College: It’s not where you get in, but how you come out

Across America, graduating high school seniors are gasping to catch their breaths after crossing the college application finish line. They have finally chosen, from the colleges that accepted them, the college they will attend. The tortuously long process of counseling, SAT prep courses, essay writing, campus visits, letters of recommendation, community service, leadership building, and testing, testing and more testing is enough to make a student’s eyes glaze over—if they’re still open after the all-nighters.

(At our house, the marathon ended when our younger son sent his acceptance to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Yes, I’m proud of him.)

But there is something flawed with the whole college application ordeal. Virtually all the emphasis is on where you get into college, and almost none on how to get the most out of college. It’s as if the brand name of the institution, and where it sits on overly simplified rankings, will be the most important factor in the student’s future life.

Rethinking the equation

In fact, what matters far more than the name on the hat is how the mind under the hat engages that college. Yet as a nation, we devote far fewer resources to helping students suck the marrow from colleges than on how to ace the SAT.

I recently spoke with Jeffrey Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale, who says we’ve got it perfectly backwards.

“We’ve reversed the equation—that the college is going to make something out of your life, when actually it’s the student who makes something out of college,” he says. 

Here’s what Dean Brenzel says students and their parents need to know:

“Any strong college contains infinitely more opportunity than any student, no matter how smart and motivated, can extract in four short years. No kid is going to tap out one of these places. If students are prepared to engage, they will find resources in abundance. If they are not, it doesn’t matter if they are hand carried into their dream schools.”

For a fascinating account of the Yale admissions process and the damaging fixation on misleading college ratings, listen to Dean Brenzel’s podcast here.

Not a few pearls but many oysters

The consequences of our upside-down priorities are important, both for hundreds of thousands of individual young students who taste rejection from a tiny ecosystem of top institutions, and also for our nation. This skewed thinking misses the true greatness of education in America: the many hundreds of fine colleges and universities where millions of young people can open the world for their enrichment. In America, there aren’t just a few academic pearls—there is a vast collegiate oyster bed stretching from sea to shining sea.

The statistics bear this out.

Any number of studies of luminaries in various professions demonstrate that far more leaders come from colleges not in the top brand rankings. This is partly a matter of numbers, as the quantity of graduates from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT and Stanford is tiny compared with all the rest. But it’s really more that there are hundreds of colleges and universities more than good enough to provide motivated and skilled students the education they need to succeed at the highest levels.

Malcolm Gladwell explains this overlooked fact in his newest book, Outliers: The Story of Success. If you examine, for example, where Nobel Prize winners in medicine and chemistry went to college, you’ll find no dominance of the elite schools. 

It’s possible that our skewed emphasis on trying to get into a handful of top schools has an unintended benefit of handing millions of kids early rejection, which can sometimes fire more ambition. Whether or not this is the case, we should be paying more attention to helping students gain the most they can from the schools they attend. And just what would be this advice?

I put this question to Yale’s Jeffrey Brenzel, to John Jaquette, the executive director of Cornell’s campus-wide entrepreneurship program, and to Tom Morris, who for a decade was an inspired and inspiring professor of philosophy at Notre Dame. Here are a few of their recommendations:

1. Seek out the top professors no matter what they teach, regardless of whether it’s related to your major, and sit in on one of their lectures. It will be easy to learn who they are from campus buzz.
2. Reach out to your fellow students and expect to learn as much from them as from faculty members. Some will remain friends for life. Others may be future business partners.
3. Make a special effort to connect with students from different backgrounds. You may never have another chance to so easily gain insights into so many other cultures.
4. Get inside places on campus you normally wouldn’t enter. Take a tour of the bell tower, or the backstage of the theater, or the nanotechnology lab or broadcast studios—wherever you’re not likely to be as part of your regular school life.

I know from counseling my own two sons that it’s easier to give this advice than to act on it. College students are usually overloaded with work. In their few spare hours, they naturally seek the comfort of friends and familiar routes—or just a nap. But I remind my boys that their college years will fly by, and they may never again have it so easy to witness unfamiliar scenes and engage in lofty discussions with unusual people. And who knows what those encounters may touch off?

What’s your advice?

What advice do you have to share? What did you find most useful in your college years?

Put another way, if you had college to do over again, what would you do differently? I’d love to hear your stories and share them here. (Then email this to a college-age person close to you; I’d love to hear from them, too.)

Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments.)

For my next posting, look for a follow-up column on how to get the most from college from networking guru Keith Ferrazzi, the author of the bestselling Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back.

Comments

[Bob Zobel]

Steve--

We sent our children off to University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University with one admonition--they should not let their school work interrupt their education. Naturally, we expected them to study and do well (with the tuition and other costs these days one should not expect less), but we agree with the four points in your blog and would add only one: take the opportunity to do something that is new or unusual. Most colleges bring together a wide variety of cultural activities and speakers so it becomes a great opportunity to be exposed to chamber music or the philosophy of someone whose book you didn't have to read.

Best regards.

[Kelly]

I have two pieces of advice for soon to be college students...

