Which School is Right for You?

[Mel]

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 12 (June 2010).

Which School is Right for You?
by Brittany (.Brittany.) and Sabrina (Sabrina.)

As we approach the end of the year, many of us face a new, and huge, decision: how to choose a college or university to attend in the upcoming year. Choosing a university to attend is not going to be easy, but if you go about things in a healthy way, it also doesn't have to be as stressful as many people make it out to be! Even if you're not quite to the point of starting this new chapter in your life, youmay be in the future, so it's never too early to start doing research and considering all of your options!

You should consider a number of factors that are important to you when looking at schools. Some examples include, but are not limited to: program, campus, residences, school-spirit, student atmosphere, scholarships, prestige, location, distance from home, cost, if your friends are going there, sports, clubs, and more. You need to decide which factors are most important to you and then consider those factors when comparing your options. It can be a really exciting process, don’t worry!

Before the Progress Begins

There are many things that you must begin to do even years before you're at the point of making a decision about your future education plans.

Firstly, in years preceding your last year in any sort of school, you must focus on your academics but also seek to be a well-rounded student by participating in many clubs, committees, and councils that catch your interest. A TeenHelp user, Sabrina (Sabrina.), gives us a bit of insight as to how she's managed to stay successful and active during her education: "Now that I am in grade twelve, I am the President of our school’s Athletic Council, a member of four other councils/committees, on three sports teams, an executive member of the Youth Cabinet in my city, and have held many positions in the past (i.e. The Vaughan Youth City Councillor position that I held last Fall). I have also won many awards and gained reference letters from very important people as a result of my involvement in these activities. In addition, I have worked hard (since grade 9) to keep my grade average above 90% and this year, it is the highest I’ve ever had it – at 95%." Clearly, upon being accepted to many prestigious universities, we can see that this hard work as paid off for Sabrina, and can certainly pay off for you as well if you set high goals for yourself. Not everyone is as active as Sabrina, but any outside activity and every good grade will count in your favor! Remember you are competing against a bunch of other students whose grades are roughly equal to yours, so sometimes it's volunteer hours that count the most!

Making the Decision and Managing Stress

To be accepted into a college or university (which will, of course, help you to make your decision based on where you are accepted and who is willing to offer you the best quality of education for the price you're willing to pay), there are several requirements. For General Arts, Social Science, Science, and other common programs, there are often no non-academic requirements. When looking to apply to universities, you need to check the specific course requirements for your programs. For Arts, Humanities, and Social Science, in some countries, you will need to take (and do well in) pre-requisite courses, grade twelve course is University Level English. If you’re planning on going into Sciences, however, there may be pre-requisites that consist of University Level Calculus, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. The pre-requisites for programs will certainly vary from country to count, and even from university to university, so it’s really important to look into your specific programs of choice much in advance to ensure you have the correct pre-requisites for entry into that program.

As you fill out applications, further research various schools, and write different essays or resumes for various scholarships, keep in mind that you will also be completing classwork from your current school. Sometimes, balancing these two roles can get somewhat overwhelming! As you go through this process, don't hesitate to rely on family and friends for support and encouragement. They want you to get into the school of your choice just as much as you do, so be sure to keep them informed and updated on the situation! Also, check to see if your school has a college or career counselor. Many students don't take advantage of this wonderful resource that's typically free of cost and readily available to you any time you need help sorting out different situations you may find yourself in!

After the Decision Has (Finally!) Been Made

Once you've decided where to attend school, there are more decisions to be made. don't let us fool you, the decisions don't stop there! You must begin to think about where you're going to live; will you live on-campus in the dormitories, off-campus, or at home?

Typically, first year students live in residence. This is done for a number of reasons; a major one is the ease of meeting new people and making friends., easing the transition to university, etc. Moving out of the house is a huge thing for a young person, and living in residence for first year tends to ease that transition. It is also very easy to meet new people and make new friends while living in residence.

When living on-campus or off-campus (not at home) goes, you'll need to consider different things you will have to purchase in order to live comfortably at your new place of residence. A few things to consider are common school supplies, a laptop, laptop bag, books, backpack, minor kitchen utensils and a mini-fridge, entertainment (MP3 player and speakers, movies, video games), clothes (including a bathing suit) and laundry supplies, towels and other toiletries, shower shoes, an alarm clock, dorm-room decorations, and other things you use regularly. Tip if you’re moving away: Try to pack as little as possible. You can always pick up things like shampoo, toiletries and school supplies from stores near your school. You don’t want to have to rent a truck in order to get your stuff to your new place!

With that in mind, however, there are quite a few students who do choose to live at home. If you decide to commute back and forth to school, you may be missing out on actual dormitory life, but there will still be many opportunities to make friends in other ways, such as joining sports teams, clubs, or other more academically focused groups!

Other things to start thinking about include, but are not limited to what you will declare as your major or course of study, what classes you will take, what kind of organizations you'll participate in, and just what kind of path you want to go down your first year of university!

We hope this article has given you some insight on how to choose the right college or university for you without getting caught up in all of the extra stresses that sometimes arise at the end of the school year. For further information on being prepared for school in general, be sure to check out "School and College: Being Prepared" as featured in the August 2009 (Volume 3, Issue 2) of Avatar.