Does College Location Matter?

Are you planning campus visits soon?

There is so much coming at you and your nearly-gone teen that it can make anyone’s head swim.  It’s much better to swim instead of sink without enough information.  

There are, of course, many factors that go into which college to attend, from financial to “my best friend” is going there.  But allow us to introduce you to a twist in thinking that every parent/student should consider.

Flash Forward to College Graduation Day

Does your shiny new grad have options?  Did they have internships and were they able to network with those in their chosen industry while in college?  Is the local community of this college thriving?  How active and successful is this college’s College Placement Center? 

We know, this might seem strange.  You are dealing with just helping them get into college. But there's more to this than you might think. 

What ELSE to consider before making that All-Important College Choice

While rural colleges are wonderful for many reasons, you might want to give a bit more weight to those colleges that reside in bigger cities and towns.  Here’s why:

• Head to the school’s placement center and interview one of their counselors. How successful are they in helping students get that first job?  When the school resides in a more populated area, the easier that help might be. 
• Rural colleges often have a tougher time offering internships and industry college jobs than bigger cities during the school year.With less businesses close enough for students to apply to, this is a fairly obvious consideration. 
• Industry connections and guest speakers/lecturers are also harder to come by in smaller towns.
• As your college-child moves from freshman to senior, classrooms that can offer projects that partner with “the outside world” are gold and provide realism to the academic world.It’s tougher for small towns to offer this.
• It is often easier to get internships during the school year. Summer internships have more applicants in general.  Again, this gives a point to bigger cities.
• Don’t forget to consider their major. Even if a top-notch school offers a major your student is seeking, how well does the region/geographic area around them support that major and possible jobs?

We are not saying smaller town colleges aren’t the best choice for your child, but we are saying that you need to look 4+ years into the future as you and your teen make these life decisions. 

Investigative Research

Our suggestion?

• Do some online research about the city itself, the industries in the city, and the economic climate.
• Interview prior college grads of each college you are considering. How well did the placement center help them? Extra credit? Find a grad with the major your child is considering.
• Here’s a link that lists top cities from 2017 and which cities scored the highest on important demographic criteria:  Hat Tip to the American Institute for Economic Research:  Great College Destinations
• Here is an article that ranked their selection of the top 50 colleges based upon large employers, school presence, livability and more.  We hope you find the college you are considering on this list.  Hat Tip: Best College Reviews. 50 Best College Towns

There’s so much to think about in this college decision, isn’t there? Hopefully the above will help you make a solid decision.

Have a great week.   And as we say ...

You CAN Have Success in the Middle of it ALL !