Welcome to the 5th annual ranking of most expensive colleges compiled by Campus Grotto. While the names on this list haven’t changed much over the years, the numbers sure have. When we first started ranking colleges by cost back in 2007, only one school (GWU) had a total cost of over $50K, now 111 do. Back then, not a single school had tuition over $40K, now 80 have passed that mark. There are now nineteen universities charging over $55,000 (just one last year), and that’s not even including the cost of textbooks.
Sarah Lawrence College is once again named the most expensive college by total cost for the 2011-2012 school year, marking the 4th year in a row the school has topped the ranking. Is it worth the money? Who knows, but the college does boast one of the lowest student-teacher ratios in the country and all students receive one-on-one weekly guidance from faculty.
 Sarah Lawrence: Home of the nation's most expensive college.
It's important to note that these numbers are the ‘sticker prices’ for each institution for the 2011-2012 school year. Just because these schools have high tuition does not mean you will actually be paying that amount. Many schools will provide a financial aid package that meets 100% of a student's financial need (Cost of Attendance - Estimated Family Contribution). While going to college is still expensive, many of the colleges here offer great financial aid packages. To get a better idea of what you will actually be paying at each school, be sure to use the net price calculator that every college is required to have on their website starting October 29th (Thanks to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008). Hopefully these calculators will give students (and their parents) a better idea of what they will actually be paying before applying.
Knowing colleges provide great financial aid packages, we hope to take these total cost numbers and apply the average grant each school gives to figure the typical out-of-pocket expense for these schools. The Department of Education recently 'ranked' a list of expensive schools by net price. While interesting, the tuition figures were a bit outdated as they were taken from the 2009-2010 school year. By us being able to provide the net price for the 2011-2012 school year, we will have this data out nearly two years ahead of the Dept. of Ed. Look for this in the coming weeks. Check back or sign up to receive our latest articles by email to be notified when this is available.
You will see all of the schools on this list are private colleges. Public schools are more affordable, but it should be noted they are rising in price faster than private schools. For the first time schools once considered affordable, like Cal Berkeley and UCLA, are nearly making the top 100 most expensive list with their nonresident tuition (listed at 115 and 120, respectively). (No wonder they are protesting over tuition increases.)
We start by taking a look at tuition.
Highest Tuition 2011-2012
| College | Tuition | |
1. Middlebury College | $45,935 | |
2. Sarah Lawrence College | $44,220 | |
3. The George Washington University | $44,103 | |
4. Vassar College | $44,050 | |
5. Connecticut College | $43,990 | |
6. Bucknell University | $43,628 | |
7. Wesleyan University | $43,404 | |
8. St. John's College | $43,256 | |
9. University of Richmond | $43,170 | |
10. Carnegie Mellon University | $43,160 |
More: See the Top 100
When required fees are added onto tuition, the rankings change slightly, mainly because some schools (Columbia, Penn, Harvard) have fees that total a couple thousand dollars.
Highest Tuition and Fees 2011-2012
| College | Tuition + Fees | |
1. Middlebury College | $46,315 | |
2. Columbia University | $45,290 | |
3. Sarah Lawrence College | $45,212 | |
4. Vassar College | $44,705 | |
5. The George Washington University | $44,148 | |
6. Trinity College (CT) | $44,070 | |
7. Connecticut College | $43,990 | |
8. Bucknell University | $43,866 | |
9. Carnegie Mellon University | $43,812 | |
10. Wesleyan University | $43,674 |
More: See the Top 100
Room and board is another cost that is often overlooked. Many colleges in the urban areas of New York, Boston, and the California coast have room and board expenses that run $13,000-$14,000 per year. Our favorite example is with NYU, who ranks 91st in tuition, but when factoring in room and board they become the 2nd most expensive college. Here we add the cost of a typical double room plus meal plan charged by each college to get the total cost to attend the college.
