Equip students to evaluate colleges that are best for their major

As a veteran school counselor, my advice to students who don’t have any idea what they want to study has always been: Find a school that you can see yourself being happy at for the next four years and then start exploring majors.

But what about those students who have decided on a major? How do you help them narrow their options and choose their best-fit school?

If you’ve been a counselor for a number of years, you’re probably quite familiar with the “best” schools in your area or state for a particular major — like nursing or engineering. If your student wants to explore colleges outside your geographical area or in a field you’re not as well versed in, there are ways to help.

Help them use data

Help your students understand that colleges should be willing and able to provide them with statistics on the percentage of students graduating in that major within four years. They should also be able to provide students and families with the percentage of graduates who are employed in their field within a certain timeframe (usually within 6 months of graduation).

Help them do their “major homework”

I recently had a conversation with my cousin about her daughter’s choice of college and major. I commented that my daughter had a similar interest in elementary education, but I was concerned about this school’s program because it offered an elementary/middle school licensure.

Although this might be highly valuable for some students, as it expands opportunities in the job market, I knew my daughter was only interested in early elementary, so was concerned she wouldn’t be happy there. My cousin and her daughter, however, had no idea that the education program was set up like this.

Have your student look at required coursework on the colleges’ websites ahead of time and generate any questions they may have about requirements, major classes and transfer credits. Then have them request meetings with faculty and/or students in their intended major when they are making college visits.

This doesn’t necessarily have to happen on initial visits, but once they know what schools they’re really interested in and are making their final visits, it’s imperative for making those decisions.

Help them research licensure and accreditation

Although I have been helping students and families navigate college exploration for almost 20 years, I was reminded of something very important when helping another daughter research architecture programs last fall.

Some majors have very specific accreditation requirements in order to be licensed in the field, yet colleges are not always forthcoming in explaining what their programs provide. For example, to become a licensed architect, a student must complete an accredited bachelor of architecture program (B of Arch). A bachelor of science or bachelor of arts in architecture is not the same, and would require a master’s to get the accreditation required for licensure.

Yet, unless you knew the specific questions to ask the colleges, they may not share that information. Help your students know where to look to find licensing and accreditation requirements for their specific majors, as well as how those licenses will transfer to different states if they choose a college outside their home state.

School counselors cannot be experts in every college and every major, but if we can equip our students with the skills they need to be smart college consumers, they’ll be on their way to finding a best-fit college where they can thrive.

Becky Martin, MA, LPSC, is a student support specialist at www.MyCollegePlanningTeam.com and a high school counselor with nearly 20 years of experience. My College Planning Team offers free college planning educational workshops and if you are interested in hosting one at your high school, contact workshops@collegeplanningteam.com for more information.