It’s Not Where but How You Go to College

Every year on May 1, millions of students and families struggle with one of the most complex and costly decisions they’ll make: where to go to college. This is understandable given the high stakes. Compared to high school alone, the average college grad makes an additional million dollars over a lifetime, and college is where so many students forge their identity, find their community, and chart the course of their careers. But only about 60% of college students graduate within six years.

The truth is, we should worry a lot less about where to go to college and a lot more about how to go to college. It’s the everyday decisions about dorms, majors, class projects, internships, advisors, and activities that determine success. The right opportunities and choices increase students’ sense of belonging, likelihood to graduate, and chances of finding a meaningful career that pays off financially. Students don’t have to guess at these decisions. Decades of research on student success can guide them. 

Where you live on-campus has a surprising impact. Dorms with rooms along a hallway rather than arranged in a suite or apartment promote 22% more interaction between students, increase their sense of community, and increase students’ GPAs by up to a half a letter grade. Students in dorms organized around an idea or identity are more likely to meet with their professors, spend time with people different from them, and learn in groups.

We tend to think of the prestige of a school as determining our future. However, from a financial perspective, several recent studies using College Scorecard data have shown that what students study is more important than where they study it. For example, the median salary for a computer science grad at Indiana State (average annual cost $13,896) is $51,642 compared to the median salary of $37,176 for an anthropology grad at Notre Dame (average annual cost $33,025).

It’s normal for students to not feel like they belong, to question their major, to doubt their abilities, and to be confused as they make their way through the complexities of college. This is why advisors are so critical to guiding and encouraging students. They also have a proven impact on students’ likelihood to stay in school: for every 1% more satisfied students are with an advisor, they are 1.5% more likely to stay in school. 

Applying lessons from the classroom to the real-world is critical. Students who had internships are 1.5 times more likely to think their education was worth the cost and are 1.8 times more likely to be engaged at work after graduation. Students who participate in service learning projects that solve a problem in their community not only get chances to make an impact but have starting salaries $6,500 higher. Co-ops where students work for periods between school increase average starting salaries by $6,300.

Choosing where to go to college is important, but so are the everyday decisions about how to go to college. This Decision Day, let’s take some pressure off this one big decision and take comfort in the fact that the small ones made over the next few years are really what makes a difference. These are the building blocks to a great college experience where students can find their people, their purpose, and their career path. This is how to get the most out of college.