How to Choose a College
In a recent op-ed a college president addressed the question, “How to Make a Life-Defining Decision.”[i]
Choosing a college is such a decision.
The author Dr. Russ Roberts looked at the decision-making process of the scientist Charles Darwin. With his analytical, fact-driven mind, Darwin made a list of pro’s and con’s about the decision he was facing: should he marry?
The con’s included missing going out at night to enjoy the conversation of “clever men at clubs,” being “forced to visit relatives & bend in every trifle”and its “terrible loss of time,” the “expense and anxiety of children,” “less money for books &C,” “perhaps my wife won’t like London” so he would be banished to some backwater town, to become an “indolent, idle fool."
The pro’s included “constant companion (& friend in old age),” “better than a dog anyhow,” “someone to take care of house.”
What did this genius decide? Despite the overwhelming con’s on his list, Darwin decided to marry. And, despite his professional fears, his greatest triumphs in science came after his marriage and the birth of his ten children.
Dr. Robert’s conclusion? Crucial, life-altering decisions cannot be made by a two-column’ed list of pro’s and con’s. Yet, that is exactly what many high school seniors do as they make their college decision!
Some college application consultants advise their clients to create columns comparing schools, assigning numerical values to things like, “cafeteria food,” “social scene,” “star professors,” “nice buildings.”
Here’s one such matrix, taken from the web. Simply tally the numbers and decide!
What’s missing from this matrix, according to Dr. Roberts? Purpose. A critical, life-defining decision cannot be made without a sense of one’s greater purpose in life. He writes, “Human beings want purpose. We want meaning. We want to belong to something larger than ourselves. . .(L)ife is more than simple pluses and minuses.. .(Life is) more than accumulating pleasure or avoiding pain.”
Dr. Roberts speculates that Darwin, as he made his decision, set aside his list. He went deeper. He realized that life would be more purposeful with a wife and children at his side.
Can a high school senior set aside their own lists and answer the question of purpose? They can begin. They already know what tasks and courses are deeply satisfying, what peer groups help them thrive, what problems keep them up at night, what medium inspires their creativity – TikTok, bread dough or writing a script.
High School students can start to answer the question of purpose. And authorities in college education urge them to begin!
· First, think about your mission: what is calling and inspiring your passion? The grandfather of college search advice, Dr. Steven Antonoff, has said, “This is the part of college planning that does not get much attention and it should!”
· Second, put aside the rankings by others. Instead, look within yourself. What do you need to pursue your mission? Colin Diver, former dean of Penn’s law school and president of Reed College, urges high school students to,”act like an empowered learner who will get something out of the expensive, time-consuming higher education one is about to pursue.”
· Third and last, think about your (prospective) school’s mission. Does it align with your own sense of purpose? Professors Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner of the Harvard Graduate School of Education discovered that too few students have a clear understanding of their college’s academic mission. Consequently, they are vulnerable to feeling alone and unfocused, even potentially becoming depressed or ill.
How do you make the decision of what college to attend? First, pay attention to your growing sense of purpose. . . meaning. . . calling. . . mission. These are words that can help you make your best life-defining decision.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/21/opinion/how-to-make-decisions.html
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