Category: College & University

As you head onto the next chapter in your life and education, you’re faced with the inevitable debate as to whether you should attend college or university. While the decision simply comes down to whether you want a diploma or a degree, or rather, what career you want to pursue, there are many other deciding factors that will and should come into play.

Colleges offer more career-focused opportunities, such as education and training in trades, apprenticeship, language, skill upgrading, entry-level and vocational positions. University offers more academic and professional programs that are broader in terms of what careers can be pursued after completion. However, both college and university focus on different learning styles, and understanding the differences can help you make the decision as to which one is best for you.

Why Choose a College Education?

There’s a common misconception that a college education is less valuable than a university education. However, the truth is that college is simply different from university. It provides education for more specific fields with a tactical, hands-on learning experience. As such, there are many benefits that follow:

• Education focuses on specific careers, such as journalism, nursing, skilled trades, etc. as opposed to English, medicine and science
• Theoretical and hands-on learning
• Gain actual field knowledge and experience, as opposed to education from a textbook
• Available apprenticeship programs to get you in the industry
• Less time is required to obtain a diploma
  • 2-3 year programs
  • 4 year programs
• Tuition is generally cheaper

Why Choose a University Education?

With all the amazing benefits that come with a college education, you may be wondering why you should consider a university education. As mentioned, it all comes down to what you want to do for a career. Universities offer graduate and professional degrees in a variety of fields, such as psychology, mathematics, history, etc. The programs are less specific than those of a college. Additionally, you have the benefit of majoring and minoring in specialized fields, and can advance your education with a Master’s or PhD. There are many more benefits that follow:

• Higher degrees can open up more career advancement opportunities
• Education focuses on independent learning
• Learn from lectures, textbooks, theses, etc.
• Learn the value of independence
• Participate in research in your respective field
• Specialize in your particular field, and be qualified as an expert
• Good investment that looks highly reputable on a resume

What About Joint Programs?

Although  college and university educations are quite different from one another, many now offer joint programs that apply both field and theoretical learning. In these cases, the courses you take in college can be part of a 4-year education at university. However, generally, both college and university programs are kept separate as they are quite distinctive to begin with, but it may be worth it to get the best of both worlds.

While there are many benefits to both a college and university education, it ultimately comes down to the career you want to pursue. However, if you struggle with textbook learning structures, college could be the better option for you. And if you want to obtain a minor and major in your field of study, university may be the better option. Consider your career goals, and the type of environment that caters to your learning style, and you will quickly discover which educational path is the best one for you.

Campus tours are awesome. It’s like getting a sneak peak into your future. You get to see what the environment of each college or university is like, how the students interact with one another, what amenities are available on campus, what the living quarters look like, and so much more. So when your parents or teachers suggest attending a campus tour, don’t roll your eyes just yet. Campus tours can give you insight into your future, and get you even more excited about what’s to come. However, not all campus tours and guides are created equal. Ensure you get all the information and perspective you need by asking these 15 questions. If you have more than 15 questions to ask, never hesitate. After all, that particular college or university could very well be your home for the next several years.

Why did you Choose this School?

Your campus tour guide clearly has a passion about the college or university you’re considering, and now is the perfect opportunity to find out why. Additionally, they likely have a vast range of experience and knowledge about the area, amenities and entertainment, as well as the school itself. So ask your campus tour guide why they chose this school over all the others. It can give you some insight as to why that particular college or university may be the better option for you. However, one person’s opinion may not be enough perspective to make such an important decision, so you may also want to ask several other students to gather as many different motivating factors as you can. Some specific questions you can ask to gain even more insight include:

1. Why did you decide to enroll here?
2. Would you change that now that you’re a current student?
3. What’s your best and worst academic experience?
4. What professor has made an impact on you and why?
5. What safety procedures have been put in place on campus?

What is your Favourite Thing About this School?

Now that you know a little bit more information as to why your campus tour guide chose the school you’re considering, it’s time to get a little more specific. Sure, they may have chosen the school because they have a renowned program for their specific field of study, but this might not pertain to you. So ask your tour guide and other students about what makes their school great. Their answers may not have anything to do with the school and education. For example, if the party atmosphere or late and loud nights in the dorms are their favourite thing about the school, this is important to take into consideration. After all, if you’ll be focusing on your studies late into the night, excessive dorm parties may not be for you. Once you have the answers to your questions, you may want to determine how their favourite thing will affect or contribute to your education, and if there are any solutions to the discrepancies you’ve heard. For example:

6. What is the best thing about the school?
7. If you could change one thing about the school, what would it be and why?

What is the College Community Like?