Most Expensive Colleges 2011-2012
| College | Total Cost |
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1. Sarah Lawrence College | $59,170 | |
2. New York University | $56,787 | |
3. Columbia University | $56,310 | |
4. Harvey Mudd College | $55,998 | |
5. Eugene Lang College (The New School) | $55,890 | |
6. Claremont McKenna College | $55,865 | |
7. Wesleyan University | $55,706 | |
8. Bard College | $55,617 | |
9. Barnard College | $55,566 | |
10. Trinity College (CT) | $55,450 | |
11. University of Chicago | $55,416 | |
12. University of Southern California | $55,384 | |
13. Dartmouth College | $55,365 | |
14. Drexel University | $55,335 | |
15. Bates College | $55,300 | |
16. Johns Hopkins University | $55,242 | |
17. Vassar College | $55,135 | |
18. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $55,110 | |
19. Haverford College | $55,050 | |
20. Pitzer College | $54,988 | |
21. Fordham University - Lincoln Center | $54,972 | |
22. Connecticut College | $54,970 | |
23. Bennington College | $54,960 | |
24. Occidental College | $54,950 | |
25. Carnegie Mellon University | $54,922 |
More: See the Top 100
Total Cost = Tuition + Room & Board + Required Fees
Data compiled by CampusGrotto.com
Other Notable Colleges:
- While Harvard is 82nd in total cost, it ranks 146 in tuition.
- Princeton ranks 114th total cost and 125th in Tuition.
- UC Berkeley ranks 115th in total cost.
- UCLA ranks 120th in total cost.
Notes:
Total Cost = Tuition + Room and Board + Required Fees
The fees included in the total cost only include fees that are required for all undergraduates. These fees typically include items like the Student Activity Fee, a Facilities Fee, and a Technology fee. You won't see any fees by major, orientation fees for incoming students, or medical insurance fees included in these costs. Many other fees can be optional and can vary per student and per major. A Student Health Insurance Fee, for example, is obviously not going to be required for a student already on their parents’ insurance plan. Some colleges have their yearly budget for students listed slightly higher than what you see here. This is because some colleges also add in estimated costs of books, personal expenses, and transportation costs.
Tuition numbers were taken directly from each college's website during the last week of September of 2011.
This list only takes into account colleges that offer bachelor's (BA) degrees, so you will not see schools like Landmark College (costs over $55K) who only offer students an Associate of Arts (AA) degree.
Also See:
Most Expensive Dorms for 2011-2012.
Notable Press
The Washington Post
The Huffington Post
The Wall Street Journal
Fox News
National Review
Consumerist
Yale Daily News
The Dartmouth
ABC5 WCVB-TV Boston
ABC7 KABC-TV Los Angeles
Corrections:
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We originally announced there were twenty colleges charging over $55K. A $198 orientation fee was included in the total cost of Carnegie Mellon. Since this list only includes fees that are required of all undergraduates, we adjusted the total cost of CMU (which dropped them below the $55K mark). There are nineteen colleges charging over $55K for 2011-2012 when totaling tuition, room/board, and fees required of all undergrads.
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Harvey Mudd notified us that the published student body fee on their website was overstated by $270. The total cost for Harvey Mudd College is $55,998, not $56,268 as previously published. They are still the 4th most expensive.
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Here are the top 100 most expensive colleges by tuition for the 2011-2012 school year. There are now 80 colleges that charge over $40,000/year for tuition, nearly double the amount that did last year.
