey of Student Engagement. We considered retention and four-year graduation rates. We also considered each school’s rate of study abroad, internship participation, and other “hands-on” learning opportunities.
2 Evidence of schools that value great teaching. We looked for schools with lots of chances for students to interact with professors and where faculty members are rewarded primarily for teaching, rather than research or publishing. Specifically, we looked for large proportions of full-time faculty, good student-teacher ratios (16:1 and below), small average class-sizes, and programs that encourage student/faculty interaction.
3 Evidence of vibrant campus communities. Although we decided to accept universities with as many as 8,000 undergraduates, we held such institutions up to close scrutiny, looking for evidence that they still managed to build a strong sense of community through their residence halls, campus activities, and opportunities for student involvement.
4 Evidence of successful alumni. We looked for schools with strong records of graduate school and professional school success and good results in employment after graduation. Where possible, we also considered alumni satisfaction, as measured by satisfaction surveys and rates of alumni giving.
Chapter 2: Engaged Students - Who Are You? (And How Do You Learn?)
“Different is good,” proclaimed a recent fast-food advertising campaign, and most Americans would agree. We Americans pride ourselves on our diversity. We like to think of ourselves as unique individuals.
When it comes to education, we often talk as if one size fits all. Students often figure that colleges are pretty much all the same. If it’s a “good school” it must be good enough for me. But educators know that different people learn in different ways.
If you’re the kind of person who learns best from talking things through, you’re not going to thrive in an environment where you sit in a crowd of 500 and listen to talking heads. If you learn by solving problems, tests or papers emphasizing rote memorization are going to turn you off.
One of the best ways to start figuring out how you like to learn is to think about situations where you have learned new information or skills more easily.
When someone gives you driving directions, do you need to see a map or can you listen to directions by ear? Does it help you to be told what landmarks to look for while driving or do you prefer to think in terms of distance and direction?
How do you prefer to study for tests? Do you like to read over material alone, or does it help you to talk it over with a friend? Does it help you to actively write out material by hand, or to listen to someone repeat it to you?
What activities or hobbies give you pleasure? Are you a physical person who prefers sports or dance? Do you like other performance-based activities, such as singing or acting? Do you enjoy “hands-on” hobbies like carpentry or sculpture? Do you enjoy the process of collecting and classifying items like stamps or dolls? Do you read or write for pleasure?
It’s quite likely that you are unaware of your best learning style. It may be that you’vr never had the chance to combine your hobbies and passions with your academic interests. Maybe some of your grades have even suffered as a result.
The good news is that college can give you a chance to be a hands-on learner. You can travel abroad to learn a language or take an internship to try out a job. Your campus activities can teach you leadership skills or even academic knowledge while you have fun. The Colleges of Distinction offer you a wide range of ways to get engaged in learning.
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Measuring Engagement: What is it, how can I find it?
The term “engagement” is more than a buzzword. It is a serious part of how good golleges reach their students. Hand-on learning gives you practical skills for the future, as well as making learning easier. Important forms of engaged learning include:
1 Classroom experiences that emphasize reading, writing, and speaking. Whether it is history, biology, Spanish or engineering you should be actively engaged in the skills of analysis and expression. Some lecture-based courses are inevitable at most (though not all!) colleges, but classes that emphasize active learning-learning in which you are actively involved in the learning process-help you develop the skills you’ll need for success in the workplace and other aspects of your life.
2 Collaborative learning in and outside the classroom. Whether it’s working on a group project in class or undertaking joint research with a professor, collaborative learning reflects the reality that most people do not work alone. Learn to work with others in college and you’ll be ahead in almost any field.
3 Field Experience. Learning outside the classroom is especially important in research-based disciplines, but almost any course that involves field experience will give you a leg up on your resume. Internships, which let you try out a career, and service learning which allows student to serve their community as part of a class, are good forms of field experience.
4 Interacting with other cultures. Whether through studying abroad or through multicultural experience in the U.S., college students have more opportunities than ever to learn about different peoples, great preparation for a job market that is increasingly international and multicultural.
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