Picking a 4-year Friendly College

How do you find a college that will help me graduate in four years?  It's not easy.  According to federal data, only 50 of the 580 public 4-year colleges in the country graduate over half of their students in 4-years. I would not suggest you concentrate only on those 50 colleges, I would encourage you to ask some pretty hard questions of campus representatives when you go on college visits.

Here are some important things we will be looking for this summer when we take Ben on some college visits.

Does Your College Offer Banded or Capped Tuition?
While most colleges require you to pay a per credit tuition rate, some colleges cap the tuition you would pay at the tuition rate for 12 credits, making credits 13 and above essentially free.  In other words you pay the same tuition 15 credits as you would for 12.   Since taking at least 15 credits a semester is what you need to graduate on time, you basically can get about a semester and a half of tuition covered by registering for 15 credits a term over four years at a school that offers capped or banded tuition.

Can I See a Semester by Semester Academic Map for my Desired Major?
Most parents remember perusing our course catalog and schedule for the courses in our major, but did anyone actually provide you a piece of paper or other resource that provided a suggested schedule of courses you should take each semester?  Probably not.  Many colleges are developing semester by semester schedules or academic maps for students who have decided on a specific major.  A student who knows which courses to take each semester is more than likely going to enroll in those courses. Students who don't know which courses to take may not.  Even if you are undecided, looking at the academic maps for a range of majors will go a long way to assisting you in making a choice of major.

If they have academic maps, make sure the schedule of courses add up to at least 15 credits, which academic requirements they fulfill (general education or major credit) and the grades necessary in the course to be competitive for a major.  A student interested in a nursing degree, for example, probably needs to get a "B" or better in Biology to be competitive for that program.

Will the Courses on My Academic Map be Available?
Even if the college gives you a semester by semester map, there is no guarantee those courses will be available when you register for classes.  You should ask the college if you can get some assurance that the courses you need will actually be available the term you need them.  Many colleges have developed systems for predicting demand for courses to ensure enough sections are available to meet demand.  Students should no longer tolerate closed courses.

Will my Advanced Placement, Dual Credit or Transfer Courses Fulfill Requirements for My Major?
Students think they are getting a head start on their degree by taking AP courses, enrolling in dual credit courses while still in high school or picking up a few courses at the local community college. While those credits may indeed be accepted by the college as elective credit or even general education credit, you should make sure that courses you take for the purpose of completing credits in your major are accepted by that program.  The dirty little secret of many colleges is that they will not count credits earned outside of the college to complete major requirements.  Be sure to ask the college if credits taken through AP, dual credit or other options do indeed meet major requirements. Ask whether there is an online resource for determining if course credits from other institutions will be accepted by the college.  In some states there is a "transfer library" where you can look at any class from a state college and determine if it transfers to another state college.  Most colleges have some kind of resource specifically for their college.

If you are transferring credits from an out-of-state institution that does not have a transfer agreement with your college, see if you can petition the credits in by providing a syllabus from the course, taking an exam or show examples of work completed in the course that will enable them to evaluate whether you met requirements.  Don't get cheated out of getting major credit for courses that you have already taken and appear to fulfill major requirements.

I'm Undecided, How Will You Help Me Choose a Major?
One of the biggest reasons students don't complete a degree on time is because they switch majors or take too long to choose a major. We all know the story of starting down a program path, deciding it is not for us, doubling back and starting a new path. Many students think they know what they want to study or just delay the decision for as long as possible, accumulating a mish-mash of credits that don't add up to a degree.

To address these problems, colleges are inviting undecided students to choose a broad area of study called an academic focus that allows students to take a default set of courses that meet the requirements for a group of majors.  For example, a student might choose an academic focus in Health Sciences and then enroll for a schedule of courses that meet the entry-level requirements for the majors in that focus area.  In addition, the college offers advising services, such as a major selection workshop, to help students explore different majors within the academic focus. Finally, the college will ask that the student make a final decision on a major no later than the end of their first academic year, ensuring that they are on track for on-time graduation.

How Can I Make Up Credits If I Fall Behind?
Inevitably most students will get derailed on their path to a degree.  Students may drop or fail a class. Life may get in the way as well - an unexpected illness or family obligation may require students to lower their credit load. In these cases, the college should have other options to help students to get back on track. Inquire about opportunities for students to make up courses on their academic map over summer terms, January terms, mini-semesters that start after the traditional semester start date or online courses.  All of these options can help a student catch up and most colleges offer at least one of these options.

However, you should make sure that the courses available meet program requirements and also don't cost more than a traditional class.

If you receive financial aid, make sure the courses will be covered by your financial aid package. Summer classes for example, sometimes cost more and are not covered by financial aid.

In the end, it is up to the student to take the necessary steps to complete their degree on time. However, your college should be your partner as you seek to achieve that goal, not an obstacle. Asking some of these questions will determine if a college is committed to you completing your degree on time.

For institutional examples of these college support strategies - refer to the hyperlinks embedded in the text of this post.