"College: How to Decide" 10 questions to ask yourself regarding how to decide

[Papa_Chicken]

<p>…a BusinessWeek article intended for career oriented souls choosing a B-school, but good advice for all.</p>

<p>Full article with discussion backing each question: [College:</a> How to Decide](<a href=“Businessweek - Bloomberg”>Businessweek - Bloomberg)</p>

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1. Which school will provide the coursework that interests me and will provide me with the skills necessary to get a job in my field of choice after graduation? </p>

<li><p>Which school will help me the most when I’m ready to snag internships and jobs?</p></li>
<li><p>Where is the school located?</p></li>
<li><p>What do students and alumni really think of the school?</p></li>
<li><p>What does the business community say about the school?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the culture like?</p></li>
<li><p>How much is this going to cost me and/or my parents, and what is the return on investment going to be?</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of network will I have when I graduate?</p></li>
<li><p>Where will I be happy?</p></li>
<li><p>What does my gut say?

</p></li>
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[collegehelp]

<p>All good questions. </p>

<p>“provide me with the skills necessary to get a job” is not quite the same as “provide the best education”.</p>

<p>Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 are related to selectivity.</p>

[standrews]

<p>You’re right, it is career oriented. For classical liberal arts education add,</p>

<p>Will my thinking and reasoning ability be challenged and developed?</p>

<p>Will I understand more about myself, the world in which I live, and the people who inhabit it?</p>

<p>Regardless of vocation these traits will serve one well in life, work, marriage, raising children, contributing to the community and helping others.</p>

[chuy]

<p>Replacing “business” in #5 with whatever is relevant to you that is an excellent list.</p>

[Papa_Chicken]

<h1>6 is about the right “fit”</h1>

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6. What is the culture like? </p>

<p>A big part of choosing the right school—and later the right job—is finding the right fit. You need a school with a student body to which you can relate. If you visited campus, consider what you observed about the students. Were they friendly and polite or arrogant and patronizing? Did they seem to help one another or stab each other in the back?

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<h1>9, the happy factor</h1>

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9. Where will I be happy? </p>

<p>While you should take practical information into consideration, you should also think about your own personality and which school’s environment is most conducive to your happiness. If you’re close to your sister and she goes to school X and you’d be happier if you were near her, then that’s something to factor into your decision. If you love finance and consider yourself a math geek, then a school that has an active math club and strong finance program might be right for you.

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