The college search is more complex than just finding the right database. Colleges need to be a good match for the student and most students don’t know how to select a college. SuperMatch may be a place to start.
Hobsons’ Integrated Marketing Solutions
Jeremy Cooper, president of Hobsons’ Integrated Marketing Solutions, is offering a free tool for high school students to use in their college search. Cooper offers students 19 criteria to help match colleges with their personalities. Students select personal preferences online and a list of colleges appear that could be potential matches.
In the SuperMatch program, students are required to select from:
- Location – regions of the United States or by state.
- Degree Type – 2-year Associates or 4-year Bachelor’s
- Majors – students type in a general major (nursing, business)
- My Scores – unweighted high school g.p.a., SAT score, ACT Composite
- Tuition and Fees – 0, $25K, $50K
- School Size – very large, large, mid-size, small, very small
- Campus Setting – large urban, small urban, suburb, town, rural
- Public or Private Institutions
- Gender Mix – coed, female only, male only
- Historically Black – students check if this is their interest
- Getting In – very selective (less than 1/3), selective (1/3 to 2/3), wide open admits over 2/3)
- Sports – students select the sports of interest
- Greek Life – check sorority or fraternity, if desired
- Religious Affiliation – select affiliation, if desired
- Liberal-Leaning Schools – check if liberal climate is preferred
- GLBT-Friendly – check if a strong gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender support system is preferred
- Party Scene – select schools known for partying or avoid big party schools
- Great College Town [1]
In addition to these selections, students are asked to prioritize each category with three levels of preference.
- Kinda
- Very
- Gotta have
Students press "match" and a list of colleges appear. Sounds too good to be true? It just might be.
Weak Points of SuperMatch
SuperMatch leaves students in the fog on several topics.
My Scores category is a weak area because students will not know the strategy of deciding which college would allow them to be most successful. Getting admitted to a college does not equal knowing where one will be successful.
Tuition and Fees is another gray area because it does not allow for financial aid. It is important for each student to know FAFSA information and if the colleges of interest are generous with financial aid. Students need to know terms such as SAR, EFC and Award Letters.
Getting In doesn’t explain which college would be best for the student when comparing very selective, selective or wide open. There are advantages to each category and a private consultant or a seasoned school counselor can advise students on which one is best.
Graduation Rate doesn’t state exactly what percentage of students graduate. There is a large difference between a college that graduates 23% or 50% and the college that graduates at 93%.
Party Scene is an odd category to even have on this site because students should be going to college to be successful and not to party. Does anyone really know which college parties more than another?
SuperMatch is a Good Start but not a Total Answer to College Search
While SuperMatch does help the totally undecided students with no direction find a beginning in their search; students still need counselors and consultants to help them take the next personal step for them. SuperMarch is not the end but the beginning. For many families, financial aid is the most important factor in selecting a college. This site is not able to lead students in the direction of the most affordable colleges for them. Most students do not pay full tuition and colleges vary greatly in their award letters.
In March, the site registered over 5.1 million visitors [2]. But in addition to the information on the website, there are experienced private consultants that would be able to give students expert advice select the perfect colleges for them. There are also recent books available on how to find best college matches using information not given on this site.
[1] Collegeconfidential.com SuperMatch program details.
[2] McKinney, Jeff. "Hobsons’ new online tool simplifies college searches," Cincinnati.com, June 13, 2010.
Barbara Pytel - Email me Experience Although I was never particularly fond of going to school as an ELL student, I ironically became a teacher, ...