| College | Tuition | |
1. Middlebury College | $45,935 | |
2. Sarah Lawrence College | $44,220 | |
3. The George Washington University | $44,103 | |
4. Vassar College | $44,050 | |
5. Connecticut College | $43,990 | |
6. Bucknell University | $43,628 | |
7. Wesleyan University | $43,404 | |
8. St. John's College | $43,256 | |
9. University of Richmond | $43,170 | |
10. Carnegie Mellon University | $43,160 | |
11. Union College (NY) | $43,131 | |
12. Columbia University | $43,088 | |
13. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $43,000 | |
14. Williams College | $42,938 | |
15. Oberlin College | $42,842 | |
16. Bowdoin College | $42,816 | |
17. Carleton College | $42,690 | |
18. Colgate University | $42,625 | |
19. Dickinson College | $42,610 | |
19. Gettysburg College | $42,610 | |
21. Bates College | $42,550 | |
22. Reed College | $42,540 | |
23. Franklin & Marshall College | $42,510 | |
24. Bard College | $42,476 | |
25. St. Lawrence University | $42,420 | |
26. Johns Hopkins University | $42,280 | |
27. Hamilton College | $42,220 | |
28. Amherst College | $42,170 | |
29. University of Southern California | $42,162 | |
30. Hobart and William Smith College | $42,014 | |
31. Tufts University | $41,998 | |
32. Claremont McKenna College | $41,995 | |
33. Trinity College (CT) | $41,980 | |
34. Hampshire College | $41,900 | |
35. Harvey Mudd College | $41,870 | |
36. Occidental College | $41,860 | |
37. University of Chicago | $41,853 | |
38. Haverford College | $41,830 | |
39. Macalester College | $41,800 | |
40. Scripps College | $41,736 | |
40. Dartmouth College | $41,736 | |
42. Bennington College | $41,690 | |
43. Ursinus College | $41,650 | |
44. Wheaton College (MA) | $41,600 | |
44. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $41,600 | |
46. Northwestern University | $41,592 | |
47. Skidmore College | $41,520 | |
48. Boston College | $41,480 | |
49. Brown University | $41,328 | |
50. Cornell University | $41,325 | |
51. Mount Holyoke College | $41,270 | |
52. Wake Forest University | $41,100 | |
53. Kenyon College | $41,090 | |
54. University of Rochester | $41,040 | |
55. Colby College | $41,020 | |
56. Washington and Lee University | $40,990 | |
57. Washington University in St. Louis | $40,950 | |
58. Georgetown University | $40,920 | |
59. University of Notre Dame | $40,910 | |
59. College of the Holy Cross | $40,910 | |
61. Boston University | $40,848 | |
62. Swarthmore College | $40,816 | |
63. Duke University | $40,670 | |
64. Lehigh University | $40,660 | |
65. Emory University | $40,600 | |
66. Villanova University | $40,530 | |
67. Brandeis University | $40,514 | |
68. Pepperdine University | $40,500 | |
68. Yale University | $40,500 | |
70. MIT | $40,460 | |
71. Barnard College | $40,422 | |
72. Wellesley College | $40,410 | |
73. Babson College | $40,400 | |
74. Lafayette College | $40,340 | |
75. Vanderbilt University | $40,320 | |
76. Stevens Institute of Technology | $40,300 | |
77. Whitman College | $40,180 | |
78. Providence College | $40,150 | |
79. Drew University | $40,128 | |
80. Stanford University | $40,050 | |
81. Fairfield University | $39,990 | |
82. Bryn Mawr College | $39,860 | |
83. Tulane University | $39,850 | |
84. Smith College | $39,800 | |
85. Drexel University | $39,700 | |
86. Muhlenberg College | $39,630 | |
87. Pomona College | $39,572 | |
88. Colorado College | $39,550 | |
89. Loyola University Maryland | $39,470 | |
90. Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $39,450 | |
91. New York University | $39,344 | |
92. Denison University | $39,330 | |
93. Grinnell College | $39,250 | |
94. Fordham University | $39,235 | |
95. Furman University | $39,200 | |
95. Chapman University | $39,200 | |
97. Santa Clara University | $39,048 | |
98. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | $39,000 | |
99. Pitzer College | $38,832 | |
100. Willamette University | $38,800 |
Back to the original article: Most Expensive Colleges for 2011-2012
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Here are the top 100 most expensive colleges by tuition and required fees for the 2011-2012 school year.
