Haley Hamilton
Ms. Brenda Craven
English composition 101A
3 December 2014 Choose Wisely
When a person is a junior or senior in high school they will start to determine which college they may want to go to when they graduate from high school. Typically this starts by looking at the pros and cons of the different schools in the area. Factors that need to be taken into consideration include the size, location, and the cost and if the college offers the particular field of study the student is interested in. Most students look at many schools in an attempt to find the right fit. It is a difficult for a student to make decisions based on one tour and talking to an admissions person. The admissions representative will obviously be obligated to show his school in the best possible light and will seldom mention any negatives that his or her university might have. The process of determining which college is right for the particular student is a decision that can affect the student’s life. Since most students have friends who are going through this process at the same time it is interesting to see the choices that are made by each particular person and why they decided to go to the college that they eventually chose. It is a personal choice that each student has to make. My roommate works for the admissions department and by observing and talking to her I have seen the positive and the negative sides of the college recruitment process. Admissions representatives and student tour guides show the best of the university and leave out the negatives as they are selling the school to the students. This makes sense because the school needs students to stay open and the students need a higher education in order to eventually pursue a career. The decision the student makes should not only be based on the academics of the college but also on the social aspects and extracurricular activities that the student may be interested in while they are attending their college
The size of the particular institution is important when making this decision. Does the student prefer working in small groups or large groups when studying? Does the student do better with more one on one time with the teachers? Can the student learn in a room of 300 people? These are just some of the questions that the prospective student should ask themselves when they are looking at schools and trying to determine which size school works for them. There are large Division 1 schools, the middle Division 2 schools and then the smaller, typically private institutions to choose from. The student also has the option to go one of the many community colleges that are available and maybe postpone their decision until later. Most of the community colleges do not have housing for students so the student would have to live at home and travel to class, some of the larger institutions are overcrowded and the desired type of housing may not be available. These are all things that the student needs to consider before they decide on a school. The location of the school is also very important. Distance from home and who are they are leaving behind is another factor in the student’s decision as to which college to attend. Attending a college that is more than three hours away from home means very few weekends home. If the student chooses a school that is one or two hours from home it is considerably easier to come home whenever you want or to have your parents come visit you whenever they wish. The location of the college is an important step in choosing a college and is basically a decision that is different for each student according to their particular situation.
The cost of going to college is also an important factor in determining which one to select. The cost of higher education has skyrocketed in the last decade most students will have to borrow money in order to complete their education. Is the cost of going to the desired institution restrictive? If a student