A Stanford research review led by Denise Pope and Challenge Success found that how engaged a student is in college predicts their learning, wellbeing and later success better than how selective the college is. Pope sums it up in a line: "It's not where you go, it's what you do there."
Who is Denise Pope?
Denise Pope is a senior lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education and co-founder of Challenge Success, a research and intervention project that works to reduce unhealthy pressure on young people and promote a broader vision of success. She speaks widely to parents and schools about the college search.
The report: "A 'Fit' Over Rankings"
In 2018, Stanford's Graduate School of Education and Challenge Success published "A 'Fit' Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity." The authors reviewed the most important research to date on three questions:
- How are college rankings calculated?
- What, if anything, do rankings tell us about student success?
- What does "right fit" really mean when choosing a college?
What they found
Rankings measure the wrong things for this decision
The review points out that ranking methods often change from year to year, and that many of the measures are easy to collect but imprecise. Some, such as graduation rates, reflect students' family circumstances, like income, as much as what the college does.
Engagement predicts success
The students who do best, both in college and afterward, are the ones who engage deeply in their undergraduate experience, regardless of how selective their school is. For outcomes such as learning, wellbeing, job satisfaction and income, the review suggests students shape their own paths more than their college's name does.
Fit is about engagement
In this framing, "fit" means the conditions that help a particular student engage: professors they can connect with, opportunities they will actually use, and a community where they feel at home.
What engagement looks like
Research reviewed in this area, including the Gallup-Purdue Index of college graduates, points to experiences such as:
- a professor who cares about the student and makes learning exciting
- a mentor who encourages their goals
- a long project, internship or research experience
- active involvement in clubs, activities or the community
All of these are available at many kinds of colleges. What differs is whether a particular student will reach for them, and that often depends on whether they feel they belong.
How this connects to belonging
It is much easier to engage fully in a place where you can be yourself. Researcher Brené Brown describes the difference between fitting in, which means changing yourself to be accepted, and belonging, which means being accepted as you are. A student who is busy fitting in has less energy for the professors, projects and friendships that research links to success. Read more about fitting in versus belonging.
Questions to ask, based on the research
- How easy is it for first-year students to get to know professors?
- How do students find research, internships or long projects, and how many do?
- What do students do outside class, and could this student see themselves joining in?
- Where do students who feel a little out of place find support?
FAQ
What is "A 'Fit' Over Rankings"? A 2018 research review by Stanford's Graduate School of Education and Challenge Success on how college rankings are calculated, what they say about student success, and what fit really means.
Does it matter where you go to college? According to the review, engagement matters more than selectivity for most outcomes. Students who make the most of their college experience tend to do well wherever they go.
What does Denise Pope recommend families do? Value fit over rankings: look for colleges where a student is likely to engage, with accessible professors, real opportunities and a community where they feel at home.
Listen and read more
- The Truth About College Admission podcast, episode with Denise Pope
- Tests and the Rest podcast, "Does College Engagement Matter More Than Selectivity?"
- Challenge Success, The right way to choose a college
Start where engagement starts
Lens begins with who a student is (how they learn, what they care about, the kind of place they'd feel at ease in) and then looks for colleges where they may thrive, using federal data and the colleges' own words. Start with Lens →
Related
- Does college selectivity matter?
- College rankings vs. belonging: what the experts say
- What college rankings measure
Sources
- Stanford Graduate School of Education, "First step in choosing the right college: ignore rankings, says Stanford researcher"
- Phys.org, coverage of the report
- Grown & Flown, Denise Pope on college fit
- Purdue University, Gallup-Purdue Index: the Big Six experiences