College Guidebook Facts: What They Really Tell You

October 20th, 2008

Guest post with Barbara Bellesi of CampusCompare.com…

If you’re a college-bound student, chances are you’ve made friends with one of the many guidebooks on the market today. Peterson’s. Princeton Review. The College Board. All worthy sources to help you find your college match, right?

Well, maybe. Don’t worry—I’m not going to tell you to get rid of those dog-eared guidebooks of which you’ve grown so fond. Many a successful college search has been started off with guidebooks, as well as comprehensive online college resources like CollegeBound and CampusCompare. But it’s important to distinguish between guidebooks that spout facts and guidebooks that spout rankings—and which is the better way to go for your college search.

While it’s nice to know that one of your top pick colleges is high up in the U.S. News & World Report rankings each year, a good ranking should not be the only reason that the school made your list (learn why). Books and websites that list general facts about colleges are often an unbiased way to go, because then you can do additional research and formulate your own opinion about the school.

Even facts have a way of hiding the truth, particularly if you don’t know which facts to look at. In honor of the upcoming election, I’ve voted in with a resounding yea or nay the following guidebook facts:

YEA–average class size, NAY– student-to-faculty ratio. Both of these figures are a source of pride for many colleges and universities. While a low S-to-F ratio, such as 14 to 1, is admirable, that does not mean that you’ll have an average class size of 14; this just means that there is one faculty member hired for every 14 students on campus. You should really be concerned with the average class size—and you already know that smaller is better in this case.

YEA—average financial aid package, NAY–average number of students receiving financial aid. Even in this rough economy, most schools will state that they award financial aid to well over 85% of the student body—and they will probably be correct. But what you really want to know is the size of those awards. While giving aid to the majority of students is great, not all of those students are receiving enough aid to cover all of their costs. When researching financial aid options at your top pick schools, remember to ask what the average financial aid package adds up to, not the percentage of students that get it.

YEA—number of applicants, NAY—percentage of applicants admitted. Looking at the percentage of students accepted each year at your first-choice school is enough to make you want to toss your tater tots. Granted, there are some very competitive schools out there. But don’t believe for one moment that every single student applying to your school is a worthy competitor—do you know anyone applying to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton “just to see” if they can get in? I thought so. Colleges don’t count the number of worthy apps that they receive; they simply count the number of apps received. Look how ridiculous lottery statistics are—and look at how many people play each day. No matter which way you look at it, you’ve got a far better chance of getting accepted to college than winning the lottery, so go ahead and dive into that huge application pool.

If your head is spinning, that’s OK—it means you’re starting to sift through all those facts and stats. Don’t be afraid to ask your guidance counselor for help with understanding the numbers, or even better, call the college directly and talk to an admissions counselor—that’s why they’re there!

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