Deciding a University: High School Students' Hardest Decision - Essay Sample

Introduction

Deciding on which university to attend is the hardest thing high school students' experience. It is the most critical decisions they make in their life. Since where they attend university shall always have a lasting effect on their professional and personal life. There are several reasons why a student chooses a specific school and not others like their priorities. The truth is that most of the students select a university-based on emotion and minimal criteria set. Even though it will not hinder their academic achievement, such a vital life decision should perhaps undergo the scrutiny of a higher level. An aspiring university student should, therefore, consider factors like; location, cost, size, campus safety, and academic quality while choosing the school to attend.

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Accreditation

An aspiring university student should consider those schools which have received certification. Before spending any time investigating a university, they should make sure that it is fully accredited to act as a university. It means that the school has been vetted and curriculum reviewed by an officially licensed organization to ascertain that the institution meets the higher education basic academic standards (Loveless 1). The information is mostly available at the schools' website on the Admissions pages. In case of trouble to find it, it is advisable to email or calls the admissions department. A university can be regionally or nationally accredited, but within a school, departments may also have their accreditation. It ensures that the degree will be acknowledged by employers as well as other higher education institutions. Therefore, an aspiring university student should ensure his school choice is accredited.

Type of School

An aspiring university student should choose schools that accommodate his or her interests and abilities. To select a suitable school, the student needs to decide the type of education she wants and where her skills and interests do lie. It will aid in determining whether the student is suited for technical fields like science, math, and engineering or more liberal arts subjects. Since mostly by the time one is in senior or junior high school, she probably has an idea of what she wants. Most universities incline in one direction like the small liberal arts university does not have much to provide to a student who desires to be an engineer. Therefore, she will need to make an application to universities with more substantial research and well equipped with engineering resources (Loveless 1). An aspiring university student will, therefore, need to think of the type of school she needs to attend as her broadest criteria level. Though it is extremely general, it is geared towards aiding in narrowing the list of options of the university that are suitable for the student.

Geographical Location

In choosing the school to attend, the aspiring university student needs to settle on a geographic location that suits her or him. It can be either in terms of distance from home, located in a big city or a little quieter, weather, or regional culture (Loveless 2). The geographical location of the institution may have a massive impact on the student's overall college experience. Thus, even if she likes school and hates its place, the next four years would be a misery for her. If she likes the schools in a specific city, she should make sure that she also likes it there. In case she has not visited the town for a while, it is advisable to schedule a trip. Also, the student must take consideration of the crime and safety of the city and the school itself. It is because the crime rate varies from school to school. Therefore, the aspiring university student should schedule a trip to a particular city that she would like to school in and also conduct thorough research concerning crime statistics of an institution.

Overall Cost

An aspiring university student needs to make sure to select the school that they can afford in terms of cost. The student has to conduct a thorough financial analysis relating to expenses of being in a particular university and comparing it with other universities to arrive after which she can afford. She needs to distinguish whether to attend a private school in which the cost is usually high than the state universities. She can still consider other options like the endowments, scholarships, and grants in case she cannot afford the high charges of private universities. Also, she can consider schooling nearby where she can still afford to stay at home since attending out-of-state means more expensive (Loveless 3). It is because the tuition fee will be subjected to the non-resident fees, and on top of this more will be spent on the living cost away from home. Therefore, the aspiring university student should choose the school she can afford through conducting a financial comparison of expenditure incurred by attending different institutions.

Conclusion

From the discussion, it is vivid that there are different things that an aspiring university student needs to consider and do while choosing the school to attend. She should check the regional or national accreditation of the University of her Choice before conducting any further investigation regarding the institution. It is possible to find out the information about the institution accreditation since it is readily available at the university website under the Admission page. The next thing is to decide the school type she wants to attend and can manage this by determining where her abilities and interests do lie. Also, the geographical location is an essential factor to the student; therefore, scheduling a visit to a city or the institution aspiring to attend is very vital. It is because the tour will aid in determining the crime statistics of the city and the institution itself. Finally, the overall cost is another thing that calls for student analysis through comparison of the cost of schooling in private school or state school. Also, the decision of education within the state or away still lies undercharge because automatically out of the country is more expensive.

Work Cited

Loveless, Becton. Factors to Consider When Choosing a College or University. 02 October 2019, www.educationcorner.com/factors-choosing-a-college.html.