College Selection Experiment

College Selection ExperimentTim Denby

PurposeThe purpose to this

experiment is to determine the best possible college for me based on what I need and want out of a college.

TheoryThe best possible college would have either a collegiate

soccer team or a intramural basketball and soccer program. It should have a quality psychology program, and be within 12 hours driving distance of my home. Ideally, it should be a mid-size school (around 15,000 students). It should have enough transportation (walking, bike, buses) so I do not have to use a car. Because I will probably live in a dorm freshman year, I would like a school with apartments close to campus so I can live there after freshman year. I would also like to have the school be in somewhat of a small, college town, but also have things to do outside the university. I would like the school to have varsity sports that are competitive and are part of the culture at the university. I would like the tuition to be under 12,000 a year, as well as have meal plans available for at least freshman year. I would like the class sizes to be somewhat small (40 students) for freshman year, to allow interaction between the professor and among the students also. There also has to be study abroad opportunities.

Hypothesis I think the best possible school for me is

Western Washington University. It has intramural sports of all kinds, and I may be able to try out for the collegiate soccer team. They have many different styles of dorms, and they also have apartments close to campus. They have a quality psychology department, their student population is just under 15,000 students, and the university and the city of Bellingham have plenty of recreational things to do.

College List

Dream Universities• Oregon State

University• University of

Portland• Whitworth

University• Seattle University• Predicted Score:

650 Points or higher

Realistic Universities• Western

Washington University

• Washington State University

• Boise State University

• Montana State University

• Predicted Score: 600 to 550 Points

Back Up Universities• GRCC• University of

Oregon• Concordia

University• Predicted Score:

550 Points or lower

Experimental Explanation In order to verify which college is best for me, I have

designed a 20 question survey, that will be answered for each college, based on my theory of what sort of college would best suit me.

Each Question has a possibility of 50 points. But, for some questions, no answer is quality enough for there to be a 50-point answer, so each answer’s point value is what I think its importance is out of 50 points. The points are based on the relevance of the questions and how important it is to me that this be included in the school. Answer possibilities are on an interval of 5. Some colleges have answers of zero because there no correct answer for that question.

Sample Question What is the tuition for students, before

scholarships, government aid, and without any other expenses added? (x = tuition)

a. Under $5,000 (50 points) b. $5,000<x<$14,000 (40 points) c. $14,000<x<$25,000 (20 points) d. Over $25,000 (10 points)

Each answer choice has a highest possible point amount of 50 points, but depending on the significance of the question, the top answer could be less than 50 points.

1. What intramural sports do they have?

a. soccer 40b. basketball 30c. flag football 20d. all of the above 50

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points 50 30 50 50 50 50 30 50 30 50 0

Running Total

50 30 50 50 50 50 30 50 30 50 0

2. What is the schools population? (x = population of school)

a. x<4,000 20b. 4,000<x<9,000 20c. 9,000<x<14,000 40d. 14,000<x<19,000 50e. 19,000<x 30

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 20 40 50 30 50 30 30 20 30 20

Running Total

80 50 90 100 80 100 60 80 50 80 20

3. Is the college in a college town atmosphere or a big city atmosphere?a. College town where everything revolves around and supports the school 30b. College town where almost everything revolves around and supports the school, but there are still activities not involving the school 40c. Big city that does not have the city’s life revolve around the school and there are many activities around the city, many that do not involve the school 20d. Big city, but still has many activities around that do include the school 30

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 20 30 30 30 40 30 40 20 30 20

Running Total

110 70 120 130 110 140 90 120 70 110 40

4. How big is the campus? a. High school size 15

b. 15 minutes walking from one side of campus to the other 25

c. 40 minutes walking from one side of campus to the other 35

d. More than 40 minutes walking from one side of the campus to the other 20

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

35 25 25 25 35 25 35 35 25 35 15

Running Total

145 95 145 155 145 165 125

155 95 145 55

5. What housing options are available for freshman?

a. Two-person dorms 20b. Live at home 5c. Fraternities 15d. Apartments- On or off campus 30e. all of the above 50