| College | Tuition + Fees | |
1. Middlebury College | $46,315 | |
2. Columbia University | $45,290 | |
3. Sarah Lawrence College | $45,212 | |
4. Vassar College | $44,705 | |
5. The George Washington University | $44,148 | |
6. Trinity College (CT) | $44,070 | |
7. Connecticut College | $43,990 | |
8. Bucknell University | $43,866 | |
9. Carnegie Mellon University | $43,812 | |
10. Wesleyan University | $43,674 | |
11. St. John's College | $43,656 | |
12. Union College (NY) | $43,602 | |
13. Tulane University | $43,434 | |
14. Bard College | $43,331 | |
15. University of Southern California | $43,306 | |
16. Bowdoin College | $43,246 | |
17. Hobart and William Smith College | $43,220 | |
18. Oberlin College | $43,210 | |
19. Williams College | $43,190 | |
20. University of Richmond | $43,170 | |
21. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $43,150 | |
22. Dickinson College | $43,060 | |
23. Dartmouth College | $42,996 | |
24. Tufts University | $42,962 | |
25. Occidental College | $42,960 | |
26. Carleton College | $42,942 | |
27. Colgate University | $42,920 | |
28. Amherst College | $42,898 | |
29. Reed College | $42,800 | |
29. Bennington College | $42,800 | |
31. University of Chicago | $42,783 | |
32. St. Lawrence University | $42,735 | |
33. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $42,704 | |
34. Hamilton College | $42,640 | |
35. Kenyon College | $42,630 | |
36. Gettysburg College | $42,610 | |
37. Franklin & Marshall College | $42,560 | |
38. Pitzer College | $42,550 | |
38. Bates College | $42,550 | |
40. Duke University | $42,410 | |
41. Skidmore College | $42,380 | |
42. Johns Hopkins University | $42,280 | |
43. Claremont McKenna College | $42,240 | |
44. Brown University | $42,230 | |
45. Haverford College | $42,208 | |
46. Boston College | $42,204 | |
47. Barnard College | $42,184 | |
48. Harvey Mudd College | $42,140 | |
49. Penn | $42,098 | |
50. Macalester College | $42,021 | |
51. Washington University in St. Louis | $41,992 | |
52. Northwestern University | $41,983 | |
53. Scripps College | $41,950 | |
54. Drexel University | $41,940 | |
55. Washington and Lee University | $41,927 | |
56. Hampshire College | $41,900 | |
57. Wheaton College (MA) | $41,894 | |
58. Brandeis University | $41,860 | |
59. University of Rochester | $41,802 | |
60. Stevens Institute of Technology | $41,782 | |
61. Ursinus College | $41,650 | |
62. New York University | $41,606 | |
63. Wake Forest University | $41,576 | |
64. Cornell University | $41,541 | |
65. College of the Holy Cross | $41,488 | |
66. Mount Holyoke College | $41,456 | |
67. Boston University | $41,420 | |
68. University of Notre Dame | $41,417 | |
69. Georgetown University | $41,393 | |
70. Vanderbilt University | $41,332 | |
71. Emory University | $41,164 | |
72. Swarthmore College | $41,150 | |
73. Villanova University | $41,110 | |
74. Colby College | $41,020 | |
75. Drew University | $41,010 | |
76. Providence College | $40,975 | |
77. Lehigh University | $40,960 | |
78. Loyola University Maryland | $40,870 | |
79. Bryn Mawr College | $40,824 | |
80. Pepperdine University | $40,752 | |
81. MIT | $40,732 | |
82. Wellesley College | $40,660 | |
83. Lafayette College | $40,658 | |
84. Fairfield University | $40,580 | |
85. Stanford University | $40,569 | |
86. Yale University | $40,500 | |
87. Whitman College | $40,496 | |
88. Babson College | $40,400 | |
89. Denison University | $40,210 | |
90. Smith College | $40,070 | |
91. Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $40,030 | |
92. Fordham University | $39,967 | |
93. Muhlenberg College | $39,915 | |
94. Colorado College | $39,900 | |
95. Pomona College | $39,883 | |
96. Harvard College | $39,851 | |
97. Grinnell College | $39,810 | |
98. University of Miami | $39,654 | |
99. Chapman University | $39,564 | |
100. Furman University | $39,560 |
Back to the original article: Most Expensive Colleges for 2011-2012
Notes:
The fees included in these numbers only include fees that are required for all undergraduates. These fees typically include items like the Student Activity Fee, a Facilities Fee, and a Technology fee. You won't see any fees by major, orientation fees for incoming students, or medical insurance fees included in these costs. Many other fees can be optional and can vary per student and per major.