1. Do an off-campus study in a foreign country. Off-campus studies make it simple to travel and immerse yourself in a different culture.

2. Force yourself to be uncomfortable. Whether it is socially or academically, get out of your comfort zone. This is how you grow as a person.

[Margaret E. Odell]

As a career services professional at a small liberal arts college, I'm probably a bit jaded at this time of the year, but it truly distresses me to be meeting a senior for the first time three weeks before graduation. Students who start thinking about who they are and what they want their life to look like when they are freshmen will be far happier when they are seniors (as will their parents). Whether a student is at Harvard or a state university (many of which are top notch), if she will talk with professors and career staff so that we get to know her, there is a wealth of information and advice that we are anxious to share. However, none of us has a crystal ball, so it is impossible to give meaningful counsel to a second-semester senior on what they should be doing a year from now. If they had started thinking, searching, and planning four years ago, however,they should at least have a plan for what they want to try first. Finally, all sudents should be pursuing as many internships or co-op experiences as possible during their college years. These are wonderful ways to "try out" a possible career and can often lead to actual jobs. So the bottom line is take advantage of the resources around you and don't be afraid to think about and plan for the future!

[Christopher White]

Hello Steve:

As a visiting assistant professor in a large university in Virginia--and a big fan of your company and your blogs--I want to say that the onus is indeed on the Universities to engage their student body.

Class enrollments are going through the roof, but new faculty hires are going down. Increasingly, university budgets are going to bloated and dysfunctional administrations while young faculty and recent PhDs are relegated to the role of adjunct or temporary faculty.

The university system in this country is broken. Some of the best and brightest young scholars in this country are pushed out of academia where they should be nurtured so that they, in turn, can nurture their students.

Demand accountability of your institutions of higher learning. Remind your state university administrators that they are civil servants--government employees who are there to serve the system.

Last year, at my school, the University President was awarded a pay increase of $65K. This was during a time of faculty freezes and reduced department budgets. At the same time, I have seen students drop out who could have been rescued, had class sizes been small enough that the instructor could truly engage them, and some of the best young faculty were shunted aside, even though construction is going on at a fast pace and enrollments are on the rise.

Don't let these administrators of the hook. Someone needs to start holding these people--and the system they perpetuate--accountable.

[Peggy Cartwright]

Steve -

I'd advise a year of searching and questioning with no decisions on major yet. My family did the 'deciding' for me and insisted that I study art at a small college. I had wanted to study 'theatre' (unsure of ideas in what area), but they won. I spent 2 miserable years in art, with much encouragement by English prof to switch to his department. I finally quit, worked in NYC for a couple of years and went home to finish up in English, and had a career in advertising copywriting.

I still wish I had simply run away from home and gone out to a theatre school on the West Coast. Took me 40 years to get out here and work at writing for ME. My advice for kids is: Do not hurry to choose a major. Talk to every prof, listen to their lectures and choose the one you absolutely LOVE. Take their classes, but remember, you still have time to decide what you want to do. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up and I am 73.

[sarah ryburn mealer]

i have two regrets about my college experience:

1) that i did not take advantage of my college's study abroad programs (and there were several GREAT opportunities) and

2) that i did not make more effort to engage my professors outside of class.

the second regret i feel more poignantly. i have been blessed since my college graduation with multiple opportunities to remedy my lack of experience abroad; however, there is no way to "make-up" the lost opportunities to engage and form relationships with my professors. i operated under the tragic misconception that if i went to professors for extra help and/or discussion, they would think me stupid or unable to do it myself. i truly wish that someone had disabused me of this burdensome and largely irrational belief. one of the professors i admired most has died since my graduation (now twelve years ago). these types of relationships and experiences very often prove to be once-in-a-lifetime.

[Cyndi]

Steve,

My story is quite different. I still don't have a degree but when I left my job to raise a family I was one of the elite analysts at a very successful dotcom. I graduated high school 15th in my class without even trying. My mom wanted me to go to a local all-girl university. My dad wanted me to study accounting. I wanted to go to Savannah College of Art and Design. When I got accepted into GA Tech and my mom said no, I rebelled and got married to my high school sweetheart.

Now that I'm 10 years past high school, I'm realizing that I was not catering to my own learning needs. College, in a traditional format, would have been and still would be useless to me while I would have gathered up debt that would be crippling to me right now. I realize now that being in the workforce and pushing myself to do as well as and better than my peers with degrees helped me more than being in a classroom with 300 other kids, most of whom are hung over.

For most people, college right after high school is the answer. For me, I somehow knew it wasn't. Instead of going to GA Tech, I started making contacts in the technical world while working so my husband could finish trade school for mechanical drafting. At 19, I was hired into an entry level position at a then fledgling dotcom. Then I worked. I learned everything I could. I read about digital commerce outside of work. I stayed late to work on projects. I wrote business philosophy articles and found publications in trade magazines. I took every training class they offered at work. I competed in NaNoWriMo and when I won, threw an officewide party. I joined the Employee Advisory Committee. I coordinated charity events. I bought real estate. I worked and worked and then worked some more.

