The university or college we go to plays a significant role in defining our early adulthood years, both personally and professionally. Let us explore this more in-depth but first address a related and an immensely common predicament – course or college, what should be a student’s first preference?
Course Vs College
It often happens that students overlook the subject or course they wish to study and choose a college solely based on the brand that it is. For instance, the craze among a large chunk of the students in Delhi and nearby areas to get into the University of Delhi without being sure of the course they want to pursue is flabbergasting. Reality is that getting into a fancy college while settling for a course one is not convinced about might look like a good deal only for a very short span of time. Pursuing a subject which is not to one’s liking is likely to build up into frustration and confusion rather than happiness and clarity. Hence, the ideal way is to figure out which course one would want to do, and then try to get into the best college that offers the course.
Choosing The Right College
Now let us look at the factors one should keep in mind while choosing a college.
Recognitions, Rankings, Accreditations
Broadly speaking, a student’s evaluation of a university/college’s credibility must consider the following:-
UGC Recognition | While evaluating a university in India, make sure that it is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
NAAC Accreditation | The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a self-governing body funded by the UGC, that gives accreditations to universities and colleges based on an array of factors like quality of education offered, infrastructure, faculty, student support, and so on. NAAC ratings are on a scale of A++ to D. You may read more about NAAC accreditation at http://naac.gov.in/.
NIRF Ranking | The National Institute of Ranking Framework, launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2015, ranks higher education institutions in the fields of Medicine, Engineering, Architecture, Pharmacy, Law, and more based on the following criteria:-
- Teaching, learning, and resources
- Research and professional practices
- Graduation outcomes
- Outreach and inclusivity
- Perception
- You may read more about NIRF at https://www.nirfindia.org/.
Higher education institutions usually put up this information on their official websites as these are mandatory disclosures demanded by authorities. Unavailability of this information to the public implies a doubt on the eminence and integrity of these institutions, and students should be wary of taking admission to them.
Placement Data
A large number of college websites proudly claim 100% for their students. But is it to be so easily believed? The reality of a large chunk of colleges is that students are internally given a cutoff they need to meet in order to be eligible to sit for placements.This helps the colleges separate the academically creamy layer of students from the non-creamy one and only the former is allowed to sit for placements, which makes it easier for the institution to claim 100% placements. One must check the mandatory disclosures on the college websites for authentic information about placements, both at the college level as well as course level.
Legacy of the College
When we are attracted to the ‘brand value’ of a college, it is usually its legacy that is speaking to us. A few ways to evaluate the legacy of an educational institution is to find out how old it is, how far are its alumni spread (for eg. alumni of IITs, NITs, IIMs, etc. are spread across India and even internationally), and do people from different parts of the country want to come and study there? Answers to these questions will help your heart decide what it truly wants.
Location
Does location matter when choosing a college? No, if you are getting one of the top 20 colleges in the country or the top 10 in your state. However, travelling far off to a college that is not known for what it offers might not be the best thing to do. A good idea is to make a list of colleges at three levels – country-level, state-level, and local- level. The local-level list should include your “fall-back upon” options also. This will help you keep your fears and anxieties at bay and make the wisest possible choice.
Specialised Courses
For students who aspire to pursue specialised courses like, lets say, Aerospace Engineering or Marine Engineering, it will be a good bet to compare the broadly best colleges with those known especially for these specialised courses. For eg, Indian Maritime Institute will be a better college than any of the NITs for someone who wants to do Marine Engineering.
Thus, choosing the best college for oneself is a comprehensive process that rests on navigating one’s self-awareness and extensive research.
This article has been written by Variddhi Gupta, counselling psychologist and career guidance expert.
