Six Questions to Ask a University

While elite private colleges hog the press attention, most teenagers end up attending public universities in their own states.

Too many students and their parents, however, aren't spending enough time evaluating these state universities. Instead they pick schools for dumb reasons. I know kids who are attending a state school because they like the football team, their mom or dad graduated from the university or their BFF goes there.

Before you slap a university decal on the back of the family minivan, make sure your teenager asks these six questions:

Does your university offer a learning community?
An increasing number of state universities are establishing learning communities on their campuses, which aim to help freshmen make a successful transition to college. Find a list of schools with learning communities and learn more about them at the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education.

Does the university have undergraduate research opportunities?
Graduate students have traditionally enjoyed working with professors on research projects, but at some universities they no longer enjoy a monopoly in labs. It's not just science and engineering majors who are conducting undergrad research - even humanities majors are getting a crack at it on some campuses.

Are part-time instructors teaching intro courses?
Studies show that students are at a greater risk of dropping out of college if their teachers are part-timers. These instructors are less likely to be available for students who need help outside of class.

Is there an honors college?
A growing number of state schools offer honor colleges for bright students. A cynical reason for this trend is that schools want to attract top teenagers who might be tempted to enroll in a private college.

What is the student-teacher ratio?
Beware that universities can cook their student-teacher numbers. Some schools calculate their numbers by including professors who only teach grad students. For a more realistic measure, ask universities about average sizes of their intro classes, as well as upper-division courses in a particular major.

How good is the university's advising program?
One reason why students don't graduate in four years is because they get lousy academic advice. It's best if a student can consult a professor in his or intended major rather than rely on an impersonal advising center.

University of Missouri image by Adam Procter, CC 2.0.