My husband did the same and we moved quickly up the ranks in our companies. Him with a trade school diploma and certificate. Me with an astounding resume that had no secondary school listed. I sat down with the VP of Technology in the company once and showed her how monetarily, I had come out ahead by using my young years in the workforce instead of going straight into college. She wasn't real happy about it, but she did concede my point.

Now, with the adoption on our three children close to finalization, my husband and I are revisiting the idea of schooling. He's decided he would rather go into project management and we've found a local university that offers online courses for BBA and MBA students that are already in the workforce. I'm looking into different schools to find a world religion study course that is diverse enough for my attention span. Online, of course. In the meantime, we got our daughter into one of the local dual immersion language schools (Spanish, English, and several hours a week of Mandarin Chinese) and we're working with our oldest son to overcome some learning disabilities. Our youngest son is only interested in dinosaurs right now.

I am 28 years old and my husband is 30 years old. Ten years ago, we were struggling to learn how to live in the world as an adult: bank accounts, purchasing a house, car repairs, dealing with utilities, etc... Now that we have stability in our adult lives, we are finally ready to step into a collegiate atmosphere and give it the attention it deserves.

My advice would be to go to school for the content, not for the lifestyle. Find something you love and do that. Do it vigorously and with everything you have. Spend time deciding what you consider "success" to be and then make your plan on that. Don't let people define it for you because often life doesn't work out the way we want it to. Then work, work, work. Work some more. Work in your sleep. Oh, and don't forget to THINK.

Cynthia Dollins

[Sean Chercover]

Excellent post, Steve. Couldn't agree more.

My suggestions:
1) Move away from home. Go to another city/town/state to attend college, if you can. College years are about more than just deciding what you want to do; they are also about choosing who you want to be. Getting away from the familiar helps in this regard.
2) Don't choose a major too quickly (and definitely don't pursue a major chosen *for* you by parents, teachers, friends). Study widely for the first year or two, get a classical education, then focus on your major.
3) When you find a great professor, take everything s/he teaches. If your professor is an idiot (and sadly, there are many), drop the course quickly (if it is an elective).

[matt]

Please bring back the Nickel discs! They were the perfect bright finish, weight and a GREAT look! I've looked EVERYWHERE for them and they seem to be totally gone. http://officesupplygeek.com/levenger-accessories/levenger-nickel-disc-review/ And, guessing by this review it seems like you have some pretty big fans who want them too! -Thanks, Matt

[Dave Dal Pos]

Hi Steve!

Many kids feel the pressure from a variety of sources to go directly to college following graduation from high school. It is an enormous investment and financial burden for many families that may in fact be either premature or not even warranted.

Kids graduating nowadays are still that--kids. There are some who are wise beyond their years, extremely self-motivated, and have no doubt of their path in life, but I would guess that there is a sizable population who still are unsure of their direction and may need an opportunity to grow up a little bit in order to find their true calling. Travel, charitable work, taking any job, moving away and trying to support yourself, or starting a business are examples of the different positive actions kids can take to find themselves. (Given a "do over", I would probably have started a business of some type.)

The college experience will not only be more valuable for the young adult, but the responsibility of wringing the most out of their college investment will fall to them and not to the school or concerned parents.

[Brian J. Elizardi]

Steve,

Thanks for your recent blog post regarding strategies for maximizing the college experience. As a higher education administrator, your advice is spot on in that much of a student's success is largely determined by what opportunities they create for themselves.

When I was finishing college, I read Making the Most of College by Richard Light. The book greatly influenced me at the time and confirmed many of my beliefs about college, including the role of adding purpose and value in any way possible. The book also influenced my decision to pursue a masters degree and career in higher education.

While it's a few years old now, the book still holds its weight and is a worthy read for students and parents alike. The one major development since its release has been the increased importance of diversity, something you addressed in your post. Institutions of higher learning are adopting major multicultural goals and initiatives and it would be a shame for students of all backgrounds to miss out on this important dimension of the college experience.

I would recommend the book and think you and your son will find it a valuable read.

Best regards,

Brian J. Elizardi, M.A.
Lead Manager of Enrollments & Advising
University of Denver - University College

[Z. Kelly Queijo]

When I worked in college admissions our director always reminded us that we were in a business that relied on the decision-making processes of 17 year-olds. Having been one of those kids who not only changed majors, but also dropped out of school right before my senior year, I can relate to the saying "you get out what you put in." Returning to college part-time while working full-time at the age of 25, I put more into my education and it paid off in ways that, for me, would not have happened had I "stayed on track." I think we, as a nation, are still (and likely will for a long time to come) following an industrialized education model as if learning were a linear process to an end. Learning is really much more like the world of Web 2.0 - integrated, inter-connected, and evolving.

What's wonderful about education in the US is that we have so many options and opportunities to earn a degree, and as for learning, well, you do get out what you put in. You've outlined some terrific first steps for students to learn and grow.