Princeton Review VP Speaks to High School Counselors at Drew University

Robert Franek, who directs The Princeton Review’s annual surveys of colleges nationwide, spoke to high school counselors from Northern New Jersey and challenged the way they advise students about college at a Dec. 3 talk at Drew University titled “Is College Worth It?”

Franek C’93, a Drew trustee, said high school counselors must be prepared to address whether a college education pays off for a student in life through jobs, salaries, economic mobility, and other measures.

“I really think college is worth it … (but) I hear the fears of those students,” said Franek, a national speaker who also consults about higher education for television news shows.

He cited national studies showing that college-educated people fare better. They earn more money, get better jobs, live healthier lives, participate more in politics and in their communities, have lower rates of unemployment, and possess better communication skills. However, he also said parents and students continue to have anxiety over paying for college, getting into a good school, and having that education pay off over their lifetimes.

Among the factors students should consider when applying to college are the academics of a college, the campus culture, and whether it is possible financially, Franek said, adding that students need to be better informed about the amount of scholarships, grants, and aid that is available to them.

He advised the counselors to help students research colleges that may not be on their radar because they may not be big-name schools or may be located in a geographic region far from the student’s home.

“You have to challenge yourself to dig deeper … to widen that lens and apply to schools not just because they’re hard to get into or easy, or that their parents went there,” he said.

Drew President MaryAnn Baenninger also spoke to the high school counselors. She touted the benefits of a national liberal arts education and challenged students to be critical thinkers when considering their choices of colleges.

She said counselors, like students, must get rid of their own biases, and should look at independent data measuring whether students are engaged on certain campuses, what the average debt load is like per school, whether there is a high rate of loan default, and what kind of experience a student is going to have at a school.

President Baenninger said students should not consider just what is comfortable, but a university that will be for them “the most transformational experience” possible and allow them to interact with other students from different backgrounds.

She noted that Drew students frequently praise the strong relationships they have with professors, the opportunity to study in New York City, the university’s exceptional theatre arts program, and the unique mentorship opportunities provided by professional scientists in the Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti.

Franek’s presentation was organized by Drew’s Office of College Admissions.

About Drew University

Drew University is a private, liberal arts university located in Madison, New Jersey, in the New York City metro area. Ranked among the top liberal arts institutions nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Washington Monthly, Drew is also listed in Princeton Review’s Best 379 Colleges.

The Drew promise—We Deliver Full-Impact Learning to the World—emphasizes the university’s commitment to borderless education that enables a student’s greatest success in a globally connected world.

Drew has a total student enrollment of more than 2,000 in three schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, and the Drew Theological School. The undergraduate program offers degrees in 30 different disciplines, while Caspersen and the Theological School offer degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels.