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Going to college involves a choice, a choice with immense
consequences on your future. Choosing and landing in the wrong
university could as well mean you'll be packing home three semesters
later...and of course without the treasured BA, BSc or LLB degree you
and your entire family were so excited about. Here's how to choose an
institution of higher learning that suits your lifestyle and aspirations.
You have a very difficult choice to make. Universities and colleges
abound in the world and whenever there is plenty, there's a problem
of quality. There are some questions you'll have to answer objectively
within yourself before you land a choice. There is no best university
for everyone. Just as people are different, so are colleges. What's
good for A may be ugly for B. You just have to keep in mind your
objective and strive to enter the school that motivates you to bring out
your best and excel.
1) Prestige, price, place, people and power.
This is perhaps the biggest decider. Do you want study in a prestigious
university? Are you genuinely motivated at the mention of Havard,
Princeton, Sorbonne, Cambridge, London, Oxford, UCLA, Stanford,
MIT and others in the ivy league? Is the tuition fee your decider? Are
you spurred to be in the same class as future Nobel Laureates and
country presidents? Decide whether the history of an institution is of
relevance before you fill the application for admission forms. But
beware! The competition for places in the world's best universities is
very tough. You should have extremely high grades plus any nice
passes in any supplementary tests like TOEFL, GMAT, IELTS and SAT.
2) In what area of the country (or the world) would you like to study?
A lot a students think-and wrongly too- that college is an excuse to get
lost, escape from the discipline at home or live out of societal norms
and that a distant university is the best chance to get that. Indeed, it
could be a fatal error to choose a school only because you do not
want your parents to pop into your room at any moment ask you
stupid questions. True, you need a higher degree of independence but
such independence calls for responsibility. And your primary
responsibility is to check if the school you have in mind have the
necessary courses, programmes, lecturers, research opportunities
and academic incentives that can help you get to the top.
3) Where will you live, in or out of campus?
Find out what's available as housing in or around your university. You
may not like commuting or trekking long distances. A campus or
nearby hostel may suit you. You have to check room options: shared
room, single, cooking facilities, studio, etc.
4) Can you or your sponsors cope with the cost of study at that
university?
Unless you are filthy rich or have been awarded a scholarship, avoid
the expensive campuses. The tuition fees of some American
universities can buy a vast estate back in your country and raise a
villa. But it all depends on the value you attach to education in that
dream school of yours. Find out from alumni of that institution how the
learning experience matched with the costs.
5) School strong points
Do you want a strong creative arts program or a strong scientific one?
Schools have various strengths. Don't expect to get much from a
school that hasn't got state-of-the-art equipment if you intend to
become a nuclear scientist.
6) How much involvement do I want in a university athletic
programme?
You must have known by now that not every university pays great
attention to its athletic program. Look at the top athletes in the world's

professional sports leagues. Take a look at university sports results
for the last three years. Most countries have annual university games
or even permanent semi-professional university leagues. The medals
table tells you exactly what a university's athletic programme is worth.
If you want your spell at university be a launch pad for a career in
athletics, go to a school that invests time and resources in serious
sporting activities so you can benefit more and offer the university a
piece of what it likes-students with an athletic spirit.
7) Do your personal career interests require specialized facilities?
You may land in a university-perhaps the only one in your area,
wanting to do film only for you to discover that there are only two
handycams in the cinelab and one of them has not been switched on
for the past two years. Not every university will satisfy your specific
requirement. Be clear about what you want and put straightforward
questions across to the school admissions officer. Ask to know how
well equipped is the department where you intend to study. A lot is
changing in the world at a pace with which many schools cannot
honestly cope.
8) Liberal arts or pre-professional course of study?
Some university programs are a direct springboard into professions
while some offer more width which you can use at a later date to train
for a profession. A liberal arts education is good if you aren't decided
on a career as yet. A pre-professional course makes it possible for
you to focus straightaway on a specific career and thereafter, you'll
need a drastic U-turn if you want to change direction. If you want to
get a job as soon as you graduate and end the story there, then a
pre-professional scheme is yours to take. Don't finish a liberal arts
programme and start complaining if you don't find a job soon
afterwards.
9) University size
It all depends on how best you reckon you can study, with respect to
student body size. Schools exist in varying sizes. The calm and timid
atmosphere of a small college might bore you while the noise and
social buzz of a large university can make you feel you are loosing
your identity. What size appeals to you most?
     Small: up to 3,000 students
     Medium: 3,000-7000 students
     Large: over 7,000 students
There are universities that have between 24,000 and 35,000 students;
real mammoth colleges. If you like to compete in the crowd, then
march on.
10) Freedom of information
The world has changed. If third world universities have not understood
that, then tant pis pour eux. Don't bother much about a university that
hasn't got accessible up to date information about its programmes and
activities in a professionally presented brochure or a reasonable
website. If it hasn't got a website at all, it's not a place to be. You
surely do not want to study with people who still wear the hats and
boots of the sixties. It could be a ploy to hide their horrible services as
an educational institution.