College Bound!

by

Linda Borchardt
and Missy Stone

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

Faster than a speeding bullet... able to leap tall buildings...is it Superman? No! It's you...going to college!  Your mission, should you accept it, is to seek the perfect college or university.  Where is it? How do you get there?  What will it cost?  These and other questions will be answered as you follow this quest.  Fasten your seatbelt for you are COLLEGE BOUND!

The Task

    By the end of this quest, you will be able to

• locate the specific location of your chosen college and its environmental climate
• map out the best route to drive to your  college
• determine the costs
• list admission requirements
• highlight special features about your college

Resources

Classroom resources:
 
    Road atlas / road map
    Tools for constructions (compass, rulers, graph paper)
    U.S. News and World Report - College Issue

Internet resources:

    U.S. Colleges and Universities by State

    Major Universities in the U.S.

    Maps - Geocities

   Map Quest - Driving directions

The Process

To accomplish the task, choose a university anywhere in the United States that is located 200 miles or more from your home town.  The following steps will helps you complete the task.

    A.  Using a road atlas and a compass, draw a circle around your home town.  Your home town is the center of the circle.  Use the scale of miles from the atlas to construct a circle with a 200 mile radius.

     B.  Choose any location outside of the circle.

    C.  Write a report that tells

        1.  The name of your chosen college.
        2.  The city and state of where your college is located and its environment.
                a.  What is the weather like during the year?
                b.  Is the college located in a rural or urban area?
                c.  What other features can you tell about this city?
        3.  The cost of gasoline to reach your destination as you drive to your college.
        4.  The college's admission requirements.
                a.  Does the college require certain courses or grades in high school?
                b.  Does the college require a certain score on the SAT or ACT?
                c.  What other requirements can you find?
        5.  Special features about your chosen college.
                a.  Does it have athletic programs?
                b.  What is it's academic specialty that attracts you?
                c.  Is it a large or small school?  What is the enrollment?

D.  Provide a road map to drive to your college

        1.  Using a road atlas, highlight two routes to the city in which your college is located from your
                home town
        2.  Calculate the mileage of both routes.

E.  Construct a line graph showing the cost of tuition

        1.  Show the current year's cost of tuition.
        2.  Show the predicted cost when you enter college based on a 2% increase per year.
 

Keep a portfolio of information found.  To complete this process, you will give an oral presentation with graphics that summarizes your findings.  As an alternative, you may design a Power Point presentation if technology is available.

Points will be given based on the following:

A.    Written report - 40 points
        1.  Includes all required information
        2.  Correct grammar and structure
        3.  Neatness, appearance

B.    Road map - 30 points
        1.  Includes required routes and calculations
        2.  Neatness, appearance

C.     Line graph - 30 points
        1.  Includes required information and calculations
        2.  Neatness, appearance
 

Conclusion

Now that you are faster than a speeding bullet and are able to leap tall buildings, you have developed skills for researching the perfect college.  You have an idea of what it takes to be college bound!  After all, if you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?