By Kaustov Kashyap
College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won. Even in this digital age, where a large database of information is just a click away, students find themselves in sheer uncertainties, even confused, about choosing the college or institution that will shape their future. Therefore, it becomes imperative for all aspirants wanting to enter the higher echelons of education to make a well-informed and judicious choice while selecting a college.
Finding the right college requires time and thoughtfulness. Keeping this in mind, visiting a college website, learning about what events take place, who are the visiting speakers, and how one can get in touch with the current students and faculty are a good way to supplement a campus visit or one may also choose to make a personal visit to the campus. Let us look at a few important parameters that will help a student in selecting a college:
Investigate and check:
Do not allow generalisation to direct your judgment in a world of super specialisation. Investigate and be sure to separate reality from often baseless opinions. Many will refer to a college as good, hard to get into, too expensive, bad placement without really knowing the actual facts. Try to refuse as much as possible to accept these kind of generalisation without proper evidence.
Money matters
In today’s competitive global scenario, it becomes imperative for students to choose a truly meaningful institute rather than blindly follow a brand name. For many students, especially in India, the biggest factor in choosing a college is money. However, do not let costs dictate your goals. While tuition is expensive, there is also the availability of financial aid. The real question is not how much a college costs but how much one has to pay out of one’s pocket after taking into account scholarships and financial aid. It could turn out that with financial aid and scholarships, the most expensive college on your list would actually cost the least amount of money.
Support staff
The quality of available faculty has an enduring impact on the overall quality of the college. No college can help in proper all round development and aptitude development of the students unless the teachers and professors are experienced enough for teaching and possess the required qualifications. Highly qualified and experienced faculty with degree from stellar institutions and industry experience can be instrumental in imparting practical knowledge as compared to only theoretical. The non-teaching staff also has a vital role to play in maintaining and regularizing law and decorum in the college. Before making a choice, students must gather sufficient knowledge about the faculty, administration and managerial staff of the college.
Placement statistics
Placement plays an important role in choosing a good college. While selecting a college, students should look for the companies that regularly visit the college and inquire about the placement percentage of the college. It is always wiser to inquire through seniors and former students of the college.
Attend a college fair
Most colleges have brochures, catalogues and websites. However, attending a college fair is the most valid place to begin the research about various colleges. Before making a life changing choice like the selection of the college, one should talk to experts, interact with some students, faculty, staff and counsellors and only then make your decision.
Check for accreditation
Accreditation is an easy and sure shot method to determine the standards of a college. Accrediting bodies have comprehensive websites which are updated regularly. Recognition by the AICTE is mandatory for all technical courses. A visit to its website, followed by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) website, will give an idea about the credentials you may need. If the college name does not appear on both these sites, it’s most certainly a bad choice.
Location
In order to keep pace with fluid and dynamic corporate environment, industry interface, exposure and experience have become a very integral part of any course curriculum. It has almost become a mandate to integrate relevant work related programmes into the academic module. In order to facilitate this, access to the network in terms of proximity, network and knowhow became indispensable. For instance, an Institute located in the heart of a corporate area such as Gurgaon or Bangalore is in a far better position to allow and facilitate adequate exposure to the industry as compared to a college located in a small town. Thus choosing a college based on its location should be made a thumb rule.
Before embarking on a new journey, investigate about the various facets of the college, consult the alumni and talk to the present students about the holistic experience the college has to offer. It is essential to find a college that strikes a balance between hardcore academics and specialized industry exposure that finally paves way for a successful journey ahead.
(The author is a career counsellor)