GETTING READY

CLICK WITH YOUR COLLEGE CHOICE

By John A. Scarffe

Three San Diego residents decided to attend three different schools in New York, Texas and in state. A Florida university attracts a Lawrence, Kansas, resident, while two other Kansas residents stay in state. One chooses a school for athletics, another for academics, but for all of these students, something clicked between them and the faculty, coaches, staff or environment of their final choice.

For Cameron D’Ambrosi of San Diego, Calif., the traditional campus environment at a medium-sized school in a big city clicked for him. At Fordham College in New York City, he is pursuing a history degree with a political science minor. The central campus and enrollment of about 8,500 students appealed to him, and he liked small classes, especially in contrast to bigger universities in the area.

“I liked the intimate feel,” Cameron says. “Fordham is big enough that I see new people all of the time, but it’s small enough that I still have classes with friends. It’s the best of both worlds in my opinion. I’m a big sports fan, but going to a school with a big sports program wasn’t important to me.”

Shelby White of Lawrence, Kansas, decided on Florida State University, a bigger school encouraging high gradepoint averages.

“I was going to play volleyball in college, but shoulder surgery shattered that,” Shelby says. “The Florida schools are hard to get into and challenge you. We’re among the smartest kids, and the average grade-point average is 3.8.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s 2004 statistical report, 16.6 million students attend U.S. degreegranting institutions. Sixty-four percent attend public four-year colleges, and 36 percent attend private four-year colleges. A 2005 survey of 1,200 prospective students found that the primary characteristics influencing college choice included strong programs in areas of interest, friendly people on campus, success after graduation and the attractiveness of the campus. The influence of college athletics rated very low.

In contrast, Jentri Dixon’s athletic programs have played an integral part in her higher education. A graduate of Greeley County High School in Tribune, Kansas, she ran track and played basketball and volleyball in high school. She also played in the band and was a member of the National Honor Society. She left high school looking for a place to play basketball in college.

“My college choice was wholly up to me,” she says. “I knew I wanted to play basketball and wanted to be someplace smaller where I could be an individual.”

Jentri clicked with the coach and team members at two-year Colby College in Kansas. She also visited Kansas Wesleyan University, a four-year school in Salina, but after her first year at Colby, she was won over by the coach and her future teammates there. She will return for her senior year.

“I thought I could fit in,” she says. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play. It’s got to be something that’s really in your heart. It takes a lot of dedication to play sports while you’re in school. You have to love it and know how much work it’s going to be. If you don’t love it, it will become like a job to you.”

As current students advise, choose a school that is right for you, where faculty, coaches, friends, teammates or the campus environment best fit your needs. Click!

An excellent resource for beginning to plan a college career can be found at EducationPlanner.com sponsored by the American Education Services.