Although financial costs are an important factor to consider when choosing a college, there are also other important aspects of college profiles that should be noted and taken into consideration when deciding which college to attend. Depending on you and your family, such important aspects may include the reputation of the school, educational facilities, accreditation, and size of the institution. Below are brief discussions of other factors that you should consider when choosing a college.
Course or program offerings
Next to tuition fees and living expenses, many students place a premium on the course or program offerings of a specific college – and for a good reason. College is not just about fitting in and making friends; it’s essentially about gaining knowledge on the field you’d like to specialize in and practice professionally later on. If you already have a major in mind, browse the different degree programs being offered by schools to see which suits you best. Basing your decision on the quality of the school’s academic programs will help ensure that you’ll get the most out of your college education.
Location and campus setting
Deciding whether you want to go to a college near or far from your home will help you narrow down your choices early on. Aside from the college’s distance from your home, you should also consider the climate and the features of the town where it is located.
Is the town conducive to student activities? Are there interesting places to visit? You won’t spend the next four to five years of your life just holed up in your dorm or campus, so it’s also important to consider the town you’ll be staying in throughout your college years.
Student support: social and academic
When we say student support, this includes on and off-campus housing options, student counselling and advising programs, financial aid, and other services related to student life. Student support is an important thing to consider because most of you will probably be living on your own for the first time, and taking that leap is never easy. Choosing a school that has an effective student support system will make it easier for you to get through the fun and trials of college.
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Going out of your comfort zone and finding yourself in an entirely new environment is never easy. This is why you’ll find tons of articles and books that are all dedicated to providing tips and tricks on how to make your transition from high school to college a lot easier. While there are no fool-proof, clear-cut approaches to surviving freshman year, there are tons of simple tips you can follow that will increase the chances of making college freshman year a lot easier for you. Below are examples of often overlooked yet highly effective tips on surviving your first year in college.
Make a conscious effort to talk to people
If you’re the introverted type, you have to force yourself out of your self-made shell and go out of your way to strike up conversations with classmates and dormmates. If you feel intimidated and shy, here’s what you should keep in mind: all the other freshmen feel just as shy and awkward being in a new environment as you do. Don’t worry about them snubbing you, they might even be thankful that you made the first move to talk to them because they’re too shy to do the same.
Know when and where to ask for help
There will be times when you would just want to pack your bags and head back home. The stress of school work and maintaining personal relationships with friends and schoolmates can sometimes reach great heights such that you feel emotionally and mentally exhausted. Excellence in studies should not be achieved at the expense of your mental, physical, and emotional state. Take breaks when you feel the need to, and don’t hesitate to visit the student counselling office if you feel you need help.
Manage your finances and don’t spend on unnecessary things
Tempting though it may be, blowing your allowance on beer nights with the guys or shopping trips with the girls will only cause dents in your wallet. Remember you’re living on your own now, and you should take it as a challenge to show your parents that you deserve the independence you’ve been given.
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Tons of studies have been conducted to prove whether a bachelor’s degree really translates into higher income. And almost all concluded that having a college degree on your resume translates not only to getting a higher income, but also to having a wider range of employment opportunities. According to a report issued by the US Commerce Department’s Census Bureau, a high school graduate earns a total average of $1.2 million in his entire working life, while the average lifetime income of collge graduates falls at around $2.1 million.
Although these are just estimated figures, they’re enough to show how having a bachelor’s degree can instantly increase one’s income. Other reports conclude that a college graduate’s income is 60-70% higher than the average high school graduate. One should keep in mind, however, that even within these ranges and figures, there are still disparities and differences. So just because you have your college diploma tucked under your arm, it may not ALWAYS follow that you’ll get a higher base salary than your bachelor’s degree-lacking officemate. These conclusions also may not hold true in certain fields such as entrepreneurship or scientific inventions and discoveries.
College education = more knowledge
One of the main reasons why employers are willing to invest more in their degree-holding employees is because of the knowledge gained through college education. Take the field of electronics and technology, for example. Even though you’ve been tinkering with electronic gadgets your entire life, and know by heart how these things work, employers will tend to favor someone who spent his college years studying and applying computer networking systems theories. The specialized knowledge gained through college education is valued highly by employers because this will help their company develop systems to further improve their operations. College graduates are more bankable because they can share and contribute this knowledge to companies.
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Aside from saving tuition money, tons of high school graduates go to community college to make productive use of their time as they figure out which field or discipline they want to major in. Instead of going straight to universities and enrolling under a four-year course program that you’re still unsure of, a good option you can take is to attend community college to explore different courses and fields. To help you decide whether to go to a community college or not, we’ve outlined some of the community college pros and cons.
Disadvantages and downsides
Community colleges cannot provide the ideal college experience you dream of because of limited exposure to student diversity. There is also a limited range of curricula and course programs offered in community colleges, and students can only be granted with Associate of Arts degrees. This is why most students who go to community colleges eventually transfer to universities and four-year colleges, where they can get their bachelor’s degrees.
