What Really Makes a School “Good”?
Imagine shopping for a used car. The shiny exterior and a polished engine might catch your eye, but the real question is, how reliable is it under the hood? Similarly, a college may look appealing because of its ranking, sports program, or prestige, but none of that matters if it doesn’t effectively teach, support, and graduate students in a reasonable amount of time.
What makes a school truly “good” comes down to two critical factors:
A strong and intentional undergraduate learning environment.
Effective and accessible student support systems.
Let’s break these down and explain what you should look for.
1. A Strong Undergraduate Learning Environment
A deliberate and well-thought-out learning environment ensures that students are actively engaged, consistently challenged, and fully supported throughout their education. Here’s what defines a great learning environment:
Active and Sustained Student Interaction with Faculty and Staff
Great colleges foster frequent and meaningful interactions between undergraduate students and faculty and staff, both in and out of the classroom. These connections are essential for building a sense of belonging and helping students grow intellectually and socially.
Examples:
· Attending office hours to discuss ideas or clarify concepts.
· Grabbing lunch or coffee with a professor or staff member to chat informally.
· Working alongside faculty or staff on research projects and campus initiatives.
· Working under a faculty/staff member with frequent interaction, feedback, and support.
Effortful Learning with Higher-Level Tasks and Assessments
True learning takes effort. Schools that prioritize effortful learning focus on teaching strategies and assessments that go beyond rote memorization or cramming for tests. These environments challenge students to think critically, synthesize information, and apply what they’ve learned in real-world scenarios.
Examples:
· Analyzing and comparing complex theories or data.
· Collaborating with peers on group projects or presentations.
· Solving case studies or participating in role-play scenarios.
· Developing new models or concepts based on class content and real-world problems.
High-Impact Learning Experiences
Students learn best when they’re deeply engaged in experiences that connect theory to practice. High-impact practices include internships, research projects, peer-leadership roles, and study abroad programs. Ideally, students should have at least two of these experiences before graduating.
Examples:
· Serving as a Resident Assistant or student government leader.
· Participating in a capstone course, internship, or study abroad program.
· Leading a service-learning project or collaborative research effort.
Integrated or Multidisciplinary Courses
Some of the best learning experiences combine knowledge from different subjects. Integrated courses allow students to explore topics through multiple lenses, such as combining history with political science or psychology with law enforcement.
Examples:
· Writing about civil rights in a history course while examining legal and psychological perspectives.
· Exploring leadership through a class that combines counseling, legal, and organizational theories.
· Taking a forensic science course that incorporates psychology, chemistry, criminology, data-analysis, and history.
Interleaved Content
Interleaving means mixing topics rather than teaching them in a strict sequence. While it may feel harder, this method promotes long-term retention and deeper understanding because students must expend more effort to repeatedly recall and apply prior knowledge.
Example:
· Week 1 – Half of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.
· Week 2 - Finish Chapter 1 and start Chapter 3
· Week 3 - Finish Chapter 2 and Chapter 3
Assessment Throughout the Curriculum
The best programs evaluate students’ skills and knowledge at multiple points, not just at the end of a single course. Repeated assessments ensure students truly master critical outcomes over time.
Example:
In a psychology program, students in one course might be assessed on their ability to analyze patient information, identify counseling strategies, and defend their approach. Then in various exams within other psychology courses, questions testing those earlier skills are included as well. This type of interleaved assessment is better at identifying whether students have retained the knowledge they are intended to. This takes more effort on the part of faculty, though, so it's not very common; if you find a school where it's done, take note!
2. Effective and Accessible Student Support Systems
Regardless of how strong a student is academically, there will be times they need support to successfully overcome challenges while in college. Good schools not only provide services that address students' needs holistically, academically, emotionally, and socially, they also ensure those services are equitably and easily accessible to the entire student body.
Student support services are a critical part of a successful college experience, but they can be challenging for parents to evaluate because they cover such a wide range of needs and aren’t often featured in tours, brochures, etc. These include advising, counseling, financial literacy, health and wellness, disability accommodations (ADA), and support programs for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC students, among others.
While no campus has a perfect system, parents and students can consider the following questions to assess how effective and accessible these services are:
Are support systems coordinated (or better - integrated) across different areas of campus?
Support systems should work seamlessly together, so students get the same information regardless of where they go, and they don’t get lost in “hand-offs” between different offices or departments.
Examples:
Are the health, wellness, and counseling systems connected such that counselors and nurses can access relevant patient information from the other offices?
Do support services have the capacity to meet student needs, and are they well-utilized?
Effective support services should have enough capacity to meet demand and provide meaningful help.
Examples:
Can the counseling center provide long-term care, or is it limited to a set number of sessions?
What percentage of students actually use these services? For instance, what percentage of female students utilize the women’s center? What proportion of juniors and seniors utilize the career center?
Is the maximum service capacity of an office able to accommodate at least 1/8 of the student population each year?
Are staff knowledgeable about other support services on campus?
Staff members should know how to direct students to the right resources and people.
Example: If a student visits the wellness center but needs counseling, can the staff guide them to the counseling center, including who to contact and how to make an appointment?
Is it simple and quick for students to access these services?
Ease of access is key to effective support. Students should be able to get help when they need it, without unnecessary barriers.
Examples:
Can students “walk in” to the counseling or health center for urgent issues?
Is there a central phone number to connect students to the right resource, or do they need to figure out who to call on their own?
How quickly can students get an appointment? Can they book within a few days, or do they have to wait weeks?
Cogi InSight: Critical questions to ask that most parents and students overlook:
Are the school’s advising systems seamless and accessible?
Advisors play a crucial role in helping students navigate their academic and career paths. Good advising programs ensure that advising is consistent and coherent across majors and undeclared students and that advisors have manageable advising loads and are well-trained to support students' needs and connect them with appropriate resources.
Examples:
Do students keep the same advisor after they select a major?
If not, is advising “in the majors” congruent with “undeclared students”?
Are all advisors equally equipped and committed to guide students on career planning, course registration, and personal challenges?
Do advisors in the majors feel that students are advised properly and come in with accurate information and proper course selections?
Are students limited to 1 brief meeting each term or are they able to meet frequently with their advisor?
Is there a well-designed First-Year Experience Program?
The first year sets the tone for a student’s college journey. A strong First-Year Experience program helps students build the advanced academic skills, explore career paths, and connect with each other and their campus community in meaningful ways so they can succeed. Good programs last for at least a semester if not the full year and often increase retention and graduation rates.
Examples:
How long does it last? A couple of weeks, a semester, a year?
Is the content clearly focused on effective learning strategies, career development, and social connection?
Does the program frequently engage students with faculty/staff outside the classroom?
Does the program focus on meaningful connections between students and between students and faculty/staff?
Asking schools these and similar questions can help families evaluate the quality and accessibility of a school’s support systems and what may be needed in terms of a success plan to help mitigate gaps or concerns at a given school.