Readers, you have witnessed what I have done with my blog. Taking the lens of Motivation, and then applying to various situations and concepts. I now give this opportunity a friend to explore this same lens. Rohan, who writes his blogs at http://rohan-academy.blogspot.com/, has taken my lens of Motivation and applied it to the college selection process high school seniors face. Read and comment below!
For many seniors like myself, the college selection process
is an endless, insatiable pursuit of a home for the next four years. Caught up in the
drama of school, activities, and a social life, it’s easy to push the process
off until application deadlines. That’s not to say that there aren’t proactive
students who spend extensive time researching where they want to end up, and shorten
the college selection process by applying early
decision or early action to an achievable target school. Nevertheless,
many kids ironically conduct the process in reverse. They apply to a wide range
of schools, including a handful of reach
schools. Then they wait until March to lay all their options out on a table
and narrow down schools. Ultimately, us students want our new home to be the
best fit for us. I’d like to take a look at the main factors that motivate us
to pick one college over another, and how our preferences reveal a lot about
our own personalities.
Big, medium, or small? While some students
hope to attend a small liberal arts school, others find themselves at home among
the unity and school spirit of a large public institution. Many others hope to
achieve a balance between the two, searching for a school big enough to
interact with a diverse student body but small enough to receive individual
attention in classes. A big
school atmosphere usually offers a larger variety of opportunities, but to
succeed in a big school environment, a student must be aggressive and outgoing
in order to avoid becoming “just a number.” On the other hand, students who are
less competitive or who don’t want to be pressured into a specific field of
study (i.e. popular majors at large schools) may wish to discover their passions
at their own pace. Note: for many students requiring financial aid, a state
school usually comes out to a lot cheaper, and thus those students may not have
the privilege of attending a smaller, private university.
For many seniors like myself, the college selection process
is an endless, insatiable pursuit of a home for the next four years. Caught up in the
drama of school, activities, and a social life, it’s easy to push the process
off until application deadlines. That’s not to say that there aren’t proactive
students who spend extensive time researching where they want to end up, and shorten
the college selection process by applying early
decision or early action to an achievable target school. Nevertheless,
many kids ironically conduct the process in reverse. They apply to a wide range
of schools, including a handful of reach
schools. Then they wait until March to lay all their options out on a table
and narrow down schools. Ultimately, us students want our new home to be the
best fit for us. I’d like to take a look at the main factors that motivate us
to pick one college over another, and how our preferences reveal a lot about
our own personalities.
Size
Big, medium, or small? While some students
hope to attend a small liberal arts school, others find themselves at home among
the unity and school spirit of a large public institution. Many others hope to
achieve a balance between the two, searching for a school big enough to
interact with a diverse student body but small enough to receive individual
attention in classes. A big
school atmosphere usually offers a larger variety of opportunities, but to
succeed in a big school environment, a student must be aggressive and outgoing
in order to avoid becoming “just a number.” On the other hand, students who are
less competitive or who don’t want to be pressured into a specific field of
study (i.e. popular majors at large schools) may wish to discover their passions
at their own pace. Note: for many students requiring financial aid, a state
school usually comes out to a lot cheaper, and thus those students may not have
the privilege of attending a smaller, private university.
Location
When moving to a new environment, a person has many factors
to consider, such as distance from home or the weather. Adventurous students
may want to get as far away as possible from their parents, whereas students
who stay relatively close to their parents (i.e. driving distance) may value
their family relationship. For me, one of the biggest deal-breakers was
proximity to a city. While many rural or isolated colleges have beautiful
campuses, I crave the opportunities that a larger metropolitan city provides.
However, there are many ideal college towns (e.g. Ann
Arbor) that have everything students need right on campus.
Academics
Finally, academics should be at the top of the list for
deciding on a college. An education is vital
in this increasingly competitive job market. Ambitious students will seize the
best opportunity for a great education that they can get. But things become
tricky when students are admitted into a few colleges with similar academics.
Once an academic standard is established, then a student can turn to the
plethora of other elements involved. Since it’s hard to predict a four-year
college experience from one campus tour, many turn to the Internet for help. My
favorite website is College Prowler, which
offers ratings in everything from dining and housing to the attractiveness of
girls (yes, high school boys actually take that into consideration) at a particular
university. In the end, the best advice given to me was to go with my gut. If a
student fits in well at a college, the chances of success in that environment
are much higher.
