There is nothing like the annual appearance of the list of America’s top colleges to get high-performing high school students reaching for the stars. But with the inspiration that “the best” might offer also comes the sobering possibility of the “not so good.” U.S. News & World Report’s controversial* – yet oft-cited – “America’s Best Colleges 2010” report, released this week, provides insights into America’s institutions of higher education from a dizzying array of angles.
The usual suspects sit atop this year’s list of national universities: Harvard and Princeton are tied for first. Williams College is #1 among liberal arts colleges. Of course, these high-level lists give students a great place to start when setting their higher education goals. But the report digs much deeper, looking at colleges with the Highest and Lowest Acceptance Rates, Highest Graduation Rates, and those with the Most Students Living in a Sorority (or Fraternity). (My personal favorite, the “academic tumbleweed list,” identifies those schools with the Most Transfer Students.)
More sobering, though, are the colleges’ Freshman Retention Rates. “As many as one in three first-year students don’t make it back for sophomore year,” the report states. Reasons include loneliness, money and family problems, and… academic struggles. Scholar’s Secret helps students avoid such struggles through customized instruction and guided practice in the research, writing, and presentation skills so crucial to academic success. Contact us today to get started!
* for an alternative view, see the American Council of Trustees and Alumni’s report, “What Will They Learn? A Report on General Education Requirements at 100 of the Nation’s Leading Colleges and Universities,” also released this week.