University choice has no link to income
It's not where you go but major you pick in undergraduate study
Information from the internet, rumours and fear surrounding university admissions has left parents and students overwhelmed to the point of near paralysis and confusion.
To shatter the myths around university admissions in America, senior vice-president of The Princeton Review, Paul Kanarek, visited Dubai to speak to school guidance counsellors, students and parents.
His visit coincides with the launch of the latest edition of The Best 376 Colleges in the United States, which is a Princeton Review publication.
Among the biggest myths is that an undergraduate degree, if undertaken in the United States, has no link to how much money you make, said Kanarek. He said this astonished parents in the US who want to believe that going to Yale, Princeton or Harvard is the only way to guarantee lucrative employment.
"In America, the link between economic opportunity and any external factor is the major you take — powerful economic majors are engineering and computer science. It's not where you go but the major you pick," Kanarek said.
However when it comes to graduate business school, law school or medical school, where you pursue your degree is of paramount importance, he added.
Best fit for you
"Universities need students who fit the culture of the environment. Harvard is a superb school, but it's just not right for everybody."
If you don't like cold weather, you're not going to like Boston because it rains or snows most of the time, Kanerek said. Similarly those who enjoy the hustle and bustle of city life will not enjoy Yale.
He encourages students and parents to consider lesser known schools — which are as good as Ivy League institutions — that will offer a more suitable environment.
The Best 376 Colleges does not contain a list of famous universities, but takes a unique look at institutions using criteria that include Best Career Services, Best Health Services, Best Athletic Facilities, Most Politically Active Students, Lots of Race/Class Interaction, among others. The 62 ranking lists are based on surveys of 122,000 students.
Lesser known quality institutions take centre stage in the book. For example the best professors are at Wellesley College. Florida Southern College has the most beautiful campus while Wheaton College serves the best campus food, and Bryn Mawr College has the best dorms while students found the college with the best financial aid to be Swarthmore College.
Kanarek said in the American university system, three key questions are asked: Are you smart enough to be successful in my school? Do we like you? Do others like you?
He said standardised test scores were only the fourth most important factor in a university application. The first is the strength and breadth of the curriculum you pick and subjects you choose. The second is school grades. The third is academic curiosity — the things you choose to learn outside the classroom.
