4 answers
Charles
Student
Honolulu, Hawaii
1
Question
Updated
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How do I narrow down my college choice to one?
I have been accepted into the Health Sciences college at Texas Tech, University of Oklahoma, Tarleton State University, and Creighton University. Merit scholarships have been offered How do I choose which one is the best fit?
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4 answers
Wong Loke Yuen
Head of Programme cum Senior Lecturer
645
Answers
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Charles. Choosing the right college can be challenging, especially when you've been accepted into multiple great schools. To make the best decision, consider the following factors:
1) You need to take a close look at the courses, faculty, and any special opportunities each school offers. For example, some may focus more on hands-on experience, while others might have strong research programs.
2) The campus environment plays a big role in your college experience. Consider the size of the campus and the atmosphere, does it feel like a place where you'd enjoy spending the next few years?
3) Merit scholarships can make a big difference in your decision, but it's important to look at the full cost of attending each school. Besides the scholarship, consider things like tuition, housing, and other fees.
4) It's important to think about what kind of career support each school offers. Does the school have strong connections with hospitals or healthcare providers where you can get internships or job opportunities?
5) You need to check out what kind of activities, clubs, and social events each school offers. Are there groups related to health sciences that you could join?
1) You need to take a close look at the courses, faculty, and any special opportunities each school offers. For example, some may focus more on hands-on experience, while others might have strong research programs.
2) The campus environment plays a big role in your college experience. Consider the size of the campus and the atmosphere, does it feel like a place where you'd enjoy spending the next few years?
3) Merit scholarships can make a big difference in your decision, but it's important to look at the full cost of attending each school. Besides the scholarship, consider things like tuition, housing, and other fees.
4) It's important to think about what kind of career support each school offers. Does the school have strong connections with hospitals or healthcare providers where you can get internships or job opportunities?
5) You need to check out what kind of activities, clubs, and social events each school offers. Are there groups related to health sciences that you could join?
Jason White
Lead Product Manager- Network Security
179
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Jason’s Answer
Hey Charles,
Great question and congrats on your admissions.
I would say this is where it’s important to begin with the end in mind. Think about what you’re going to school for and where you want to be when it’s all over. Think the day after graduation what do you want your life to look like? From there i would evaluate the different courses that are offered in your degree/career track at each. (I’d advise printing them out and putting them side by side to see if there’s any distinguishable differences) this will help you find which ones you’re leaning toward. For those you can then take things a step further if you can then visit the campus of your top few. And see if one stand out among them. If you can’t make it to campus you can call the school and ask to speak with the dept chairs and maybe some professor or even students at each and learn how their experiences are. LinkedIn is also a great tool for this as you might get more candid feedback from former students.
I hope this makes sense and helps happy to answer any additional questions.
Great question and congrats on your admissions.
I would say this is where it’s important to begin with the end in mind. Think about what you’re going to school for and where you want to be when it’s all over. Think the day after graduation what do you want your life to look like? From there i would evaluate the different courses that are offered in your degree/career track at each. (I’d advise printing them out and putting them side by side to see if there’s any distinguishable differences) this will help you find which ones you’re leaning toward. For those you can then take things a step further if you can then visit the campus of your top few. And see if one stand out among them. If you can’t make it to campus you can call the school and ask to speak with the dept chairs and maybe some professor or even students at each and learn how their experiences are. LinkedIn is also a great tool for this as you might get more candid feedback from former students.
I hope this makes sense and helps happy to answer any additional questions.
Thanks for the advice.
Charles
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1085
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Charles,
Congratulations on being accepted into multiple health science programs AND receiving merit aid too!
You did not indicate what your goal is and which health science program you have been accepted into. All these schools have many different programs. Are you getting a bachelors in one of the many Allied Health professions or attending one of the pre-professional programs? Are you heading to Nursing School or Medical School? Or maybe you want to be a dentist or a pharmacist?
You need to compare the actual programs you are interested in and figure out which one will be the most interesting and beneficial for your career aspirations. What kind of learning opportunities will you have outside of the classroom? Is the school associated with a hospital so you can get lots of hands-on experience? What's the clinical part of your training going to be like? How many patients does e.g. a dental school have? How many procedures will you be able to do before you graduate?
What is the total cost of attendance at each school for you? Consider tuition, housing, books, things like required vaccinations, professional outfits and equipment like stethoscopes. Does the merit aid make a school affordable that you would not be able to attend otherwise?
Since you are from Hawaii, will all of those schools be out-of-state for you or would you be able to use any tuition compacts like the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP)?
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/psep/
Consider the location and type of school you would attend as well. Would you be happy to live where the school is? Does it matter to you if you are at a large or small school, if the region is metropolitan or more rural? What kind of extracurriculars would you like to pursue in college? What kind of support system will be available to you at each school?
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.ttuhsc.edu/academics/programs/default.aspx
https://www.ouhsc.edu/academics
https://www.tarleton.edu/health-sciences/
https://www.creighton.edu/
Congratulations on being accepted into multiple health science programs AND receiving merit aid too!
You did not indicate what your goal is and which health science program you have been accepted into. All these schools have many different programs. Are you getting a bachelors in one of the many Allied Health professions or attending one of the pre-professional programs? Are you heading to Nursing School or Medical School? Or maybe you want to be a dentist or a pharmacist?
You need to compare the actual programs you are interested in and figure out which one will be the most interesting and beneficial for your career aspirations. What kind of learning opportunities will you have outside of the classroom? Is the school associated with a hospital so you can get lots of hands-on experience? What's the clinical part of your training going to be like? How many patients does e.g. a dental school have? How many procedures will you be able to do before you graduate?
What is the total cost of attendance at each school for you? Consider tuition, housing, books, things like required vaccinations, professional outfits and equipment like stethoscopes. Does the merit aid make a school affordable that you would not be able to attend otherwise?
Since you are from Hawaii, will all of those schools be out-of-state for you or would you be able to use any tuition compacts like the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP)?
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/
https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/psep/
Consider the location and type of school you would attend as well. Would you be happy to live where the school is? Does it matter to you if you are at a large or small school, if the region is metropolitan or more rural? What kind of extracurriculars would you like to pursue in college? What kind of support system will be available to you at each school?
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Charles
Tyler White
Account Executive - Tech Sales, Real Estate Investor, Coach
48
Answers
Springville, Utah
Updated
Tyler’s Answer
Congrats on getting accepted to multiple colleges! That is no easy feat and deserves to be celebrated.
From my perspective there should be 3 things to consider in no particular order:
1. What career do you want to go into? The college with the best program for that industry should be highly considered.
2. How much is tuition/fees for each college after scholarships? Too often people don’t consider college an investment - there needs to be an ROI. It’d be wise to choose one of the least expensive college educations so you can incur as little debt as possible.
3. Where do you want to live? Do any of the colleges have friends you know of that are attending? This can’t be overstated enough because as much as an education is important, it’s equally important to enjoy your time there.
Best of luck!
From my perspective there should be 3 things to consider in no particular order:
1. What career do you want to go into? The college with the best program for that industry should be highly considered.
2. How much is tuition/fees for each college after scholarships? Too often people don’t consider college an investment - there needs to be an ROI. It’d be wise to choose one of the least expensive college educations so you can incur as little debt as possible.
3. Where do you want to live? Do any of the colleges have friends you know of that are attending? This can’t be overstated enough because as much as an education is important, it’s equally important to enjoy your time there.
Best of luck!
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Charles