What's the Point?

I’m sure you’ve all heard the big Collegegate scandal that broke yesterday. Very wealthy parents bribing ACT/SAT proctors, college athletic coaches and athletic administrators to lie and cheat their way into some of the country’s so-called “elite” college institutions.

This is so unbelievable on so many fronts. 

As part of my job, I tour colleges and universities all year round (some you’ve heard of and some you haven’t), and have yet to walk away from one without marveling at what a great job they do for the right student. 

Are you a B student who eventually wants to succeed in medical school?  My vote goes to tiny Carroll College in Helena. MT. 

Are you a late blooming middle of the road test taker who has suddenly discovered you want to explore environmental engineering – take a look at Oregon State University in Corvallis – one of the nations’ “top value for your money schools” with a fabulous environmental engineering program that includes a co-op/internship program called MECOP (www.mecopinc.org).

Are students from Georgetown, USC, Yale, Wake Forrest, University of San Diego (a few of the schools these parents were trying to cheat themselves into) really getting better outcomes for most students? I think not.  Don’t get me wrong. These are fabulous schools for the right person. I just visited University of San Diego over mid-winter break and was incredibly impressed with so many of their programs and even more importantly, their status as one of the top “Changemaking” universities in the country.

If you look at the academic backgrounds of students currently at Harvard Business School and UW Medical School, these students are coming from elite undergraduate institutions and from institutions you’ve likely never heard of. It’s not about where you went to school, it’s about how you engaged in your school while you were there.

While I’m not a big believer in rankings, I use them sometimes to make a point. Here are two lists ranking the best value schools in the country based on cost and outcomes:

Some of my favorite schools are on these lists and they are doing a great job providing a top-notch education at a great value with stellar outcomes. 

With all these incredible choices of schools that would love to have your student, I guess my reaction to yesterday’s news was, was the risk really worth it?  What’s the point?