How to choose where to study (college or university)
You may not realize what an incredible impact the school you choose will have on your life. Perhaps you do not realize it, but you can change your mind.
So here a few things that I learned during my time at Queen’s University that you may find helpful to keep in mind when deciding on a school.
- Just because your significant other goes to a university or college doesn’t always mean that you should also choose that school.
Around Thanksgiving the phenomenon known as The Turkey Drop occurs. In the freshman year of college or in the first year of university, everyone returns home to their boyfriends/girlfriends and break up.
Of course there are those that escape the turkey drop. If you were really meant to be, the schools you choose will not keep you apart forever. Long distance relationships are possible, with a little effort, communication and visits.
Go where suits you best, not because someone else is going there.
- Pick a school because of their reputation.
Why? Because much of the time that reputation is true. If the alumni of that school are really enthusiastic about it, it means they had a good time, and you probably will too.
In addition, the reputation of your school (if it’s a good one) will pull weight with future employers as you begin your career.
- Know what you like.
If you want to be lost in a crowd, go to a big school. If you want to know the names of all the people in your classes, or you want the professors to know your name, go to a smaller school or college.
- Check out the City.
I picked Queen’s University, not only because of it’s outstanding reputation, and the extremely enthusiastic alumni, but because it is located in a really beautiful city. Kingston is rich in history and has a diverse and strong artistic community.
In choosing a school, it helps to know yourself and know what you want. But don’t sweat and stress too much if you don’t have a 100 percent clearly defined list of who you are or what you want. University is almost always an environment and experience that will help you discover more about yourself and how you fit into the bigger picture of life.
Tyrone may sound enthusiastic about Queen’s but whether or not he actually attends the classes there is another story in itself.
i feel like I keep beating the same drum because it keeps being left out in conversations about picking a college and paying for it. What you major in matters AT LEAST AS MUCH as what school you go to, usually even more. This is so important for me to stress because I just didn’t get it at all when I was choosing a major in my junior college.
Following your passion is nice and everyone needs a well-rounded education (Americans in particular could really use some more time in a science classroom), but at the end of the day, most people go to college because they want to get a decent-paying JOB at the end of it. What you major in and, to a lesser extent, where you go to school, has an enormous impact on what types of jobs you will be qualified for and what your earning potential will be.
University needs to be viewed as an investment and calculated down to cold, hard numbers just like any other investment. Loans for a humanities degree from a ho-hum college that will likely get you a $30k/year job at the end probably doesn’t make any sense. $20-30k in student loans to finance an engineering degree at a college highly ranked for that major, on the other hand, likely is a good use of money, when you consider you could likely start at $80k/year out of a 4-year degree. Naturally, apply your own numbers and common sense to your situation.
My bottom line: I implore future students and parents to really consider what major to pursue because it has significant, long-term impacts on earning potential, career path, and overall wealth building.
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