Recently I visited some undergraduate colleges with my son who is trying to figure out his options. In the process I learned a few things which I was totally unaware of.
The application process is cumbersome. So many details need to be filled. Letters of recommendations from teachers, principal, counselor, parents, etc. are required. The applicant has to write many essays. SAT or ACT scores count. A personal statement needs to be written.
The application process, tours, and decision making takes almost a year.
Tour are also of different types e.g. general tour, course specific tour, tour for prospective students, tour for admitted students, etc.
No university or college is best for every subject. One university can hold a very high ranking for a particular subject and low ranking for some other subject. Almost all universities and colleges were bragging about their small class size, mandatory office hours for professors, individual or personal attention to students, availability of dedicated counselors, various opportunities for students, opportunity to go to other countries for some classes, research opportunities available, security systems in place, extracurricular activities available, and sport teams. It is mandatory for students to live on the campus during first year. Some universities also have religious affiliations.
Some universities provide various combinations of major and minor subjects and some have limited courses and combinations. In some it is easy to change the subject, while it is very hard in others.
Many universities do not guarantee admission in a particular course until the end of the first year. Also, for the same subject there are regular classes and honors classes.
Tuition fee is different for every student and depends on parent’s income, in state or out of state category, US or international student, public or private college, scholarships received by student, number of courses, type of housing and meal plan etc.
After going through all these, questions still remain -
Is college education necessary to be successful?
Is it worth spending so much money?
In a developed country like USA, why do students have to pay for education?
What is this race of getting degrees? Do we become better person just by getting admission into a prestigious university?
Do all jobs need a college degree or some jobs?
Can business, career building in arts, music, etc. be done without a degree?
Bharti Raizada May 3, 2017