Tuition numbers were taken directly from each college's website during the last week of September of 2011.
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Total Cost = Tuition + Room and Board + Required Fees
| College | Total Cost |
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1. Sarah Lawrence College | $59,170 | |
2. New York University | $56,787 | |
3. Columbia University | $56,310 | |
4. Harvey Mudd College | $55,998 | |
5. Eugene Lang College (The New School) | $55,890 | |
6. Claremont McKenna College | $55,865 | |
7. Wesleyan University | $55,706 | |
8. Bard College | $55,617 | |
9. Barnard College | $55,566 | |
10. Trinity College (CT) | $55,450 | |
11. University of Chicago | $55,416 | |
12. University of Southern California | $55,384 | |
13. Dartmouth College | $55,365 | |
14. Drexel University | $55,335 | |
15. Bates College | $55,300 | |
16. Johns Hopkins University | $55,242 | |
17. Vassar College | $55,135 | |
18. Bard College at Simon's Rock | $55,110 | |
19. Haverford College | $55,050 | |
20. Pitzer College | $54,988 | |
21. Fordham University - Lincoln Center | $54,972 | |
22. Connecticut College | $54,970 | |
23. Bennington College | $54,960 | |
24. Occidental College | $54,950 | |
25. Carnegie Mellon University | $54,922 | |
26. Bowdoin College | $54,900 | |
26. Scripps College | $54,900 | |
28. Fordham University - Rose Hill | $54,893 | |
29. Vanderbilt University | $54,892 | |
30. Northwestern University | $54,763 | |
31. Oberlin College | $54,760 | |
32. Cornell University | $54,695 | |
33. Stevens Institute of Technology | $54,682 | |
34. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $54,679 | |
35. Washington University in St. Louis | $54,666 | |
36. Williams College | $54,560 | |
37. Boston College | $54,528 | |
38. Tufts University | $54,474 | |
39. The George Washington University | $54,473 | |
40. Georgetown University | $54,443 | |
41. Tulane University | $54,284 | |
42. Union College (NY) | $54,273 | |
43. Bucknell University | $54,240 | |
44. Carleton College | $54,180 | |
45. Boston University | $54,130 | |
46. Amherst College | $54,098 | |
47. Hobart and William Smith College | $54,072 | |
48. Franklin & Marshall College | $54,060 | |
49. St. John's College | $53,990 | |
50. Penn | $53,976 | |
51. University of Rochester | $53,922 | |
52. Brandeis University | $53,916 | |
53. Dickinson College | $53,860 | |
54. Reed College | $53,850 | |
55. Colby College | $53,800 | |
56. Duke University | $53,760 | |
57. St. Lawrence University | $53,740 | |
58. Babson College | $53,730 | |
59. Bryn Mawr College | $53,714 | |
60. Skidmore College | $53,684 | |
61. Mount Holyoke College | $53,596 | |
62. Colgate University | $53,570 | |
63. Hamilton College | $53,470 | |
64. Smith College | $53,460 | |
65. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | $53,450 | |
66. Middlebury College | $53,420 | |
67. Wellesley College | $53,250 | |
67. Swarthmore College | $53,250 | |
69. Brown University | $53,136 | |
70. Providence College | $53,115 | |
71. Pomona College | $53,110 | |
72. Hampshire College | $53,080 | |
73. Lafayette College | $53,020 | |
74. Wake Forest University | $52,986 | |
75. Stanford University | $52,860 | |
76. University of Notre Dame | $52,805 | |
77. Emory University | $52,792 | |
78. Gettysburg College | $52,790 | |
78. Fairfield University | $52,790 | |
80. College of the Holy Cross | $52,758 | |
81. Yale University | $52,700 | |
82. Harvard College | $52,652 | |
83. Kenyon College | $52,650 | |
84. Southern Methodist University | $52,646 | |
85. Washington and Lee University | $52,614 | |
86. Pepperdine University | $52,596 | |
87. Wheaton College (MA) | $52,564 | |
88. Chapman University | $52,521 | |
89. MIT | $52,507 | |
90. University of Richmond | $52,420 | |
91. Loyola University Maryland | $52,320 | |
92. Drew University | $52,160 | |
93. Villanova University | $52,070 | |
94. Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $51,964 | |
95. Ursinus College | $51,950 | |
96. Lehigh University | $51,800 | |
97. American University | $51,719 | |
98. Macalester College | $51,417 | |
99. Dominican University of California | $51,250 | |
100. University of Miami | $51,182 |
Back to the original article: Most Expensive Colleges for 2011-2012
Notes:
Total Cost = Tuition + Room and Board + Required Fees
The fees included in the total cost only include fees that are required for all undergraduates. These fees typically include items like the Student Activity Fee, a Facilities Fee, and a Technology fee. You won't see any fees by major, orientation fees for incoming students, or medical insurance fees included in these costs. Many other fees can be optional and can vary per student and per major. A Student Health Insurance Fee, for example, is obviously not going to be required for a student already on their parents’ insurance plan. Some colleges have their yearly budget for students listed slightly higher than what you see here. This is because some colleges also add in estimated costs of books, personal expenses, and transportation costs.
