By — Kenya Downs Kenya Downs Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/twitter-chat-how-important-are-college-choices Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Twitter chat: How important are college choices? Education May 4, 2016 11:09 AM EDT Is choosing the right college or university to attend still a factor that could make or break a student’s academic career? According to the 2016 American Freshman Survey, the majority of students (75.5 percent) entering college for the first time in fall 2015 were accepted into their first choice, but only 59 percent enrolled. What factors are involved that prevents students from attending their preferred school? And what are the potential benefits and risks of going elsewhere? NewsHour, as part of a month-long series on higher education, hosted a Twitter chat on college choices. We talked with Eric Greenberg of the Greenberg Educational Group, which offers college prep and advising services to student across the country, and Allison Lopour of CollegeWise, which guides students through the college admissions process. Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling at Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H., took part. He has written extensively on the college prep and admissions process, even likening it to the Hunger Games. And Joe Ramirez, researcher with UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, joined us to break down the American Freshman Survey with insight on how students are evaluating their college choices. Check out a recap of our chat below. [View the story “Twitter Chat: College choices” on Storify] We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Kenya Downs Kenya Downs Kenya Downs is the digital reporter and producer for PBS NewsHour’s Race Matters and education verticals, creating multimedia content for online and television centered on issues of race and social justice, including exploring the intersection of identity and culture with education reform and policy. Kenya also contributes content related to the Caribbean region for NewsHour's international coverage. She’s previously worked with National Public Radio, Al-Jazeera Media Network and CBS News. Kenya is a graduate of both Howard University and American University and is based in Washington, D.C. @LiveFromKenya
Is choosing the right college or university to attend still a factor that could make or break a student’s academic career? According to the 2016 American Freshman Survey, the majority of students (75.5 percent) entering college for the first time in fall 2015 were accepted into their first choice, but only 59 percent enrolled. What factors are involved that prevents students from attending their preferred school? And what are the potential benefits and risks of going elsewhere? NewsHour, as part of a month-long series on higher education, hosted a Twitter chat on college choices. We talked with Eric Greenberg of the Greenberg Educational Group, which offers college prep and advising services to student across the country, and Allison Lopour of CollegeWise, which guides students through the college admissions process. Brennan Barnard, director of college counseling at Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H., took part. He has written extensively on the college prep and admissions process, even likening it to the Hunger Games. And Joe Ramirez, researcher with UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute, joined us to break down the American Freshman Survey with insight on how students are evaluating their college choices. Check out a recap of our chat below. [View the story “Twitter Chat: College choices” on Storify] We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now