Preparing for the Future: Blunders to Avoid in Choosing a University

“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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Condo Living: Things to Keep in Mind When Raising Kids in Condos

“Discipline is helping a child solve a problem. Punishment is making a child suffer for having a problem. To raise problem solvers, focus on solutions not retribution.”-L.R. Knost

With the increasing prices of prime real estate nowadays, more and more people are looking into housing alternatives. Among the myriad of options is condo living which apparently is a crowd favorite—especially in the Philippines. After all, in this time and age wherein condo expenses in the country have become reasonable, it is more financially sound and reasonable to pay a monthly premium for a condo which you would then already own than rent every single month. Apart from that, condominium payment terms have become rather flexible that what was once viewed as a luxury afforded only by the wealthy is now within the means of more Filipinos. In this regard, more and more homeowners are opting to live in a condo.

After all, living in condos give homeowners more leverage in terms of convenience and accessibility insomuch that they need not go far for things such as groceries, entertainment and the like. Indeed, in the Philippines condo living has become the norm that you can find a condo development in almost every nook and cranny in any major Philippine cities. More importantly, these condo developments are emerging in districts and communities that are pretty much like mini cities themselves. One such example would be Circuit Makati condos where everything is within reach---from malls, offices, to even schools. With more and more homeowners opting to live in condos, it should come as no surprise that many kids would inevitably be raised in condos as well.

Keep in mind however, that rearing children in condominiums is drastically different from raising them in a conventional home. In this regard, you need to be sensitive of your children’s needs and may even need to make certain lifestyle adjustments to ensure that the environment of your condo would suit the needs of your child. In any case, here are some of the indispensable tips to keep in mind when you are raising children in condos:

    Do not bore your children

Your children will be naturally restless and playful. Unfortunately, looking for opportunities and avenues for play might prove to be a challenge in small spaces such as in the case of a condo unit. In this regard, it is imperative that you do not keep your child holed up in your condo for too long especially since most of them would throw tantrums if they are constrained to staying in one spot. Similarly, incorporate various activities into playtime in such a way that they would not feel repetitive. Allow them to enjoy the sunshine as well by accompanying them to the outdoor play area which would encourage them to be physical as well.

   Take your child to a nearby park

Outdoor exercise is essential to the growth and health of your child. More importantly, outdoor exercise helps them interact with nature and would inspire curiosity in what surrounds them. Take your kids to a near park and engage in fitness activities yourself such as jogging, walking and biking. However, if you want to unwind and relax, sit by a shade and share some stories that would enrich his or her knowledge.

   Buy an appropriate stroller

 Strollers are excellent for carrying your little tots around or basically taking them anywhere with you. Unfortunately, in limited spaces such as condos, your stroller choices might be rather limited. In this regard, make sure to have a stroller that is neither too big to push around in your condo unit nor too small that there would not be much space for your toddler. Go for a medium-sized stroller that would fit inside your elevators just right so as not to have a difficult time taking your child around and would not have you struggling with your baby’s stuff as well.

    Coordinate with security

 While security in condos remains rather tight, you might never know who might come barging in whenever you leave your child alone. In cases such as these, remind your kids to ring the security guard in the condo lobby to ring any visitors you might have through the intercom. More importantly, inform the security personnel if you are expecting any guests within the day and not to let any unauthorized person into your home.

    Inform and orient your kids about the fire exits 

 Another crucial thing to keep in mind when raising children in a condo is to have them know where the fire exit is. Guide them through the hallways and show them where they should exit whenever a fire occurs. Understandably, you would not be in the house with your children all the time which makes it imperative to inform them of where the location of the fire exits are in your building to expedite an evacuation should there be any emergencies. More importantly, you should teach them what to do in case there are emergencies such as fires and earthquakes that would prompt them to vacate your condo unit.

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