If you’re looking for data for your own Moneyball college admission search, check out the sample spreadsheet in the DIY College Search Spreadsheet class for free.
In Moneyball, Michael Lewis lists five rules that Billy Beane uses when shopping for baseball players just before the trading deadline. It’s important to remember that these aren’t just any players.
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Have you seen the movie “Moneyball” or read the book by Michael Lewis? The story is about how the Oakland A’s baseball club managed to come up with winning seasons despite being one of the poorest teams in professional baseball. “Moneyball” refers to the strategy of identifying players used by the Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane.
What does Moneyball have to do with college admissions?
I’m taking a break from my 50-50 highlights this week. I’ve been thinking about doing a class on how to use the DIY College Search Spreadsheet and wanted to get some feedback. I’m trying to figure out what questions people have when using the spreadsheet so that the class will be focusing on the stuff people want to know.
Part of the college experience is leaving home, meeting new people, discovering new places, and hopefully learning a little just from the experiencing something different. However, there are two major factors that determine how likely this is to happen. One, how far away students are willing to travel to college and two, if a student attends a state institution.
(This is part 8 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines)
When we were visiting colleges with my son, one small liberal arts college pulled the parents aside for a discussion of the Liberal Arts and gainful employment. I don’t think the session was actually called that but it was definitely the idea behind the session. Will my child be able to get a job if she majors in the Liberal Arts?
Will I get in? If you just listen to the media starting at the beginning of April, you would think that the answer to this question for most college applicants is no. All you hear about is the ever decreasing admittance rates at some of the most highly competitive colleges and universities in the country. What possible chance does your kid have in getting in?
(This is part 6 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines)
The fifth college criteria for our fictional student is that it must be located in or near a major city. There are plenty of good reasons for this requirement including transportation access, cultural and recreational attractions, part-time employment opportunities, and availability of internships.
(This is part 5 of Comparison of Top 11 College Search Engines)
The fourth element for our fictional high school student’s college search is school size. Without ever having attended college, many high school students have some very definitive ideas about what size school they want to attend. “Big” is associated with endless academic options, social opportunities, and alumni networking. “Small” is about personalized attention, small classes, dinners with professors, and tight-knit social groups.
Too often students limit their choices because of preconceived notions about what is “best” or “required.” If you want to do pre-med, you must be a major research university; if you’re interested in film, nothing less than a film school will do. And if you want to be an engineer, you must attend an engineering school.