Novel Thinking About Admission (Entry 4) - Less Can Be Better

You probably already see the connection to the college search, but first more information about the book. Many would believe that the more choices we have, the better chance an individual has to make the “best” decision. Dr. Schwartz believes the opposite to be true. That between the effort and time spent making the best decision, the inability to account for every option and trade-off, the regret of not selecting the dismissed options, and need for perfection can all actually lead to unhappiness, and even depression. This can be especially true for the “maximizers,” those that want to make the best choice possible in terms of product, price, and all other potential variables. Schwartz shares, “Having too many choices produces psychological distress, especially when combined with regret, concern about status, adaptation, social comparison, and perhaps most important, the desire to have the best of everything - to maximize.” (pg. 225) And he is speaking in general terms, not directly about the college search and selection process!

 

There’s no doubt that Schwartz’s conclusions can be applied to a student’s college search, application, and selection process. While the variety of higher education options, especially in the United States, are viewed as a blessing, students and families are often intimidated by the enormity of options. Stress and anxiety rear their ugly heads at different times: when trying to start the process (there are over 4,000 colleges in the United States and 25,000 world-wide), when deciding where to visit and apply, and ultimately how to narrow down the decision to one “best” college or university. 

 

How can we, as Schwartz labels it, “mitigate” these sources of distress? First, we start with asking questions rather than naming schools. The schools we know are influenced by others’ opinions, advertisers, branding, and even Saturday’s televised football games. Students should consider their values, what makes them happy and successful in school, what type of people they hope to surround themselves with, how they learn best, and what type of geographic setting might appeal to them. Answering even some of these questions gives families a jumping-off point. Find, and limit yourself to, trusted resources and don’t allow anecdotal opinions to change the research you’ve done. Schwartz shares the story of a car buyer who read thousands of reviews on Consumer Reports only to be swayed away from a purchase based upon the bad experience of one acquaintance. Students should use their college counselors, family that know them well, a school’s websites for facts, and less commercial based search engines and websites. We recommend sources like: College Board My Big Future, The Fiske Guide, our own CIALFO system, or academic major accreditation sites (like ABET for engineering). You can ultimately confirm information on a school’s website or their Common Data Set (schools that participate in CDS agree to report information and data in response to the same group of questions). 

 

It’s healthy to also realize and accept that searching for the best fit schools is more important than buying a pair of jeans, choosing cookies at the grocery store, or finding the best deal on a sweater (all examples from Schwartz’s book). It will take an investment in time, some trial and error, and  probably some level of stress and anxiety. This is likely why Schwartz does not use the college process in any of his examples (he does use the job search of college students). We can limit wasted time by being true to the criteria and values a student finds most important and not being distracted by possible trade-offs. Here’s an example: a student has decided the most important factors of their search are a suburban location, a small community and class size, where they can study abroad and do independent research in psychology. An unhealthy trade-off would be adding a big urban research university with the best rated residence halls in the country because of the recommendation of a friend that did a recent visit. Colleges and universities are amazing places with exciting programs, gorgeous campuses, wonderful communities, and branded to make us think they are the best for everyone. There will always be MORE to look at if we allow ourselves to be distracted from what we’ve decided is important. The goal is to reduce and limit choices in order to lessen stress, anxiety, and regret. 

 

Everyone involved in the search must also believe and trust that there really isn’t such a thing as a “perfect” college for anyone. The student determines their successes. If we can all believe in that, even the maximizers can be refocused to put the emphasis on the student and not the school. Optimism and happiness should not be reliant on a college, it should come from the potential of a student. My best advice: start with questions, stay true to the criteria, limit the choices with focus, and believe that the student is the most important part of the search.

 

We do not, however, have advice for families dealing with a college freshman choosing the best shower caddy as a recent Amazon search provided 2,754 options! That’s a lot of choices!