Pros and perks
Along with low financial costs, another major perk of going to a community college is the assistance it provides students with transitioning from high school to college. Although the work load in community college courses are lower, it’s still effective in giving students a glimpse of what’s in store for them when they do decide to pursue four-year courses in universities. Taking up courses in community colleges may also help boost the GPAs of students who didn’t do so well in high school.
Most community colleges employ an open door policy, which means they accept all applicants regardless of their previous academic performance. So if your high school GPA doesn’t meet the minimum requirements at universities, you can opt to enroll in a community college first and boost your GPA before you go back and apply to four-year colleges and universities. The class sizes in community colleges also tend to be small, which ups professor-student interaction and allows lecturers to zero in on students’ areas of difficulty.
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Getting through college and surviving the daily workload is hard enough, and it’s even more difficult if you have to deal with added family responsibilities such as looking after your kid or your elderly parents. There are lots of student parents who have succeeded juggling their college education and family responsibilities. If you have kids or are tasked with looking after elderly parents, below are some tips you can follow to help you get through college without neglecting your family responsibilities:
Plan out the schedule of your classes and exams. If necessary, take fewer units
It’s standard procedure for professors to provide a course syllabus, which outlines exam dates and other deadlines. Plan your school activities ahead, and anticipate the days when you’d have to give more attention to school work. For days when you have exams or reports due, contract the services of a baby sitter or care giver early on to look after your kids or elderly parents. If advanced planning and time management still don’t cut it, you can always lessen your load by taking fewer units per semester. Getting a college degree is not a race or competition. If taking fewer units will make it easier for you to juggle studies and family life, then by all means do it. What matters is you get that degree while working at a pace you’re comfortable with.
Know when to get help; whether from friends, a support group, or from the university
Most universities offer financial aid to students who serve as bread winners or guardians of children and elderly parents. But beyond financial aid, there are very few, if at all, state-institutionalized programs designed to cater to the needs of student parents. There are very few universities that offer day care and babysitting services. The good news though is that more and more universities and colleges are forming organizations and sororities that aim to gather student mothers and provide a support group for them.
There are existing programs in colleges that help student parents; you just have to do your research and seek them out. An effective way would be to ask the student counselling office if they offer such programs. If they don’t offer babysitting or day care services, consult them on other ways through which they may be able to help you deal with the double responsibility of looking after your family and juggling college work.
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For some people, deciding which major to take in college needs no re-thinking. They immediately know what they want and what they’re most passionate about. But for most high school graduates, choosing the field they will major in and study for in the next four to five years takes a considerable amount of time and contemplation. Below are two simple tips you can follow in deciding which major to take in college:
Never let anyone decide for you or dictate which major to take
Many students fall into the trap of choosing a major that they only feel mildly passionate about because of peer and family pressure. Just because you belong to a family of lawyers or medical practitioners doesn’t mean you have to tread the same path. Most students who let their parents or relatives decide their major for them end up quitting easily when they’re faced with major academic trials. This is because they can justify quitting by saying that they never really wanted to take up that major, and that they were just forced into it. It’s important to remember that while support from family and relatives is essential in surviving college, it is you and not your parents or relatives (not even your friends) who will go to class every single day and deal with the other implications of your decision on a daily basis.
Choose a major that you can apply to the professional field or industry you want to work in
Although career options nowadays are no longer limited to specific majors and academic disciplines, it’s still important to take into consideration the job options and opportunities that your major will open up for you. If you’re interested in a lot of fields, one way through which you can narrow down your options is by deciding which industry you’d truly be happy working in. So much so that you might even be willing to work in that field with insubstantial pay. If you have that much passion for a specific field or industry, chances are, the courses related to it are the ones you’ll most enjoy studying and learning about.
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If you read sample college admission essays, you’ll see that the most effective ones are those that provide detailed and illustrative background information on the applicant. This information becomes even more effective in making you stand out if it’s backed by letters of recommendation from credible individuals. Because admissions essays are an important part of college admissions processes, applicants should be wary about including information and insights about themselves that they won’t be able to demonstrate during the interview, or prove through letters of recommendation.
Next to admissions essays, letters of recommendation are tools used by committee members to gauge an applicant’s personality and suitability for inclusion in their academic community. These letters are important because they provide the application reviewers a sort of insider perspective on how the applicant demonstrated her or his skills in high school. Some colleges require recommendation letters from specific personnel, such as an academic professor, counselor, or head coach (if applying for athletic programs). Before choosing reference persons to write your recommendation letter, ask yourself the following questions:
* Do they have the time to make the letter and submit it on time?
* Do they know you well enough to describe your academic competency? Have you performed well in this person’s class? Have you turned in excellent papers?
* Do they have a good enough relationship with you for them to give you a glowing recommendation? Have you worked closely with this person in the course of your high school education? Can he or she vouch for your talents and potential?
* Are they credible and respected academic figures in your high school?
