How to pick a college? Data crunchers hope to help
For many high school seniors, fall means deciding where to apply for college and maybe visiting a guidance counselor. Data crunchers hope to help.
The popularity of social media sites and advancements in the ability to analyze the vast amounts of data we put online give members of the class of 2015 more tools than ever to help chart their next step, even if finding the right college is an inexact science.
The professional networking site LinkedIn has come out with its “University Finder,” which identifies which colleges are popular with which companies. Parchment.com pools student data to predict an individual’s college admission prospects. There’s even a dating service-like site for higher education: Admitted.ly pairs students with colleges based on such factors as body piercings and whether applicants go to church.
These sites are joining the game of college rankings, which has some education experts excited and other rolling their eyes.
“For many families and students, the admissions process is very opaque,” said Matthew Pittinsky, co-founder of the education technology giant Blackboard and chief executive officer of Parchment. “And what’s happing now is that they (students) are beginning to share data with each other … to bring transparency” to the process.
Lloyd Thacker, head of the Education Conservancy and a critic of college rankings, has another take: These sites are one more way to profit from senior-year angst and encourage group-think. “Technology has no inner logic,” he said. “Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we should use it.”
Picking a college is nothing like it once was. In 1980, there were 3,150 colleges and universities, according to the Department of Education, and a primary factor for many students was location.
Now, there are close to 4,700 schools, many of which go out of their way to attract out-of-state students because of the money they bring. Many schools might seem more selective than they are, and students worried about getting turned down apply to lots of schools as a way to hedge their bets.
While popular, these online search tools have their limitations.
LinkedIn’s University Finder is limited to professionals who bother to set up an account with the networking site and who complete a profile. It also works on the honor system because LinkedIn doesn’t verify a person’s credentials.
Parchment and other predictor sites can’t take into account a great application essay or interview, which can matter more at some schools than others. Parchment includes a confidence rating with its predictions to indicate schools that more heavily weigh these factors in the application process.
Sean Logan, director of college counseling at Phillips Academy, says he understands the attraction of a search engine or online chat room, especially at high schools where there might be one guidance counselor for as many as 1,000 students. But in the end, he said, getting into college can be a frustrating process that isn’t always predictable, even for the best students.
“It’s part science,” he said. “And part art.”
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz, 18, remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called College Confidential was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean todays high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college _ though its still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, 18, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called College Confidential was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean todays high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college, though its still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz, 18, remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called “College Confidential” was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean today’s high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college, though it’s still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
How to pick a college? Data crunchers hope to help
For many high school seniors, fall means deciding where to apply for college and maybe visiting a guidance counselor. Data crunchers hope to help.
The popularity of social media sites and advancements in the ability to analyze the vast amounts of data we put online give members of the class of 2015 more tools than ever to help chart their next step, even if finding the right college is an inexact science.
The professional networking site LinkedIn has come out with its “University Finder,” which identifies which colleges are popular with which companies. Parchment.com pools student data to predict an individual’s college admission prospects. There’s even a dating service-like site for higher education: Admitted.ly pairs students with colleges based on such factors as body piercings and whether applicants go to church.
These sites are joining the game of college rankings, which has some education experts excited and other rolling their eyes.
“For many families and students, the admissions process is very opaque,” said Matthew Pittinsky, co-founder of the education technology giant Blackboard and chief executive officer of Parchment. “And what’s happing now is that they (students) are beginning to share data with each other … to bring transparency” to the process.
Lloyd Thacker, head of the Education Conservancy and a critic of college rankings, has another take: These sites are one more way to profit from senior-year angst and encourage group-think. “Technology has no inner logic,” he said. “Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we should use it.”
Picking a college is nothing like it once was. In 1980, there were 3,150 colleges and universities, according to the Department of Education, and a primary factor for many students was location.
Now, there are close to 4,700 schools, many of which go out of their way to attract out-of-state students because of the money they bring. Many schools might seem more selective than they are, and students worried about getting turned down apply to lots of schools as a way to hedge their bets.
While popular, these online search tools have their limitations.
LinkedIn’s University Finder is limited to professionals who bother to set up an account with the networking site and who complete a profile. It also works on the honor system because LinkedIn doesn’t verify a person’s credentials.
Parchment and other predictor sites can’t take into account a great application essay or interview, which can matter more at some schools than others. Parchment includes a confidence rating with its predictions to indicate schools that more heavily weigh these factors in the application process.
Sean Logan, director of college counseling at Phillips Academy, says he understands the attraction of a search engine or online chat room, especially at high schools where there might be one guidance counselor for as many as 1,000 students. But in the end, he said, getting into college can be a frustrating process that isn’t always predictable, even for the best students.
“It’s part science,” he said. “And part art.”
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz, 18, remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called College Confidential was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean todays high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college _ though its still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, 18, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called College Confidential was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean todays high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college, though its still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, in Evanston, Ill., Northwestern University freshman Halle Lukasiewicz, poses for a portrait in a campus classroom. Fall for many high school seniors means deciding where to apply for college and maybe a trip to a guidance counselor. Lukasiewicz, 18, remembers vividly the day Northwestern University began emailing acceptance letters. A chatroom devoted to Northwestern hopefuls on a site called “College Confidential” was buzzing. The popularity of social media sites and advancements in analyzing lots of data we put online mean today’s high school seniors have more tools than ever to help them find the right college, though it’s still an inexact science. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)