Good grades you got……… congratulations for making your high
school experience count.
Now, I know you are kind of excited
and confused for a task lies ahead, that of choosing a college that is right
for you. This is doubtlessly one of the most important decisions you will ever
make. You want college to be challenging, exciting and at the same time
memorable, to grow intellectually, spiritually and socially. In short, you want
college life to help you develop the potential that God has given you.
Brace yourself for this can be confusing as well as
difficult. Questions that linger in your mind now are around these; whether to
select a small college or a large university, closer home or far away, reside
on campus or be a non-resident, public or private institution, secular or faith
related amongst a lot more.
To answer the above, it is important that you have basic
knowledge about the colleges that you consider attending. The beauty of this is
that there is always a college available for you that meets your needs. My role
is just to offer guidance as explained below:
1.
Academic quality
You need be very careful in finding out this for it is the
basic reason for attending college, to increase your knowledge and acquire the
background skills necessary for your future. One of your major concerns should
be centered on the academic excellence of the college or university you will
have as the choice to attend.
Regional accreditation is one of the clearest assurances of
this basic academic quality for colleges that do not meet set standards are not
anywhere close to accreditation. Quality means you will be assured of proper
academic training that will help prepare you for a rewarding and productive
life. You need a college that supports academic quality by promoting continuous
professional development of faculty members and administrators that enable them
serve students effectively. The sizes of classes and the kind of personal
attention that promotes inquiry and discussion is important in aiding you
receiving quality education that you want and need, so does the college meet
these?
2.
Teaching
Believe me, you need be taught, the college must be the kind
that stresses teaching whether certificate, diploma or degree. Of course
professors at colleges continuously conduct research and publish articles but
their main duty and concern is to teach or rather lecture. Your lecturers must
endeavor to know your individual interests and needs in as much as they get to
realize this through the assignments, seminar papers and presentation that you
will be tasked with.
Great colleges and universities have strengths such as
graduate education and research, but for at least four of your undergraduate
years in college, you want to be certain that the college of choice is one that
sees your education as its top priority.
3.
Beyond the classroom
What happens beyond that class are equally crucial, you need
be more than just lecture rooms, laboratories and libraries. The fact that a
college is relatively small provide a real community where students know one
another well as individuals and faculty and administrators have concern for
each student. Such relationships help cultivate positive friendships and fun
that are important to your development in college and to enjoyable life-long
memories. Yes you have the options of either being a resident or a non-resident
but the resident option adds a special dimension to your college years. It
helps learn much about people who make up the world; how to stand firmly on your
own convictions and yet get along with people who think differently. As a
resident student, you will have many opportunities to help others with needs
and in turn be helped by them in addition to active participation in clubs and
societies. Activities do run the gamut from planned social events to late night
talks with fellow students from musical performances to athletics competitions;
and from a wide choice of clubs, committees and other involvements in campus
organizations to volunteer service projects.
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