Choosing colleges: No two students are the same

No parent will admit all their children are the same, because it’s not true. I remember when we were very young, every time my family had company, I would be in the midst of it all - happily telling stories about bugs and moths and what have you. All I needed was an audience.

My little sister, on the other hand, was the quiet, shy one. She would observe silently, making note of everybody and everything. As a result, I can’t recall half the things I did growing up, but for her, the events are as clear as yesterday. So it’s agreed that all kids are not the same, right from the start. Why then are we bent on subjecting them to the same educational environment?

Perhaps an example would illustrate this point better. Consider Amy and Mark, two unrelated, bright, high school students. Amy loves to paint and write. She reads Walt Whitman on her bus ride home. Mark enjoys soccer and playing video games. He scribbles new game level designs in his notebook during class. Now, I don’t mean to extend any stereotypes here, but the picture helps for simplicity’s sake. Their respective parents discussed what would be best for their child’s future, and decided to send them to a technical/engineering college. What’s wrong with this picture? A lot, if neither one of them wants to become an engineer. It’s a lot easier to tell what you don’t want to do, than it is to know what you want to do. For a guidance counsellor (including parents), that really should be the starting point.

Fortunately, the higher education system deals with uniqueness far more efficiently than K-12 schools. There are schools known for their national league sports teams, schools that excel in the liberal arts and foster some of the best writers and artists and schools that have a strong technical or vocational focus.Each category draws its strength from its faculty and the resources/opportunities provided to their student body. MIT, for instance, forced me to think very analytically. Fortunately, it fit my interests (Economics) very nicely, and I continue to utilise the skill in my day to day life. A creative and free spirt like Amy, however, might very well feel suffocated at a technical school with its structured academic life. She would never find the time to be herself, constantly realigning her mind with what’s expected of her in the classroom. She might even give up on being herself, and on developing her talent to its fullest. That’s a serious consequence of misdirected expectations — parents/teachers who pushed Amy into an environment that didn’t allow her to express herself are at fault here.

Most higher educational institutions go through an accreditation process to ensure standards across the board. However, since these institutions follow their own educational philosophies and principles, the core focus can vary greatly. It should be helpful to review the main categories of higher ed institutions and what they offer:

Vocational/technical schools

These schools offer degrees and certificates that focus on specific skills, most commonly designed for occupational training. The greatest benefit of attending a vocational school happens to be, as the name suggests, employability in a given vocation. Tuition is lower than that at a regular four-year institution.

Public universities

State funded and run, public universities happen to be some of the best higher educational institutions in the US. Relatively less competitive in admissions and less expensive, these school offer high quality education with several study options. Varied features – geography, class size, faculty ratings, strength of programmes and so forth.

Community colleges

Generally offer an Associates degree (2 years). Biggest advantages — low tuition and easy admission. Community college work can be combined with coursework at a 4-year university for a bachelors degree — another popular option for internationals.

This group includes some of the most popular schools — the likes of Ivy leagues and liberal arts colleges. Private institutions offer small class sizes, access to a wide array of resources and in many cases, house world-class faculty. They also happen to be some of the most expensive and elite schools. This category is quite diverse in geography, school philosophy and focus (liberal arts versus engineering and sciences).

A quick glance would lead one to conclude that attending a private college/university should ensure quality education and ensure success in life. Thankfully, we have several successful college dropouts (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, etc) to make a case for personal perseverance.

How much of a difference does it make which category you attend? One thing worth noting, is the network a school and its geographic location offers. The network of individuals you form in college stays with you for a lifetime, and in many cases, propels or stagnates you. Higher ed institutions (top notch public and private universities in particular) are known to foster these networks through on campus housing and alumni connections.

In the end, it all boils down to your kid’s preferences and finding the right fit. Luckily for me, Boston was a really diverse student town. There was always somebody I could relate to, and many others that I couldn’t understand. But the few that understood me made all the difference!

You’ll find that schools located in metropolitan cities like Boston, New York City and Washington DC offer a completely different lifestyle from those located in suburbia. My advice: Take as many features into account as possible. For example, in addition to geographic location, look up student body/diversity, programme strengths, athletics and additional programmes like music and so forth.