Choosing a College: How to Find the Right Academic Fit

Choosing a College: How to Find the Right Academic Fit

Choosing a college isn’t a quick or easy decision for most students. Students must consider five key features of a school when choosing a college: Academic fit, Social fit, Financial fit, Vocational fit, and Cultural fit. 

Choosing a college based on academic fit.

Today, we’re going to discuss academic fit. As you can imagine, choosing a college with the right academic is critical. But what does it mean?

Academic fit refers to how the faculty teaches, the academic priorities of the college, and what the learning environment is like. It also refers to the distinct curriculum types a college may offer. A complete review of the college’s website and a campus visit can help with determining the academic fit and choosing a college that’s right for you. 

Make the most of your campus visit with these five top tips. 

Before even taking your first steps, it helps to understand the bigger picture of how colleges are distinguished by their different academic curriculums. In my experiences working with families, few give consideration to these distinctions. Often, they aren’t even aware they exist.

From a college admissions perspective, students should at least be aware of these distinctions when they write their application essays or interview at colleges. Once admitted, the college that the student attends can make a significant difference in the classes that students can take in college and their satisfaction with the academic rigor.

So, what are the three types of academic curriculums? Open, core, or distributed.

Let’s briefly discuss each type and their key differences, along with colleges to explore.

Is an open curriculum the right academic fit?

There are only a hand-full of colleges and universities that provide a truly open curriculum.

This means students are free to choose which classes they want to take. There are no general education requirements and students can design their own path to a major or concentration. There may be specific requirements within a particular major, but students are free to pick from any range of classes.

Some schools with an Open Curriculum:

The thing is, not every student can handle an open curriculum. Sure, these colleges may have the brand name. But students must be very disciplined to navigate four years of undergraduate in a school with an open curriculum.

Is Columbia University’s Core the right academic fit?

The use of a Core curriculum started in 1919 at Columbia College. It remains their primary approach to higher education. A Core curriculum means there are specific courses all students must take, regardless of their majors. (In fact, when you visit the Columbia campus, a building lists the authors of core readings for all undergrads.)

The idea is to provide every student with a broad range of knowledge in many subjects and to support intellectual growth.

Other colleges with a core curriculum:

  • Auburn University
  • Boston University
  • Purdue University
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Notre Dame

Academic fit can be different at most colleges.

A distributed curriculum is a hybrid of a core and open curriculum.

There aren’t specific classes that every student is required to take. But, there are guidelines to the number of classes that each student must take in a given academic area. This curriculum provides the student with the flexibility to choose a class that interests them. At the same time, still providing a structure to their education.

Most colleges in the US have distribution requirements. What I enjoyed about a distributed curriculum when I attended Stanford is that I took classes in areas that I may not have learned about otherwise. For example, as an undergraduate, I studied Calculus, Petroleum Engineering, Philosophy. But I fell in love with Linguistics (a topic I had never heard of before college!).

A photo from my trip to Georgetown University

Colleges with distributed curriculum:

  • Bowdoin College
  • Cornell University
  • Dickinson College
  • Georgetown University
  • Northwestern University
  • Reed College
  • Stanford University
  • Swarthmore College
  • University of Tampa
  • Wellesley

Now, the next step to take with this insight is to match the needs and interests of the student. Let’s say a teen has an interest in engineering and doesn’t enjoy writing. Then, it’s important to research colleges that offer engineering with little to no writing requirements for graduation. An official campus visit is the next step before applying if a teen is still interested after the research is completed. 

How have you helped your teen with finding the right academic fit?

If you’re looking for one-on-one guidance to help you find the school with the right academic fit, click here to learn about my webinar.

Want to see more posts like this? Don’t miss these: 

7 College Essentials Worth Investing In For Your Freshman Year

Top 10 must-dos for college-bounds juniors

7 ways to support your child during the college application process

Morehouse College – an HBCU where strong academics meet a strong alumni network

Morehouse College is the only historically black 4-year liberal arts college for men and has an impressive roster of alumni,  including Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson. Founded in 1867, this campus features 42 buildings (many of which are historic) on 61 acres near downtown Atlanta. Known as the most prestigious of the HBCU’s, one of Morehouse’s cornerstones is a strong alumni network ready to help with jobs and other opportunities. 

 

Here are a few quick facts about Morehouse:

4-year Graduation rate: 33%, 6-year: 54%

Acceptance: 31%

Freshman retention: 85%

Freshmen out of state: 74% 

Most popular majors: business administration, biology, social sciences

Student Community Diversity: 95% Black, 0.5% Latino, 1% International

 

Housing: Students are required to live on campus their first three years, while seniors find their own off-campus housing. Students recommend Graves Hall for freshmen, which is Morehouse’s oldest dorm, built in 1889. Meal plans are required, which not everyone is thrilled about, but dining services has recently expanded to include more fast-food options and a coffee shop. 

 

Academics: Morehouse’s academics can be described as competitive and rigorous where classmates strive to do their best, while at the same time supporting their classmates. The general education program includes coursework in four major disciplines (humanities, natural sciences, math and social sciences), as well as “the unique African and African American heritage on which so much of our modern American culture is built.” To that end, the university hosts a series of campuswide assemblies called the Crown Forum presented by community leaders and national figures from different industries. In order to graduate, students must attend 6 presentations per semester for 6 semesters. 

 

Traditionally, STEM fields at Morehouse have been strong, although business and economics have recently risen in prominence. One of Morehouse’s gems is their engineering 3-2 program, which works in conjunction with Georgia Tech and other larger universities. The cinema, television and emerging media studies major is growing in popularity and a new major in Chinese studies is now available. For the student interested in participating in research, there are plenty of opportunities in the sciences, including a research partnership with NASA. 

 

Similar colleges to consider: Davidson, Furman, Howard

 

Social: One of the most celebrated events is homecoming week, which is a joint effort with sister school, Spelman. This event is one of the largest at any of the HBCUs. Morehouse has four fraternities, which attract just 3% of students. Other crowd-drawing events on campus include football games, concerts, movies and religious programs. 

 

The Maroon Tigers compete in Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, with track and field being a recent conference champion. The basketball team has enjoyed some recent success as well. During football season, students road-trip to Hampton, Howard and Tuskegee. 

 

Financial: Morehouse offers need-based merits scholarships and 126 athletic scholarships. Although the tuition and fees are $47,700, the average financial aid package is $28,800. 80% of students receive financial aid.

Get ahead and stay ahead! Get my FREE Toolkit.