Asking these questions will help you decide whether your chosen persons are ideal writers of your recommendation letters. If you look at sample college admission essays, there’s a part there that tackles personal background. This is the part that should be supported by recommendation letters. We recommend browsing through sample college admission essays found online so you can get a better idea of how recommendation letters and admissions essays work hand in hand to provide credible and convincing information about college applicants.
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College admissions committees look for more than just high GPAs and academic excellence in their applicants. Committee members also look for demonstrated dedication, passion, and sense of community in their future students. This is the reason that when you check out sample college admission essays, you’ll see that the well-crafted ones are those that are able to describe how the applicant manages to effectively balance academics and extracurricular activities. One question commonly asked by college applicants is which extracurricular activities would score the most points with admissions committees.
Truth be told, committee members do not look for specific extracurricular activities in applicants’ admissions essays. What they do look for is a certain focus, or field of interest, reflected in the applicant’s chosen organizations and clubs. Contrary to what most students think, simply joining tons of clubs and getting involved in numerous activities will not make them, or their admissions essay, stand out. Being a member in one too many organizations may even have the opposite effect. Because you’re dipping your toes on so many things, this may show lack of dedication and focus. To avoid this, join organizations and engage in school activities that you’re really interested in – whether it be music, sports, writing, theatre, etc.
Aim for leadership, don’t settle for membership
Between an editor-in-chief and columnist for a high school newspaper, the former will obviously score more points with committee members. This is because admissions committees want their students to not only have a sense of community, but also to have the ability to lead when the situation calls for it. As you’ll also see in sample college admission essays, the extracurricular activities you engaged in high school can serve as effective proof of your leadership and organizing skills. Use your admissions essay as a venue to describe in detail how you managed to organize an important event, and get the respect and commitment of your peers.
If you want to get a more concrete idea on how you can write about your extracurricular activities, you can scan the sample college admission essays available online.
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Cons and downsides
Living in off-campus apartments grants you the freedom to do whatever you want, unrestricted by campus rules and regulations. However, because you’re outside the jurisdiction of campus rules, this also means you are not afforded with the security and safety that the college provides. Remember that in off-campus accommodations, there are no roaming guards to check for intruders in the wee hours of the night, and no residence assistance staff to run to. Students who go for off-campus living may also find that they feel detached from the school community, because they’re less updated on campus events and activities.
Aside from security and safety, another significant downside to living in off-campus college dorms and apartments is financial costs. Off-campus accommodations tend to be more expensive than campus dorms, especially if the apartment is a bit far from campus. If this is the case, you might not be able to avail of student discounts from the landlord. Factoring in your expenses for books, handouts, food, house bills, and transportation (parking or commute costs), your overall monthly expenses can total to huge amounts.
Pros and perks
Off-campus apartments and accommodations do not impose curfews on student tenants. This means that you’re free to stay out late at the library or coffee shops when cramming for a paper or report. Another perk you get with off-campus housing is that you get to choose your roommate, and that’s if you even want one at all. Off-campus apartments are usually quieter, and you get more privacy by not being forced to share a room with someone. This also means that you get more space (physically, emotionally, and mentally).
So before deciding whether to live on or off-campus, collect and compare the rent rates of on-campus dorms and off-campus apartments found in nearby areas. Also try to weigh which, for you, are the more important elements of the college experience – whether peace and privacy are more important, or the sense of community living in on-campus dorms affords.
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When looking for a college dorm, there are some essential things to be considered. Remember that your college dorm will serve as your second home for the next four or five years, so you should at least feel comfortable in the place where you’re going to spend the rest of your college days. In addition to comfort, other important things to consider for on-campus housing are the following: location, financial costs, amenities, and privacy.
Ask or get recommendations from other students and upper classmen
There are good reasons why many people recommend living on-campus for the first year or two during college. One of these is that living in college dorms allows them to get a sense of community and make it easier for them to make the transition to college life. You can get information on on-campus accommodations from your university’s website, but it would be more helpful and effective if you get the opinions and recommendations of students and upper classmen who have experienced living in those campus quarters. When doing so, ask them about the following:
Amenities and privacy
Most students complain about having to share a bathroom with half of the students on the same floor. If you’re particularly picky about sharing a bathroom or bedroom with someone else, you can consider getting a “singles” room. This, however, may cost more as you’ll have to shoulder all the costs. Is the dorm building known for its spontaneous parties and late night ruckus? If you’re the private type and you want to concentrate on studying, go for dorms that are more low-key in popularity. There are lesser chances of frat boys and keg party people living there.
Location and financial costs
Even though these are on-campus dorms, not all are located near the buildings where classes are held. Especially for universities with huge campus grounds, some schools may even have shuttles or some form of transport service for students to go from one building to another. Depending on your preference, you can choose a dorm that’s close to where most of your classes are held or go for one that’ll give you a few minutes of walking time. More importantly, compare the prices of the available on-campus dorms to see if they’re within your budget.
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