Tuition numbers were taken directly from each college's website during the last week of September of 2011.
This list only takes into account colleges that offer bachelor's (BA) degrees, so you will not see schools like Landmark College (costs over $55K) who only offer students an Associate of Arts (AA) degree.
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Princeton Review has released its party school rankings for 2012 and it has Ohio University celebrating the fact that they are finally #1. Even though it is still 2011, Princeton Review likes to release the rankings in August to generate hype for its 2012 college guide book: The Best 376 Colleges.
The annual Princeton Review ratings are based on a survey of 122,000 students at 376 colleges. The ranking for Party Schools and Stone-Cold Sober Schools are based on students’ answers to questions concerning alcohol and drug use at the school, study time, and the popularity of the Greek system.
The top two party schools swapped spots this year from the last ranking with Ohio taking the title from Georgia (Fun Fact: both schools are located in a city called Athens). It’s no wonder Ohio is #1 after ranking tops in the "Lots of Beer" category and #2 in "Lots of Hard Liquor” as well.
Of course more and more are starting to question the methodology of the Princeton Review rankings and the rankings in general seem to be losing steam year after year.
Princeton Review's Top Party Schools for 2012
Schools on the “Party Schools” ranking are those at which student answers indicated low study time, high use of alcohol and drugs, and a highly popular Greek system.
- Ohio University
- University of Georgia
- University of Mississippi
- University of Iowa
- University of California Santa Barbara
- West Virginia University
- Penn State University
- Florida State University
- University of Florida
- University of Texas
- University of Illinois
- Syracuse University
- Louisiana State University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- DePauw University
- Indiana University
- Arizona State University
- University of Maryland
- University of Vermont
- University of South Carolina
Stone-Cold Sober Schools (Worst Party Schools)
Schools on the “Stone-Cold Sober Schools” ranking are those at which student answers indicated a combination of lots of study time outside of class, low use of alcohol and drugs, and a low interest in fraternities and sororities.
- Brigham Young University
- Wheaton College (Ill)
- Wesleyan College
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- U.S. Military Academy
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Calvin College
- Grove City College
- Pepperdine University
- City University of New York
- The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
- City University of New York -- Queens College
- Thomas Aquinas College
- University of Dallas
- Agnes Scott College
- College of the Ozarks
- Gustavus Adolphus College
Other categories in the Princeton Review rankings that relate to “partying” include:
Most Beer Drinkers
- Ohio University
- University of New Hampshire
- Claremont McKenna College
- Penn State
- West Virginia University
- University of Florida
- Providence
- Florida State
- Georgia
- Texas
Most Hard Liquor Drinkers
- Providence
- Ohio University
- Trinity College (CT)
- Tulane
- St. Bonaventure University
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Mississippi
Reefer Madness (Most Potheads)
- Colorado College
- University of California - Santa Cruz
- University of California - Santa Barbara
- University of Colorado
- Bard College
- Lewis and Clark College
- Warren Wilson College
- Eckerd College
- New College of Florida
- University of Vermont
Students Study the Least
- University of North Dakota
- Salisbury University
- University of Alabama
- University of Central Florida
- University of South Florida
- University of Mississippi
- Iowa
- LSU
- Florida State
- Maryland
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Choosing a career is a tough process. It’s a lifelong decision and can be stressful thinking whether or not you are making the right choice. Not that your career choice is set in stone, just switching careers (majors) part way through college can become costly.
