High-Impact Practices – the Keys to Your Future
Reviewed and edited by Tyson Schritter : 06 July, 2024.
When I was in college, I studied abroad for 12 months in South America. This experience completely changed my attitude about why I was in college, what college was for, who I was, and what I wanted to do with my life.
Embracing the Present for Future Success
To paraphrase philosopher and educator John Dewey, you don’t prepare for the future by drawing a straight line between what you’re doing now and what you want. The real preparation comes from learning to extract the most meaning and knowledge from the present moment. This approach ensures you’re ready for whatever comes after graduation.
Understanding High-Impact Practices (HIPs)
Interestingly, study abroad is a “High-Impact Practice” (HIP), a term coined by the Association of American Colleges and Universities to describe the research-proven top 10 educational practices that are the most beneficial to college students of all backgrounds.
The Benefits of High-Impact Practices
High-Impact Practices are the best resource for you to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your college education. They provide a platform for synthesizing what you’ve learned into a coherent narrative, often involving invaluable collaboration and hands-on education.
Research has shown that HIPs are linked with higher grade point averages, and even more importantly, higher student satisfaction with their education.
Evaluating College Options for HIPs
As you’re evaluating college options, look for opportunities like first-year seminars that encourage critical reflection, study abroad programs, internships, and capstone projects. Search the colleges’ course catalogs, talk HIPs with your admissions counselor, or set up a meeting with a professor or academic advisor to ask about High-Impact Practices.
An Example of Effective HIPs: Goshen College
One example of an effective High-Impact Practice is Goshen College’s Study-Service Term. According to the National Survey of Student Engagement, Goshen students were more likely than their national peers to interact with students of a race or ethnicity other than their own, more likely to complete an internship or field experience, more likely to participate in co-curricular activities, and more likely to acquire a broad general education.
Ensuring Accessibility of HIPs
Keep in mind that, just because a school has HIPs available, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re easily accessible to all students. You should also find out what percentage of students at the school have participated in at least one High-Impact Practice.
Preparing for Life After Graduation
Remember—your goal for college is to get a great education, and that’s exactly what HIPs help ensure. To fully prepare for life after graduation, make sure that High-Impact Practices are a part of your college search process!
List of High-Impact Practices:
Click on one of the High-Impact Practices listed below to learn more about it.
