"Out of the frying pan and ..."

by Dr. James Phelps, Associate Professor of Music and
Director of NIUCMS (Northern Illinois University Computer
Music Studios)

NIUCMS
Northern Illinois University
School of Music
DeKalb, IL 60115
office: 815 753 0141
FAX: 815 753 1759
email:jphelps@niu.edu Web: http://nicemusic.music.niu.edu/NIUCMS/NIUCMS.html

Working through a problem, or challenge, is usually a matter of knowing what questions to ask and what resources to use in answering them. Attempts to answer one question can often bring to mind other questions that you hadn't previously considered. This process continues ... asking questions ... consulting resources ... pondering answers ... asking new questions ... and learning "happens" ... learning about the problem, the questions, the answers and about yourself! For some situations, such as finding a program in which to matriculate, there comes a time to make the big decision - the time to review all questions, review all answers, consult all sources, then throw all that out and do what you wanted to do in the first place!

This article consists of two main parts: a list of resources and a list of questions. Neither should be considered as exhaustive, but rather as a starting place. There are many pieces of information one needs to assimilate during this search for a school/program. These all-important tidbits include such things as application deadlines, financial aid possibilities/deadlines, living quarters, personal budget allowances, etc. Thankfully, new media technology comes to the rescue. There are many good online resources for covering just such information. The URLs for some of these are given here:

Financial Aid:

http://ieie.nsc.ru/~eac/undergrad.html
http://www.finaid.org/finaid/faqs/finaid.faq
http://www.finaid.org/
http://www.edfundserv.com/efs.htm
http://members.aol.com/scholarshp/index.html

General Info:

http://www.nosc.mil/planet_earth/uni.html
http://www-vms.uoregon.edu/~ebick/counselor.html
http://college-solutions.com/CS-Survey.html
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/mm/cc/home.html
http://www.jobtrak.com/docs/collegelist.html

Now for the tricky bits. I hope this list of questions helps to illuminate some considerations often overlooked, or brought to bear too late in the process.

1) Why do you want to go to school anyway?

Better try answering this one right now! Watch out, it can be harder
than you might think. Thinking through this one may save time later. You
may also get a grip on what you expect to put into the effort and what you expect
to get out of it.

2) How sure are you about your career field?

If this question causes more consternation than you expected, don't worry
about it. It's not always important to have your entire life mapped out at age 17!
How boring ... NOT knowing all these answers is what makes living exciting anyway...
right? However, you may find there are a few areas of interest to which you
would like to direct your attention. Some interests you really know little about, but that
seem appealing in some way, may deserve an exploratory class.

In fact, it's not unheard of for students to make rather significant changes in career
direction in mid-stream of their undergraduate experience. Afterall, the most important
subject about which one learns in undergraduate school is SELF!

3) Chance of going to grad school?

Do you have any particular feel for graduate school at this point? Some career
decisions would require it, such as becoming a University Professor, Physician, Attorney,
etc. Some careers may not demand any graduate work but could be
enlightened by it, such as public school teaching.

This discussion could have a bearing on other factors to consider.

4) What kind of school do you need? Community college, trade, four-year university?

Influence of question #3 will be felt here. How is your cumulative grade score?
Will you need to get up a "running start" in a community/junior college
before transfering to a larger environment? There's certainly no shame in this and doing
this could help prevent bigtime troubles early on at the larger institution.

Also, if you know you are going to grad school and you already have that one picked
out, this could give you some flexibility in selecting an undergrad school. How? If
your grad school is a rather big-name school, with plenty of clout and a good graduate-
placement record, you might not feel the pressure to choose a school of similar
prestige (expense) for the undergraduate work. So, a local, lesser-known institution may
be adequate while you prepare for the graduate school. If reputation is on your
list of interests, and perhaps it should be, depending on your exact goals, your
graduate institution will provide that. People may not be so interested in your
undergrad program in view of great success at a venerated graduate school.

5) Is locale important or necessary?

Hopefully the answer to this question is "no." Flexibility will go a long way in
enabling you to find the best institution. An affirmative response to #3, with due
consideration of #4, may make it easier to justify going to that local choice. Of
course, what's your "locale?"

6) "First time out" factor ... what will be your reaction ... behavior?

This deserves more attention than it usually gets. Simply put, is this your first time
away from home ... away from close scrutiny, so to speak? How do you
suppose you'll react to that? Several possible responses are common. Some exercise to
the fullest extent imaginable their new-found freedom. This doesn't always
support the academic effort, but, thankfully, often subsides as this behavior gets a bit
boring rather soon. Homesickness is still a favorite. How often do you intend to visit
home ... could be more or less often than you presently think. Discuss these
issues with yourself, if with no other person. You might even consciously
allow yourself a "breaking in" period during which a few excesses will be nurtured.

7) Dorm vs off-campus living.

In short, dorms can be the worst possible places for students to live. Dorms are
seldomly conducive to much serious work. Oddly enough, freshmen often find
themselves there. I personally believe this is just backwards. Yeah yeah I know
all about the social benefits, but socializing isn't a common stumbling block
for new, excited, eager undergrads. I'm not sure how popular my own opinion is ...
apparently not too popular with many schools. Look into all scenarios, especially
off-campus residence situations.

8) Graduate program at school, whether you want it later or not?

Often, institutions that have graduate programs attract stronger faculty than those that do
not. Of course this is by no means a rule etched in stone - just something to look
out for. Students can be benefitted from studying with Professors who are
active in research in their area. This often translates into the most up-to-date
information being discussed/available in the classroom. Such research
opportunities are often better accommodated by schools offering graduate degrees.

9) Family tradition of going to one school? Good for you?

Ahem ... this can really be a sticky issue for the entire family. Family traditions can
be hard to break. Of course you may not need to break one. One advantage to
adhering to family "rule" in such matters is you will likely get rather enormous
support. But, if the school simply isn't what you need, then you have
some lobbying to do. It can help to bring in high-school counselors in on this
discussion. We're assuming they'll be in "your court."

10) Know any graduates or current students of this school?

One of most telling exercises can be to meet graduates and current students of this
prospective institution. Many times such a visit will yield good, casual
conversation and will prove enlightening as you try to get a feel for the school from the
"inside out." By all means, make a trip to visit the school. This can be crucial.
You may very well be spending the next four years of your life there. You
better darn well look the place over ... the city/town too. These are to be some
of your most productive, formative years. Making a visit to the school will
also show the Professors you meet that you are serious about this endeavor. It
helps to make yourself known to these important people as early as possible. Make a
great first impression!

11) School placement history of graduates in workforce.

Gather information concerning the school's record in placing their graduates in the
various avenues of the workforce. It is also helpful to speak with a "placed"
graduate to find out from them how the school helped in her/his job
search/acquisition.

12) Any inside contacts at these schools?

Does Mom or Dad or Uncle Ernie or Cousin Kevin have any contacts within the
school? One never knows how such relationships can prove helpful in the
future. Don't think such things never have a bearing on ... let's say ... hiring one student
over another for temp work. Hey ... this is part of the real world too!

13) How is money an issue, or not?

Ah yes, we finally get to the money matter. How deep are your pockets? If they are
quite deep, then just skip on down to another question and don't even bother
looking at the above Web links that have to do with financial considerations. On the
other hand, if your pockets are modest (or bare), you will want to become an
expert on financial aid. The links shown in this article will be good starting places.
Get started very early with your institution on your financial aid package so
you'll have no, or at least only a few, surprises when you register for the first
time. And remember ... you are expected to repay this money in the case of
loans. Hopefully you'll score good scholarships to keep the loan amounts low if
necessary at all. It's likely you'll have a mixed bag of scholarships, grants and
loans. And you may still have to consider working some on the side to help out
with expenses or just to give yourself some spending money. I mean you can't
expect to stay in some book or in front of some computer ALL the time! For
heaven sakes ... get out and live. But I feel that now I'm preaching to the choir!

14) Current fiscal condition of the state education system, your school and the program in which you're interested.

Schools of all varieties are having a rough time these days. The fiscal/political
scene is the worst in many years. Many states are currently undergoing their own flavor of
productivity reviews. This often translates as business people in high, appointed
offices, placing corporate analysis machines in the higher education
environment. Results are usually absurd, at best, and downright disabling at the worst.
Results always mean less money for the school's programs, faculty salaries
and more tuition for students to pay. These business women and men may
be very talented in their own field but are clueless as to how to run an institution
whose business is something so inherently inefficient as the
learning/creating processes.

Ask about what evaluations the institution is presently undergoing or will soon be
undergoing. You should also get a feel for what such processes have done to faculty
morale! Do I sound as though I speak from experience on this matter? You bet!
It has happened bigtime here in Illinois.

15) Life interests other than school related? Can you do them where you're considering going to school?

What other interests do you have in life and can you attend to those wherever you'll
be going to school. Used to big city life? Going to small town for school?
"What ... you say they only have one theatre and three bars here ...
and NO Starbucks!!"

16) Technological facilities at school? Internet access? Open computer labs? Email?

It is important that ALL students have access to computer labs. In these labs
students gain access to basic tools essential in the 90s. Minimally you will need access
to word processors and electronic mail. These labs should be readily
available with many open hours.

17) Foreign travel during school as part of education? Foreign exchange program?

Is foreign, education-related travel on your mind? If so, it's a good thing to look
into any such programs early. There may be considerable planning required
and, of course, the all-important dollar to consider/save. I highly
recommend considering involvement in some program which sends you to another
country for, let's say, a month or even an entire semester. You'll want to know how
credit hours are attached to this and what you have to do to earn them. This can
prove to be one of your greatest, most valuable experiences in undergraduate school!

18) Coop program available?

There may be a cooperative education program available in your field. Such
programs take on many forms but usually involve the student doing apprentice type
work for a major company in the field. The student often gets paid for this and
sometimes earns credit to boot! More and more we are seeing employers looking to
such programs to fill their workforce needs.

Well now you're ready to go do some of the best work of your life! Hopefully these links and questions have aided in your processing all the data required to make this big decision.

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Copyright September 1996,
updated February 2004.
Kristine H. Burns,
Florida International University
Questions? Contact me.