Articles of the Month

Choosing a University

With such a great selection of universities at home and abroad, young Canadian are faced with the complex and sometimes difficult decision of where they want to pursue their post secondary studies. In order to make an educated decision, one has to consider a wide variety of factors that include university reputation, type of program, location, financial aid, tuition fees and many more.

With the competition for jobs being higher than ever, students wants to ensure that their choice of post secondary school will put them at the top of the job market. This is why school reputations and the quality of programs offered are usually the top factors on everyone's list. While it is quite possible to get a good education at a smaller and less known school, it is indisputable that graduates from more renowned schools with big reputation will have the edge once they graduate. This is also proven by the much higher entrance standards and stiffer competition for the ?big name? schools. However besides a school's reputation the quality of the program also plays a major role in a student's options for employment once they graduate. Special programs such as a double degree or a co-op, will certainly give students and advantage. Furthermore high standards of teaching and even higher expectations that are encountered in all of the top universities, will ensure that the students who are capable in keeping up will most certainly succeed in their post secondary pursuits.

Besides the quality of education, a student also needs to take in account other factors when choosing a university. Things such as location, student life, type of atmosphere are all important in ensuring that one will be happy with his/her choice. For many students the choice of location is easily answered if they decide to stay at home, but for all those looking at moving away for university the choices are many and sometimes quite difficult to make. Last but not least a student also needs to consider financial factors such as tuition fees and offers of financial aid or scholarships. If the money value differs greatly between two universities, it just might be the deciding factor when making the choice.

All these factors will certainly be in the heads of young Canadian once university application times come around and the pressure of making a decision that might affect the rest of their lives will only ensure that no one will take this lightly. In the end it is important for each student to make the decision that they personally feel most comfortable with and the one they believe will make them most happy.