Picking the right college

After school, the next most important juncture in your life is college. Selecting the right one for you is of utmost importance as you have to factor in many conditions to ensure that it is the perfect one for you. As a result, you have to be meticulous and judicious about the process.

When you have decided what to pursue upon completing school, you could start researching into your interest and start researching the colleges that offer it. Whether you are pursuing your higher education in India or abroad, here are some criterions that you should keep in mind while researching the various colleges:

n Courses offered: Take some time in finding out the courses that a particular college offers.  Get to know how the subject is taught at the college, what the typical class size and how it impacts learning in the classroom. You also have to look at core requirements aka core curriculum, the combination of majors and minors and the available opportunities to gain practical exposure.

n Alumnus of a college: Alumni give you a glimpse into the ethos a college fosters and allows you to judge which college resonates more with you and your career goals. Getting in touch with alumnus and asking for information about their experience at the college is a great way to collect information and find your perfect fit.

n Faculty: More often than not, the faculty of a college is distinguished and knowledgeable, so glancing through credentials will get you nowhere. You need to go on student blogs and research about student-teacher interaction at the college, find out about the research projects the professors are pursuing and see what resonates with you.

n Other deciding factors: Take into consideration other factors such as the college’s location, proximity to the city/town, hostel facilities and weather conditions. With these pointers in your hand, selecting your perfect college will hopefully get much easier.

(The writer is the co- founder of Collegify, a college
 consulting firm)