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 30 20 5

Running Total

165 115 165 175 165 185 145

175 125 165 60

6. What housing options are available after freshman year? Apartments- On or off campus 40

Live at home 5c. Resident Assistant 25

d. Fraternities 15

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 5

Running Total

205 155 205 215 205 225 185

215 165 205 65

7. Where is the college located?

a. Western Washington 40b. Eastern Washington 40c. Oregon 30d. Montana 30e. Idaho 15

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 40 30 40 40 40 15 30 30 30 40

Running Total

235 195 235 255 245 265 200

245 195 235 105

8. How far is it away from home?

a. Under an hour, driving 20b. Under two hours, driving 25c. Under five hours, driving 30

d. Ten hours, driving 15

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 30 25 20 30 25 15 15 25 30 20

Running Total

265 225 260 275 275 290 215

260 220 265 125

9. What kind of psychology program do the school have? b. It is rigorous and very detailed of the undergraduate process and one of the college’s best and successful programs 50c. It is an excellent major to obtain at the college, but not what the college is best known for 40It is one of the many quality majors that can make the student very successful, but the college is not best known for anything in particular 30d. It is not one of the better majors to obtain at the college, but can still be successful 20

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 30 30 40 40 30 30 30 40 40 20

Running Total

295 255 290 305 305 320 245

290 260 295 145

10. What varsity athletics are played at the college?

a. All major sports 50b. All major sports, but football 30c. All major sports, but soccer 30

d. Only a few sports 20

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

50 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 50 30

Running Total

345 285 320

335

335 350 275

320 290 345 175

11. What jobs are available? a. Resident Assistant 25b. Teacher’s Assistant 30c. A job with a store on campus 50d. A job with a store off campus 40

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 40

Running Total

395 345 370 385 385 400 325

370 340 395 215

12. Are there opportunities to study abroad?

a. Yes, only in South America 30b. Yes, only in Europe 40c. Yes, in all continents 50d. No 0

OSU Whit UP SU WSU WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

40 40 40 40 50 40 40 40 40 40 0

Running Total

435 385 410 425 435 440 365

410 380 435 215

13. How accessible are faculty members for assistance outside of class?

a. Very accessible, there are hours when students can go in and see them personally or make appointments 50

b. Somewhat accessible, sometimes there are hours when students can see them personally or make appointments, but otherwise students must use their assistants 35c. Only accessible through their assistants and all contact must be made through them 10

d. No, there can be no communication with the faculty member 0

OSU Whit

UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

35 50 50 50 35 50 35 50 50 35 50

Running Total

470 435 460 475

470 490 400

460 430 470 265

14. What options for internships are available?

a. The university helps students get internships for their area of study outside of the school 40b. There are internships available associated with the school 40c. The university helps students get internships associated and not associated with the school 50d. The university does not help students get internships, it is up to the student to get an internship 10

OSU Whit

UP SU WSU

WWU BSU MSU

CU UO GRCC

Question Points

50 40 40 40 50 40 40 40 40 50 10

Running Total

520 475 500 515

520 530 440 500 480

520 275

15. What kind of organizations, clubs, activities are available for

students

a. Community service organization/clubs 20b. Recreational organizations/clubs 30c. Organizations/clubs related to certain areas of study 25d. All of the above 50

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 30

Running Total

570 525 550 565

570 580 490

550 530 570 305

16. How geographically diverse is the student body?

a. Primarily from one state 30b. Even population through all the states 40c. Primarily from northwestern United States (WA, OR, ID, MT) 30d. Even population from all the states, and internationally 40

OSU Whit

UP SU WSU

WWU BSU MSU

CU UO GRCC

Question Points

30 30 30 30 30 30 30 40 30 40 30

Running Total

600 555 580 595

600 610 520 590 560

610 335

17. What are the class sizes for introductory

courses?

a. Under 15 people 50b. 15<x<40 35c. 40<x<100 20d. Over 100 people 10

OSU Whit UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

20 35 20 20 20 20 20 20 35 20 20

Running Total

620 590 600

615 620 630 540

610 595 630 355

18. What are the class sizes for more advances courses in a

students’ major?

a. Under 10 people 50b. 10<X<30 40c. 30<X<60 25d. Over 60 people 10

OSU Whit

UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

40 50 50 40 50 50 50 40 50 40 40

Running Total

660 640 650 655 670 680 590

660 545 670 395

19. What kinds of meal plans are available for students? a. Many meal plans to choose from, to fit what the students thinks they will eat in quarter, semester, etc. 50b. Some meal plans available, but can be expensive or food is not that good 35c. A meal plan is available, but food is not that appetizing 20d. No meal plans available, it is up to the student to get food 10

OSU Whit

UP SU WSU

WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

50 35 50 35 50 35 50 50 35 50 10

Running Total

710 675 700 685 720 715 640

710 580 720 405

20. What is the tuition for students, before scholarships, government

aid, and without any other expenses added? (x = tuition)

a. Under $5,000 50b. $5,000<x<$14,000 40c. $14,000<x<$25,000 20d. Over $25,000 10

OSU Whit UP SU WSU WWU BSU

MSU CU UO GRCC

Question Points

10 10 10 10 40 40 40 20 20 10 50

Running Total

720 685 710 695 760 755 680

730 600 730 455

OSU

Whi

tw... UP SU

WSU

WW

UBS

UMSU CU UO

GRCC400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

College Experiment Results

Back Ups Realistic Dream

Dream colleges predic-tion (675)

Realistic Colleges Prediction (600)

Back Up Colleges Prediction (550)

Statistical Analysis Mode: The mode is 730 with Montana State and Oregon. This shows

many schools that many of my school’s results were around low 700s.

Mean: The mean is 683.63. This was deviated by Green River having 455 points and Concordia University having 600 points. This means there is a big difference between my back-up schools and my realistic schools, that received the highest scores.

Median- The median is 710, this shows what the average score should be if the scores did not vary greatly.

Range- WSU-GRCC (760-455)=305. The range gives an indication of variance from my highest scoring college to lowest scoring college, but does not give an accurate estimate of how much the scoring varies because it does not take into account the in between colleges.

Standard Deviation- 87.55. This means the results deviated from the average by 87.55 points. This is significant because if I take out Green River the deviation is cut nearly in half. This shows how much all the answers varied from the highest scoring college to the lowest scoring college.

Experiment Summarization

I found that Washington State and Western Washington were the best colleges for me, according to the experiment. They have most everything I am looking for in a school at a decent price. Oregon State, Montana State, and Oregon are also very good options. I did not expect Oregon to be a good fit for me. Maybe this is because I despise their sports teams, and this might have given a false impression before I did the experiment. I also found that I tend to like public universities over private universities. I think this is because there is more of a sense of community in public universities, especially when the university is in a small city.

Quality Aspects of the Experiment

The experiment was successful, because it showed me what I really was looking for in a college. It made me think about what was important to me and showed me what I could and could not live without at college. It also forced me to research each college more than I originally would have.

Problems I think my some of my questions were too vague. For

instance, I would have a question, and have good answers for the question, but there could have been more answers than the ones I had offered as choices.

Another problem was that, for some questions, most of the colleges received the same score, because the answer was the same for most of the schools, or all the choices could be applied to each of the schools, making it difficult to determine the answer.

Both these causes affected the graph because the exact same points were being added to every school, making the scores higher than my predicted scores and not as varied as they should have been.

Overall Findings I think this experiment reassured me with what I

was thinking before the experiment. I want a school that is close to home, but still gives independence, as well as a tight-knit community, with lots of recreational things to do.

This experiment did prove my hypothesis correct, by showing what I want and need most in a college. This confirmed my predictions because it showed me what I want kind of college experience and education is best for me.

Bibliography• Washington state university. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.wsu.edu/• Oregon state university. (2010). Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/• Western washington. (2010). Retrieved fromhttp://www.wwu.edu/• Boise state university. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.boisestate.edu/• Green river community college. (2010). Retrieved from

http://www.greenriver.edu/• Seattle University. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2010, from Seattle

University website: www.seattleu.edu The College Board. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2010, from The

College Board website: www.collegeboard.com College Reviews: Studentsreview. (2000). Retrieved December 12,

2010, from Studentsreview website: www.studentsreview.com