Selecting university

A student wrote to me: 'I graduated from high school last month and preparing to go to university. There are several schools that I like but I do not know which one would be best for me. Do you have any advice on selecting school? Thanks you.”

Answer: Selecting which university to attend is an important decision. While many students make decision based on family and friends' advices or based on the school's reputation and the costs, there are other factors that you should consider such as training programs, school size, and personal compatibility.

Among them, the most important that you should consider is the training programs. Although most universities offer a variety of programs but they are NOT the same. Some schools are good in certain fields but not in others. For example, an university may have a good science program but may not have good business or arts program so you need to investigate. Even in the same field, each university may offer them in a different way. Some schools provide “in-depth knowledge” training while others only focus on “general knowledge” training. A school with strong “In-depth training” will make it easier for students to find job but it often requires a lot of efforts and commitments from students. Good schools often require high scores to get in so it depends on your test scores that you can find the school that fits your qualification.

You must decide on a field of study to narrow your choice to a few universities that has good reputation on that field. If you are not sure, the best way is to talk to students in that field to learn more about it. Although you must select a field that you like but you need to be practical too. Do NOT make the mistake by confuse your hobby today to your future career. For example, you may like videogames but it does not means you should study videogame development in school as playing and developing are two different things. You may like to sing on some occasions but it does not mean you should study to be a singer. A karaoke singer and a professional singer are very different. Some students like to choose a field that pay high salary but if they are not willing to put in the efforts they will not succeed. Today you need to have skills to have job because degree, regardless of what field it is, does not guarantee job anymore. You should select a field of study that you are capable of and will enjoy for a long time because you only study in school for four years but you will work in that field for many years, maybe all your life.

Since university training programs varies, it is important for you to review their curriculum to make sure that it is something that fits your capability. Selecting a wrong field may cause a lot of problems later so you must spend time to investigate everything carefully. You must know how much efforts you will need to put in and how rigorous the training requires. Remember, it is your future so you should not make decision in a hasty manner.

My advice is: do NOT make decision until you actually visit the school that you want to attend. You should talk to students there to get a feeling about the schools. If possible, ask permission to sit in some classes to decide whether this type of teaching or the method of teaching fits your learning style. Teaching method is important on student's learning because some students need to be told on what to do while others prefer independent study. Some students like practical works while other prefer abstract learning. Some students like large class as they can interact with more friends while other prefers smaller class sized for the better relationship with teachers. The size of the school is also important as some students may get lost in a big school while others would thrive as it offers many activities. Smaller schools are friendlier and give a strong feeling of closeness but it may have limitations. Some students like smaller school, while other prefer larger one but since you will be spending at least four years in school, it is important that you feel comfortable with the school, the class size, the teachers, the students and the activities there.

I also suggest that you talk to graduates and the fourth-year students in the field of study that you are interested in to find out more about employment opportunity. A class that have over 85% of graduates who get job in the same field of study is considered good and above 92% is considered excellence. There is no reason to spend four years to study in one field then end up working in other field. This is why I always recommend that student be practical and realistic on selecting the school, the training program, and the field of study carefully. Depending on these factors, you may decide on which school would be best for you.

Sources

  • Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University