Falling in love with a campus - or choosing a future at the Kitchen Table College Chats

In this podcast episode of Kitchen Table College Chats, Marc Deboer and Gary Stocker continue their virtual kitchen table chats for colleges students and their families.

Most students fall in love with a college campus. In this episode, we ask parents and students alike to make sure that colleges they love during the tour can deliver the college education needed.

From Emotion to Evaluation

Before you fall in love with a college campus, run a simple mental shift:

Instead of asking:
Do I love this campus?

Ask:
Will this college still get me to graduation day?
Will this college keep my major or eliminate it?
Does this college have the resources to keep the buildings and grounds safe?

That means looking at:

• Enrollment trends (growing or shrinking?)
• Graduation rates (who actually finishes? Most colleges take longer than 4 years to graduate students.)
• Financial health (stable or stressed?)
• Program strength (expanding or being cut?)

This is the difference between choosing a place… and choosing a future.