[9990] in APO-L
The College Matchmaker
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Marty Nemko)
Thu Nov 3 03:22:37 1994
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 1994 00:17:44 -0800
Reply-To: Marty Nemko <mnemko@EIS.CALSTATE.EDU>
From: Marty Nemko <mnemko@EIS.CALSTATE.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Dear APO-L readers,
I used to teach at the University of California. But I didn't want to
spend the rest of my life writing journal articles and sitting at boring
committee meetings. So, I quit and for the last 8 years, I've tried to
be sort of a Ralph Nader of education. For example, I've written a book
called "How to Get an Ivy League Education at a State University," which
describes how to make the most of 115 public institutions.
One thing I believe is that high school students don't get enough GOOD
information about how to find the right college. Over half of students
drop out or transfer!
I want to write a better college guide, and a publisher has agreed to
publish it. It will be called "The College Matchmaker."
Key to the book will be a survey of 100 full-time less than 25-year-old
undergraduates at each of 300 four-year colleges and universities. They
will be asked such questions as, "What sorts of students fit best at this
institution?" "What percentage of your instructors have been
inspirational?" There also will be a series of "value added" questions,
which will reveal how the average student grows from attending each college.
That's where you come in. Might your Alpha Phi Omega chapter be willing
to collect the data on your campus? (I'm not asking for a commitment at
this point. I'm just trying to get a sense of whether this may be
possible.) It would benefit thousands of high school students, and also
college students because the college administrations will be encouraged
to use the information in their efforts to improve undergraduate
education. The only EXTRINSIC reward I can offer is small: You will, on
your resume, be able to say that you were a data collector or coordinator
for a Time-Warner research project.
I need 100 surveys per campus, so I'd need, for example, 10 members at a
chapter to each get 10 surveys completed. Each data collector would go
to places like the student union, a main undergraduate lunch place, the
Quad, in front of the library, etc., and ask students if they have 10
minutes to complete a multiple-choice survey.
An alternative approach, indeed a more valid one, would be for APO
members to conduct the surveys by phone, calling people from a random
list of students provided by the registrar.
I'd appreciate your reactions to this, even if it's just to say that you
thikn that most Alpha Phi Omega chapters would say no to either method.
That way, I can go back to the drawing board and try to come up with a
better approach.
Thanks so much.
By the way, is this the right listserv for reaching APO members at 4-year
colleges in the US?
Sincerely,
Marty Nemko voice: 510-655-2777
5936 Chabolyn Terrace fax: 510-653-2748
Oakland, CA 94618 internet: mnemko@eis.CalState.edu
