You are already looking forward to your first year in college but still have no idea how to choose the right college for yourself? No worries, we have created a list of important things which might help you make the right decision. So, dive right in!
Avoid Stereotypes in Your Thinking
When looking for a college, don’t make any final decisions based on subjective conclusions. During your search, you will face some specific phenomena common for colleges. If you have the opportunity to talk with the college representatives or current students yourself, don’t base your opinion of the whole college just on this experience. If people didn’t meet your expectations somehow, it doesn’t mean that the college is bad itself.
Always give college a chance. If you feel like you need more information, try to search for some review on the college online or reach out to more current or former students of this institution.
Don’t Be Campus Oriented
Students refuse excellent educational institutions only based on the “ugliness” of the campus or the distance of the nearest beach. This approach is the same as choosing a book by the cover, which might lead you to make the wrong decision. We recommend you to take into account these two criteria when choosing a college:
- Quality of education.
- Possible interaction with other students.
You have to agree that it would be unwise to pay lots of money for college or take a student loan to get the best possible degree and have a nice view from your dorm room or a modern campus look.
People Also Read: Harvard Pranks Yale With Hilarious Fake Admission Tour
Beware of the Scholarship
If you are a hardworking student, you may have been offered a scholarship in one or maybe even a few colleges. This is great, indeed, but you need to be careful. You have to be fully aware of the scholarship conditions and to be sure that you can meet them. Otherwise, you might agree on something you’ll have potential troubles with.
Also, if you want to study more in a college which has not offered you a scholarship, and your financial situation is allowing it, then, of course, you have to listen to your heart and decline the scholarship of the other institution.
Educational Program
Your qualifications as a specialist will directly depend on the quality of the educational program. Sometimes colleges might provide a strong theoretical base, but students don’t have the opportunity to implement their theoretical knowledge into practice.
Therefore, it is worthwhile to carefully study the curricula before enrolling in college and ensuring that the theoretical and practical training is balanced. It is also necessary to determine if the university has student exchange programs and agreements with enterprises to which they send students to practice, and after graduation – to work.
Just in case the college you’ll choose would provide a weak theoretical base, in handy might come the essays editing service. With it, your essays will always be on point.
There is a good system in British educational institutions, the so-called sandwich courses. They are professionally oriented programs in which a working period is provided (usually a year). Students develop professional skills and gain real experience during this time, which then greatly facilitates the work search. In addition, such practice in some cases may be paid.
Higher Fees Don’t Mean Better Education
Reread this phrase several times until you finally believe it. Your fee of 60 thousand dollars a year does not guarantee an exceptionally high level of knowledge. You can find the same course in the less popular college, but it wouldn’t mean that you’ll gain worse knowledge there.
Separate Your Dating and College Life
Almost every prospective student now has their high school sweetheart. And we can’t deny, dating is an important part of every human’s life. But when it comes to choosing a college, you have to put your feelings aside.
If you were dreaming about getting into a prestigious college in another city and your loved ones have applied for only local colleges, where it’ll lead you? Sure thing you can put your partner’s interest first, but this choice might influence your whole future life. Think carefully about what is more important for you staying together with your current partner or gaining a better degree.
Every student will choose a more relevant option for them; we have no right to advise here. Just keep in mind this point and look at the bigger picture.
Suggested Read: MBA – A Career Outlook
Where to Work After Graduation
Employment planning after graduation also depends on who and where you want to work. If you were getting your college degree in another city, then you would probably like to try to find a job there too, as you have already adjusted to the environment. In this case, you would need to look for job opportunities in advance, as after graduation, you would have to find not only a job at once but a place to live too. For students who plan to study in their home cities, the situation might be a bit easier.
But one way or another, we would recommend you monitor the job market all the time, even from the start of your college studies. This way, you would be aware of which changes are happening on the job market, which professions in your field have the biggest demand, and when it comes to the actual job hunting, you would be prepared.
Suggested Read: The Rules of Social Media: MBA Grads May Still Need to Learn and Master them
How to Make Decisions You Don’t Have to Regret Later
How to learn to make decisions consciously, not neglecting your true feelings and wishes.? If everything is more or less clear daily, then when it comes to important decisions that can significantly affect all subsequent life (like choosing a college), many students get lost and go to a dead end.
In such cases, various techniques are recommended, including the Descartes square, or writing down all “+” and “-.” This method is quite effective and has a right to existence.
However, often enough, many people fall victim to choosing the most comfortable options – going with what we’re acquainted with and know really well. Always going for the “standard” option can seriously detriment your future possibilities as a higher education graduate.
However, there is another way – by allowing your body and (most importantly) feelings to dictate what you truly want and need. To make the correct decision, we need to be in touch with ourselves, our bodies, and our emotions. And the first thing you need to do is ground yourself. Below you will find the exact steps of how to do it effectively:
- Sit on a chair, relax, close your eyes, feel with your back, legs, pelvis, and arms, walk with your inner gaze all over your body, feel every part of your body. If there is tension or a clamp somewhere – pay more attention to this place; breathe deeper. Wait for any discomfort to go away or go down to a minimum.
- When you feel your body, ask yourself any of the questions, “What do I really want?”, “What do I choose?”, “What will make my life stronger?”. And the answer will come at the level of the body; you will feel it. A wave of emotions may follow – fear, resentment, or confusion, but you will already know the answer. All you have to do is to agree or not and accept the consequences.
- If you have a lot of emotions, you can continue to work and ask yourself, “Will this choice expand or narrow my life?”, “Will it take me to a new level or leave me where I am?”.
- To accept the consequences, keep in touch with your decision or choice and concentrate on the body again. Look inwardly ahead, in front of you –this direction is perceived by our body as a movement into the future, and feel what is awaking in you. Are you good or bad? Are you happy or scared? Hard or easy?
- And whatever you feel, say yes to it – your response, your possible future. Accept it, whether you like it or not.
And once you know the response of your body and soul, you can connect your mind to the whole process of making a decision and accept it or not. You can plan a strategy and certain steps or do nothing – but now you do it consciously, knowing the clear answer.
Now You Are Ready
We are at the end of this article, which means that you are ready to decide now. Use the tips we gave you, and we are sure that you’ll choose the right college, which will open an endless number of opportunities for you. Most importantly, let this decision be yours, not your parents or friends, and then you’ll never regret it.