Pick the School—Don’t Let It Pick You
Many students (and their families) dream of the day when they’ll be ready to go to college. Unfortunately, too many students allow outside factors to determine where they’ll go, what they’ll major in and how to use the degree they’ve earned. It is important for students to understand that in order to make the most of their college experience, it is best to pick the school that best suits their needs and goals, not the other way around.
Always dreamed of getting into a prestigious school like Stanford University? That’s great but only if you truly know that is where you want to go. Pressure from parents and other family members can easily influence a student’s decision—oftentimes without them realizing it.
It is a good idea early on to think about what types of professions you are interested in and seeing if there is a career path to match. Working backwards by browsing through job descriptions and really understanding what employers are looking for in candidates is an effective method for figuring out not just if that particular job would be a good fit, but which schools and degree programs can help get you into that field/industry.
4-year colleges and universities are all well and good but if the job path you’ve set for yourself isn’t offered at such campuses, it doesn’t make sense to go through the admissions process and submit an application. Want to be a dental assistant? This doesn’t require graduating from a 4-year university. There are plenty of dental assistant schools available all across the country. The good thing about this is that it doesn’t matter where a student lives. Attending school locally means saving a lot of money in the long run and earning the proper credentials to enter the workforce—usually in less time compared to traditional colleges and universities.
Not all students do well in a classroom environment. Individuals who would rather have a hands-on form of education may want to consider applying to a vocational or trade school. From CDL schools to culinary schools, these educational institutions are solely focused on providing students with a combination of in-class and real world experience. By sticking to specific disciplines, students can graduate with a skill set that can be readily applied to whatever job position they apply for. Similar to dental schools, attending a vocational or trade school often allows a person to complete their education in as little as 1-2 years, depending on the program they choose.
The last thing any student wants to experience is the realization that they’re not happy at the campus they’ve chosen after the fact. Although there are solutions to remedy the situation, they tend to be costly and time consuming, which could end up delaying a student’s career goals longer than they had hoped. Staying true to what students really want out of their education is the only way to prevent such an outcome.