Finding a Good Fit

As the mother of two teenagers, Nancy Colon has the college search and admission process on her mind. So when the University of Richmond offered a workshop on “Navigating the College Selection and Admission Process,” she made sure her sons were there. “They have to start thinking about college,” she says. “It’s good for them to get an idea for setting their long-term goals.”

Many alumni families attended the workshop, which took place during the University’s Reunion Weekend, but it also was open to Richmond faculty, staff, and community friends who have children preparing for college searches and applications.

Over the course of an afternoon, local high school counselors and college admission professionals spoke on topics ranging from college rankings to finding a campus with the right academic and social fit.

Nanci Tessier, the University’s vice president for enrollment management, explained that the admission process has changed over the years. These days, “Students are applying to a larger number of colleges, sometimes eight or more, which makes the applicant pools larger and increasingly competitive,” she said.

For parents like Colon, the University’s international tax officer, the challenge with these changes is helping their children find the right environment — not just the most prestigious name. “I think a lot of kids feel pressured about going to a [popular] school,” she said. “They don’t think fit is important.”

To find the right fit, students have to know themselves first, according to Barbara Conner, director of college counseling at Middleburg, Va.’s Foxcroft School, a boarding and day school for girls. This is something they should do before beginning the selection process, she said, encouraging students to think back on learning environments in which they have flourished and class situations that did not work well for them.

Similarly, James Jump, academic dean and director of guidance at Richmond’s prestigious St. Christopher’s School, stressed the importance of visiting campuses to get a sense of how it feels. “Schools that look alike on paper will have a different feel when you walk on the campus,” he said. “You are choosing a place to live for the next four years. What are the things that are going to make you happy?”

Another consideration is the skills and talents a student wants to develop during college, said Evelyn Boyd White, school counseling coordinator at nearby Thomas Dale High School. “You want a meaningful opportunity that will help them grow,” she said.

And when the time is right to consider rankings, parents and students should never accept one ranking source. “Picking a college should be a personal choice,” said Anthony Ambrogi, Randolph-Macon College’s director of admission. “Whether it’s ranked should be secondary, if it’s [a consideration] at all.”

Kay MacDonald, administrative coordinator in the University’s Office of Living-Learning and Roadmap Programs, will be relaying all of this information to her 16-year-old son. “He needs to ask himself questions about the environment, his learning styles and his interests before he begins looking through catalogues,” she says.