Thursday, August 15, 2024 -

A college fit toolkit provides resources for potential students during the college selection process. By utilizing the 5 C's of college fit, students gain the confidence to choose a college that fits them best. The 5 C's of college fit includes: campus (location), curriculum (academic program/major), career (career networking and employment outlook), cost (tuition/instate/out of state/scholarship/financial aid) and community (belonging). While potential students schedule campus tours, review admissions requirements, and complete FAFSA forms, a college fit toolkit generates pertinent college conversation topics for students to have with their family members and admissions counselors. This strategy promotes student success by encouraging students to enroll in academic programs at colleges that meet their unique needs and compliment their unique lifestyles. It also encourages students to prioritize their needs and desires, while supporting student efforts as they make a plan for the next step in their educational journey. College fit toolkits also serve as a means to help familiarize students with student support services, on and off campus resources, and opportunities to better prepare them for a successful college experience.

A College Fit Toolkit

The 5 C's of college fit should be found in any student's college fit toolkit. The toolkit also serves as a guide providing a basis for college hopefuls to compare institutions' strengths, challenges, and culture. By providing a holistic assessment guide, students can make the most of college tours, meetings with admissions counselors, and discussions with their families around college attendance. Guides should include questions to better understand the institution's campus, curriculum, career, cost, and community measures. Institutions should add additional tools, resources, and tips tailored to better serve a diverse student population. Here are examples of the 5 C's of college fit guided resources, which can be used early on in the college selection process to better assess college fit. Higher education professionals should also be prepared to answer these questions, and more, when military-affiliated students inquire.

Campus

• What makes the college and the campus stand out?
• Where is the campus located? Rural or Metropolitan? Online/virtual?
• Is transportation required to commute from one building to another (bus, car, bike)?

Curriculum

• Does the college host the academic degree you are interested in?
• Which programs are the largest on campus?
• Which programs have the highest graduation rate?
• What is the faculty/student ratio?
• Classroom size: Is the cap at 25 students, 200 students?

Career

• What, if any, career services are offered?
• Which organizations does the college partner with for internship opportunities?
• What is the employment rate of graduates after college?
• What is the employment rate of graduates within your intended department, in that field?

Cost

• Let's talk about money. How much is tuition? When asking this question, students and staff should be mindful of in-state versus out-of-state tuition rates, as well as public institutions versus private institution rates.
• What are room and board rates? Are they required, included and/or packaged?
• What percentage of students enrolled qualify for financial aid?
• Are there work-study opportunities specific to your intended career field?

Community

• What is the demographic makeup of the campus community?
• How involved and integrated is the college in the local community?
• Are there on-campus or virtual events that offer student engagement, such as sports, clubs, or social groups?
• How can I connect with current students that will offer their experience at this college?
• How welcome do I feel on-campus?
• Is student belonging a priority at this campus? If so- how so?

While the 5 C's of college fit provide a holistic approach to comparing colleges' strengths, similarities, and differences, it is only one resource in a college fit toolkit. For example, F.A.C.T., friendly (military), access (online/cohort basis), credit (for experience); transfer (credit for credit), is a tool that can be used to help military-centered student populations assess the best fit for college for them. By utilizing FACT, one of the tailored military-centered resources in a student's college fit toolkit, students are supported in the college decision-making process with tips that stem from an understanding of the military culture, community, and needs. FACT guides students to assess college fit through their specific lens, while providing tips and strategies that promote student success.

Adding FACT for the Military-affiliated College Fit Tool Kit

FACT is the military-centered community's tailored version of a college fit assessment resource that supports cultural awareness training on campus for faculty, staff, and students; provides guided questions that aid in the college selection process; and promotes student success for the military-centered community. The tool specific to the military-centered community is FACT and the following are some examples of where to begin.

Friendly (Military)

A military-friendly stamp may not provide a well-rounded picture of military inclusivity on campus. Here are some examples of questions prospective students should ask and higher ed professionals should be able to answer:

• Does the campus have a veteran support center or services?
• Does the campus plan a Military Appreciation Day?
• What do the VA support services in the community look like?
• Is there a knowledgeable faculty, staff, and community?

Access

What does access look like on campus? Here are some questions prospective students can ask and higher ed professionals should be able to answer:

• Are there online options for college admissions and enrollment?
• Life happens- is enrollment on a cohort base track? Is there an option to postpone courses without dis-enrolling? Is there a penalty for pausing academic degrees?
• If the campus hosts a veteran support center, does the center offer in-person and virtual appointments?

Credit

Credit refers to college course credit military members may be eligible to receive for their prior experiences. This could include basic training, specialty training schools, or merit-based completion of military advancement training. For example: Completion of basic training could provide credit for an introductory course, whereas completion of drill sergeant's school could provide course credit for public speaking, internship credit, or leadership management electives. Here are some examples of questions prospective students may ask and higher ed professionals should be able to answer:

• On average how many prior service credits are earned by military-centered students at your institution?
• Is there a cap or specific eligibility requirement for credits to be accepted through prior service learning opportunities?
• What are the common course credits awarded to students for prior military service?
• What is the process to have prior service credits reviewed for acceptance? Are there any degree/academic program exceptions?
• What is the success rate of course credit awards for the military-centered students at your college?

Transfer

The strength of an institution's transfer articulation agreements can be the determining factor in college enrollment for the military-affiliated student. By enacting strong articulation agreements with credit for credit transfer, institutions can mark high in college fit among the military-affiliated community. Soldiers acquiring credit from community and technical colleges, institutions in other states, or even online colleges could lose course credit awards that may cause them to prolong degree completion if an institution does not uphold reciprocity of credit. Here are some examples of questions for prospective students to ask and higher ed professionals should be able to answer:

Example questions relating to transfer credit:

• Which (if any) college transfer articulation agreements are in effect at your college?
• On average, how many (if any) college transfer credits are accepted by your institution? Is that degree or academic program specific?
• Is there a cap, limit, or specific eligibility requirement for transfer credits to be accepted at your institution?

While college fit is essential to the success of students and speaks directly to their sense of belonging, it encompasses multiple aspects of a students' educational journey, not just the main 5 C's. For many students, particularly first-generation and non-traditional college students, having a college fit toolkit with questions in-hand would directly impact their student success outcomes.