ABSTRACT
Many characteristics can be used to assort colleges and universities. The type of control (public versus private), proprietary status (not-for-profit versus for profit), number of students enrolled, types of degrees and/or certificates offered, or the school’s athletic league are all ways to differentiate postsecondary institutions from one another. Beyond institutional characteristics, however, there is another way to distinguish colleges and universities—by their mission. Many factors play a role in the socialization of new professionals, but institutional type sets the context in which that socialization occurs. The mission of an institution often dictates the programs and services offered by the campus. Rather than allowing the type of college or university to constrain professional mobility, new professionals would be well served to recognize how experience at one type of campus can prepare them for work at a very different type of institution. If they can accomplish this feat, then institutional context serves rather than constrains professional socialization.
