“I have seen people spend more time choosing a car than they do choosing a college. A college education is going to last a lot longer than a car” –Mark Fisher
Malcolm X was once quoted to say that education is the
passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
From this sentiment, we can readily assume that a good
future is hinged on how well you prepare for it today. One of the essential
preparations an individual must do to ensure a good future is to secure a good
education. After all, education is the gift that prepares and sets you for
life. In this regard, choosing a good university to attend right after your
secondary educational years is pivotal to ensuring good education. More
importantly, good schools can contribute to better employment in most cases.
With all these considered, choosing a university to provide you with good
tertiary education should be something that requires deep contemplation and
much deliberation.
After all, choosing a good college is akin to selecting the
instrument to pave the way towards your future. Unfortunately, most students
who just graduated secondary school would not be as decisive in selecting a
college as they ought to be. The prospect of choosing a school that would set
you for life might be overwhelmingly intimidating insomuch that students are
often at a loss as to where to start. For this reason, determining what you
want to do and what kind of career you would want to have are two tasks
paramount to choosing a college. The earlier you can decide the easier choosing
a college will be. The Philippines has quite a lot of competent universities
from DLSZ (De La Salle Zobelle Vermosa)
to Ateneo de Manila—it is just a matter of picking one.
However, as the task is often fraught with
complications—from deciding what you wish to do in life to determining whether
the school is located in a good location—it is inevitable for some students to
make mistakes. Unfortunately, when you will be paying a premium for tuition not
to mention mapping out the foundation of your future, making mistakes should be
something you should avoid. To ensure that this does not occur, here is a list
of common mistakes you ought to avoid committing yourself:
Do not rush the process
Determining which college to attend takes
time so you should not rush it. Some of the things you can do to start your
university selection process is to take a look at the list of high performing universities in thePhilippines and then identify which schools offer the course you would
want to take. Remember, choosing the right college is a lengthy process that
requires a lot of time and research. With this in mind, take as much time as
you can in researching a good school for you. Do not wait until the last minute
or arbitrarily choose a school just to satisfy a requirement.
Do not be a follower
When you are unaware of what you want to
take up or what kind of school you should attend, you would inevitably end up
choosing the same schools your friends or significant other chose.
Understandably, it would seem like a good idea considering that you will still
be with them and be able to spend time with them while you are in college.
However, remember that this is one of the most pivotal moments in your life.
What is good for your friend and significant other might not necessarily be the
same for you. More importantly, your future is at stake here so you need to
make decisions for yourself. Besides, if your relationships are strong, they
can transcend both time and distance so you need not worry.
Following a legacy
Another error most students commit in
choosing a college is selecting the same college their parents had attended out
of parental pressure or because they believe it would work to their favor as
well considering their parents are alumni in their respective universities. Unfortunately,
choosing colleges your parents had attended or your siblings chosen might not
be in your best interest. Like stated above, you should strive to make the best
decision for yourself and explore your options. Find the college that can align
your career goals with your personality.
Rebelling
In contrast, you might want to consider
colleges that you parents do not wish for you to attend. Likewise, this is
counterintuitive to your plan of attending a good university. After all, your
parents might have excellent insights as to which college you should attend and
which ones you should not. More importantly, if you are doing it out of spite
then it would inevitably lead you to regretting your decision. Choose a college
because you believe it is a good school and would fit your career aspirations.
Choose based on what you want and not for any other motive than that.
Relying on reputation
While it is advisable to select competitive
schools that have been awarded various accolades over the years, you should
also determine whether or not the school will be a good fit for you. Just
because a school is prestigious and highly-ranked does not perfunctorily mean
that it would be the right school for you. Do not equate prestige and
illustriousness with quality of education. It all depends on your style of
learning. Some students benefit more from smaller classes and might thrive and
excel in lesser-known universities.
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