We’ve always suggested before selecting your major, consider taking a few related classes or even doing an early internship to make sure it's actually something you want to do. It’s been one of our top pieces of advice for college students (See: #64 in College Advice: 100+ Tips for Survival).
Here’s one student, Michael Warshafsky of Queen’s University, who is taking a similar approach. In an effort to decide on a career path, he is job shadowing 60 people in 60 days and in the process, blogging about his experience. Check out his website at sixtyinsixty.com/theproject.
What is Job Shadowing?
Job shadowing is a career exploration process that enables an individual to experience a profession in person by following (shadowing) a professional and observing a typical day of work in the field. Job shadowing is a great way to get to know the ins and outs of a profession and requires very little time commitment or effort on your part (compared to what you will get out of it).
Even those who already have an idea of what they would like to do should still job shadow to see if you actually like the work and want to make a career out of it.
Job Shadowing: 60 Jobs in 60 Days
Michael, who is currently about halfway through his 60 jobs in 60 days project, reports that the project is going very well with some of his favorite job shadows so far being city councilor, judge, journalist, publisher, dentist, and pediatrician.
So far the experience has helped him narrow down what he’s interested in: he really enjoyed job shadowing for both an optometrist and a dentist. “I could definitely see myself doing either of those careers and I probably wouldn't have known that without doing 60 jobs in 60 days.”
The project has been a learning experience. Not only has it given him a deep understanding of what many professionals do every day, he has earned himself some great business contacts. Talking and meeting with new professionals has also enhanced his interview skills as he gets comfortable with the practice he gets during the project.
Another valuable tip he learned: people will want to help you if you take the time to reach out in an honest way. Meaning if you know someone in a career field you are considering (or, even if you don’t know them), feel free to reach out, ask questions, and get advice. It’s always great to have some type of mentor who can help lead you down the right path.
While he regrets not starting the project earlier (It would have been nice to put the innovative project on college and scholarship applications), it will surely be a rewarding experience in the end. Once he completes his objective he should have a good idea of what he wants to go into and what he doesn’t.
Benefits of Job Shadowing
- Career Direction. Will help with the career exploration process. Is this something I want to be doing the rest of my life?
- Networking. You'll gain contacts in the industry who can answer questions and point you in the right direction providing advice on the chosen career path.
- Valuable experience. Job shadowing will help you be more outgoing, improve your interview skills, and get you comfortable to these types of settings.
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Being able to download textbooks from the Internet saves you from the time and hassle it takes getting textbooks at the college bookstore. This form of textbook not only costs less, but is much easier to carry around. Now you can experience the ease and convenience of studying with eTextbooks for free.
CourseSmart is offering a free trial to those who wish to try out eTextbooks. CourseSmart is the largest provider of eTextbooks with a great selection that includes over 90% of the core textbooks in use today.
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You'll have free access to the online version of the eTextbook for 14 days or 50 page views, whichever comes first (An Internet connection is required anytime one wishes to view the online version of the eTextbook). When the free trial ends, you can purchase a subscription to the eTextbook if you wish to continue using it.
This free trial provides a great opportunity for students who have yet to use eTextbooks by giving them a chance to test the usability of digital textbooks. Some students will appreciate the convenience of using eTextbooks, while other students may find they still prefer traditional print textbooks when studying.
Other Details
To receive the free trial you will have to create a CourseSmart account. Registration requires a valid credit card to verify that you qualify for the free trial offer. A temporary $1 fee will be authorized to your credit card but no permanent charge from CourseSmart will appear on your bill for your participation in the Free Trial offer.
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