As discussed previously, this should not be your first step in deciding on a college or university. Studying, contemplating, thinking and discussing your interests, passions, talents and career aspirations should be the first step. Determine one to three fields of study you really want to pursue; then, reading and studying college websites is an appropriate next step. Colleges and universities spend significant time, money and technological resources in designing and organizing these websites. And most are very well designed, easy to navigate and very informative. However, keep in mind they are selling a product – a $50K to $500K higher education degree or certification program. Therefore, read, study and compare the degree or certification programs, as well as the environment being created for learning.
Priority #1 – Review Degree Programs
Usually you will easily be able to navigate to the listing of degree programs appropriate for your field of study. Sometimes they are listed under the internal colleges or schools, which are actually divisions within the institution. Other times they are listed by type of degree, such as Associate’s Degree (2 years of study), Bachelor’s Degree (4 years of study), Master’s Degree (6 months to 2 years of study) or Doctoral Degree (often 4 or more years of work and study). Almost always, clicking on any link for an internal college or school will bring you to listings of degree types or certification programs. Note that the parenthetical “years of study” are only traditional or expected time periods; some students may take shorter or longer periods depending on summer study or family, military or employment responsibilities.
Also read and study about related degree programs, i.e. related but not the same as your determined field of study. For example, if you decided to get a Bachelor’s of Science (BS) Degree in Business Administration, also look at degrees in accounting, finance and business management. If you decided to BS Degree in Aeronautical Science, also look at degrees in aeronautical engineering, aerospace physics or astronomy.
Decide Upon Traditional or Online or Both – Consider All Three
Are you computer literate? A better question is, “Do you like computers, using computer programs and spending time online.” If so, there are many colleges and universities offering degree and certification programs entirely online. There are also many traditional colleges and universities (with students living on campus), which also offer online courses and often entire online degree programs. Then, there are institutions allowing students to do both within a single degree program, which allows flexibility. However, the two formats are much different; so be sure you are ready for the change of venue.
One exclusively online university, Jones International University, outlines the most important questions for students to ask when selecting an online college or university. These are:
- Is the university regionally accredited?
- Are the online programs ones you are interested in?
- Is the student experience positive?
- What are the technical requirements?
Regional and national accreditation is critical. Not only does this give you some assurance of the quality of your education and the facilities available, but employers will give more weight to your application if you graduated from an accredited university, especially one which is also well-known in its field of expertise. A future article will deal exclusively with accreditation and regional and national accrediting agencies.
Other Factors Affecting Your Decision
Each college or university website offers a plethora of information about many facets of college life. Other areas you should be familiar with are financial aid, student reviews (if available; check out other independent websites for a more complete listing), faculty members biographies and descriptions of their careers in education, student extra curricula activities, benefits for military students and awards received by the institution.
Finally, be sure to compare colleges and universities having the same degree programs or certification programs matching your chosen field of study. One of the best and most direct comparison tools is the website called “Online Degree Reviews.” It is built and operated by a single individual in Canada who is dedicated to providing unbiased, quality and trustworthy reviews. It is well designed and easily navigated to obtain review of the college or university of your choice. In the next article, I will be comment and elaborate on how to evaluate student reviews.
Your questions and comments are most welcome and appreciated. Thank you for reading!