What to consider when you choose a school
Public and private schools?
Public school systems are supported by a combination of local, state, and federal government funding. Because a large portion of school revenues come from local property taxes, public schools vary widely in the resources they have available per student. Class size also varies from one district to another. Curriculum decisions in public schools are made largely at the local and state levels; the federal government has limited influence. In most districts, a locally elected school board runs schools. The school board appoints an official called the superintendent of schools to manage the schools in the district.
The largest public school system in the United States is in New York City, where more than one million students are taught in 1,200 separate public schools. Because of its immense size – there are more students in the system than residents in the eight smallest US states – the New York City public school system is nationally influential in determining standards and materials, such as textbooks.
Admission to individual public schools is usually based on residency. To compensate for differences in school quality based on geography, school systems serving large cities and portions of large cities often have “magnet schools” that provide enrollment to a specified number of non-resident students in addition to serving all resident students. This special enrollment is usually decided by lottery with equal numbers of males and females chosen. Some magnet schools cater to gifted students or to students with special interests, such as the sciences or performing arts.
Private schools in the United States include parochial schools (affiliated with religious denominations), non-profit independent schools, and for-profit private schools. Private schools charge varying rates depending on geographic location, the school’s expenses, and the availability of funding from sources, other than tuition. For example, some churches partially subsidize private schools for their members. Some people have argued that when their child attends a private school, they should be able to take the funds that the public school no longer needs and apply that money towards private school tuition in the form of vouchers. This is the basis of the school choice movement.
5,072,451 students attended 33,740 private elementary and secondary schools in 2007. 74.5% of these were Caucasian, non-Hispanic, 9.8% were African American, 9.6% were Hispanic. 5.4% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and .6% were American Indian. Average school size was 150.3 students. There were 456,266 teachers. The number of students per teacher was about 11. 65% of seniors in private schools in 2006-7 went on to attend a 4-year college.
Private schools have various missions: some cater to college-bound students seeking a competitive edge in the college admissions process; others are for gifted students, students with learning disabilities or other special needs, or students with specific religious affiliations. Some cater to families seeking a small school, with a nurturing, supportive environment. Unlike public school systems, private schools have no legal obligation to accept any interested student. Admission to some private schools is often highly selective. Private schools also have the ability to permanently expel persistently unruly students, a disciplinary option not legally available to public school systems.
Private schools offer the advantages of smaller classes, under twenty students in a typical elementary classroom, for example; a higher teacher/student ratio across the school day, greater individualized attention and in the more competitive schools, expert college placement services. Unless specifically designed to do so, private schools usually cannot offer the services required by students with serious or multiple learning, emotional, or behavioral issues. Although reputed to pay lower salaries than public school systems, private schools often attract teachers by offering high-quality professional development opportunities, including tuition grants for advanced degrees. According to elite private schools themselves, this investment in faculty development helps maintain the high quality program that they offer.
Other factors to consider
Academic Factors
What do you wish to study? Liberal arts? Sciences? Business? Engineering? A specific trade or technical area? Determining your program of study is a good way to start identifying universities. It is OK if you are undecided; many U.S. schools will let you enter as such, allowing you to choose your major field of study later on.
Are there any “core” or distribution requirements for graduation? Discover what classes or subject areas (if any) the university requires of all undergraduates; then determine if these classes are ones that you are both willing and able to complete.
Are there opportunities to conduct research? To pursue more than one major? To study abroad? Consider the particular academic opportunities that you would like to have and search for schools that offer them.
What is the quality of the institution? Some factors that can help you determine quality include: student–faculty ratio; average class size; percentage of faculty who teach; percentage of classes that are professor taught (versus those that are taught by graduate students or teaching assistants).
Finally, be sure that both the institution and the academic program you are considering are accredited. U.S. universities are accredited by one of six recognized regional organizations, while academic programs are accredited by one of 60 programmatic accrediting organizations. For more information on accreditation, visit the Web site of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Size
Would you like to go to school with 30,000 students or 3,000? The largest U.S. universities have tens of thousands of students on a single campus; the smallest have fewer than 1,000. Determine which campus environment feels most comfortable to you and select schools based on your ideal size.
Location
Do you wish to go to school in a particular geographic region? Would you like to be in an urban area or somewhere more rural? Many U.S. institutions are located in or near cities; however, many more are located in small towns and other settings. Determine what type of location will contribute to and enrich your life as a student.
Extracurricular Factors
What else do you wish to be involved in besides your studies? Are you an artist, an athlete, a musician, a poet? Would you like there to be an international student association on your campus or a specific cultural or religious group to which you can belong? U.S. colleges and universities offer many clubs, organizations, and activities to students. Find those that are right for you.
Financial Factors
What are the annual costs for attending the college or university of your choice? You must consider tuition, room and board (the cost to stay in the dormitories and to eat in the dining halls), books, fees, and personal expenses. If you know that you will need financial assistance to attend an institution in the United States, look for schools that offer scholarships or financial aid specifically for international students.
These are just a few of the areas that you should consider as you look for colleges and universities in the United States. Remember that institutions vary in their selectivity as much as they vary in other areas. Therefore, as you search, be sure you include some options where your chances of admission seem likely based on the admissions data that the institution provides. Rest assured, however, that with more than 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, there is a right place for you.