While you’re attending college or university to further your education, there’s no denying that you’re also going for the fun and experience. Asking about the college community can give you some great insight on what to expect if you were to enroll at that particular school. Maybe you’re looking for a smaller, close-kit community or a much larger establishment that allows you to meet many new people on a regular basis. Finding out about the college community and asking the following questions can help you get a feel for what it’s like – and more importantly, if it’s for you.

8. What is the population of the school?
9. What is the size of the campus?
10. Are there any avenues put in place to meet new people, such as clubs, residence halls, etc.?
11. What are the relationships like between professors’ and students?
12. What is available for entertainment, on and off campus?

How’s the Food?

You have to eat, and you have to eat healthily in order to study properly and succeed throughout your postsecondary education. However, simply asking, “how is the food” may not give you all the information you need. After all, your campus tour guide could simply say that it’s good or bad, and carry onto the next question, so be sure to ask more specific questions about the food, such as:

13. If you could change one thing about the cafeteria meal plans, what would it be?
14. If applicable, ask “Are there options for people with special dietary needs, whether vegan, gluten-free, etc.?”
15. Do most students recommend eating off-campus, or in the cafeteria and why?

By asking the right questions, you can find out a lot of information and personal perspective that can’t always be found on the school’s website or brochure. However, keep in mind that the answers you received are based on his or her personal experience. So, take the answers you receive as insightful information but don’t let them be the sole deciding factor on whether or not you wish to enroll.

Being a freshman is exciting, but don’t let the fun take over your studies. There’s no denying that your days, schedule, classes, and study regime in college or university will be significantly different from when you were in high school. Late night classes, early morning study sessions, and part-time employment are only a few of the many things you have to juggle. More importantly, you don’t want one thing to jeopardize another and this is particularly true when it comes to your studies. So instead of cramming in a 3AM study session, start managing your time and following these four study tips so you can learn effectively well throughout the course of the year.

1. Review Regularly

One of the best study habits you can have is to begin studying well before a test or exam date approaches. Reviewing your lectures, textbooks, assignments and seminars on a regular basis will continuously feed your brain the knowledge, and at a steady pace. This can help you retain more information over the long run, and ultimately, prepare you for when exam week comes around. Get in the habit of doing the following right at the start of the year so you can succeed right until the end.

• Review your Notes Daily and Weekly
  • Each day, take the time to review your notes and edit them as needed. Make sure they’re comprehensible and organize them with staples and sections so you can easily reference certain sections and topics as needed.
• Rewrite Notes and Content from Textbooks
  • While you’re reviewing your notes, you’ll probably see plenty of areas that can be edited – so do just that! Rewrite your notes, and rewrite sections of your textbooks into your study notes so you have all the information needed in one organized place. Rewriting notes also helps to retain the information.

2. Organize, Identify and Integrate

Once you know what you have to study for an upcoming exam, it’s time to organize, identify and integrate the information. Although you may think that studying is actually the process of memorizing the information you need to memorize, it all starts with identifying what you need to know, and more importantly, identifying what you don’t know, and then, integrating it all together. All three are important this steps that should be done well prior to the exam date to ensure you have enough time to properly organize and integrate and study the information. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to do that:

• Identify and address topics you are having a hard time understanding
  • Review old tests to see where you had errors
  • Identify exam specifics so you know what to study for a specific date
• Make a study guide
  • Integrate information specific to the lectures, textbook pages, and readings that will be on the exam
• Create an outline to condense an abundance of information into an organized system
  • Focus on key issues, concepts and broad subjects
  • Use concept maps along with text

3. Plan Ahead

Proper planning is a crucial to successful study, and as such, it is arguably one of the best study tips you could put into play. After all, if you don’t plan your time, you may not have enough time to properly study and put these study tips into action. There are a couple of things you need to consider to ensure you set up the perfect plan for your studying:

• Determine the best time to study
  • Choose a study time when you are most awake and highly alert
• Determine a study place
  • Find an area that is well lit, isolated, quiet and distraction-free for all your studying needs
• Dedicate time
  • Schedule time to study and time for 5-10 minute breaks, and stick to it

4. Study Actively

Anyone can tell you to study actively, but what does that really mean? Since you have the prior studying tips down pat, it’s time to move onto the successful study tips that will help you effectively retain as much information as possible:

• Study Groups
  • Set up a study group 2-3 times a week for 60-90 minutes
  • Establish rules to ensure time is spent studying effectively
  • Designate a person per topic, and let each teach the material to the group
• Memorization Techniques
  • Create flashcards
  • Draw diagrams
  • Use acronyms, analogies, keywords and mnemonics

Studying isn’t always fun, but it doesn’t have to be dreadful, exasperating, or ineffective. Follow these four study tips and prevail well throughout your course of education.