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Why do you want to go to college, anyways?

No, really. Answer the question!

It’s tougher than you’d think to come up with a reply, right?

Many teenagers, when asked, “Why do you want to go to Caltech (or NYU or what have you)?” can spurt out reams of reasons. However, when faced with the most fundamental question, “Why do you want to go to college?” they instantaneously become mute.

Let’s face it. College is expensive, perhaps even exorbitant if you are determined to study abroad. What’s the point of spending a quarter of a million dollars and about four grueling years with your nose to the grindstone? What is it, exactly, that you are hoping to get out of this ordeal?

Enhanced career prospects? Exposure to different cultures and locations? Strong professional and social networks? Skills such as critical reasoning or research you can take wherever life leads you? A clearer vision of what you want to do with your career? The opportunity to explore a variety of academic fields? Deeper insight into one specific field?

If you think through the question posed to you calmly and honestly, you’ll most likely agree that the below reasons for choosing a university are quite ineffective.

Here is a list of how NOT to choose a college:

1. Pick the 8th school on a ranking rather than the 10th

If you genuinely feel that the 8th school is a better match for your interests and needs, by all means, pick that institution! However, if you feel warmer toward a school for the sole reason that it is a couple steps higher on a certain ranking, remind yourself that no ranking can tell you the absolute truth about program quality.

First of all, different lists rank according to different characteristics. Some, for example, may place greater importance on student teacher interaction while others may put weight on the quantity of research produced.

Second, what’s a couple places on a ranking? Few people will contend the opinion that the education you can get at a school ranked in the top ten will differ greatly from the education you can get at a school ranked in the forties. However, ranking lists would not sell if schools did not move up and down them; some would point out that publishers have good reason to ensure that rankings differ from year to year.

In other words, there probably isn’t a whole lot of difference in quality between universities very close to each other on ranking lists.

2. Choose a school because you have relatives or friends there

Yes, it’s daunting for most young people to leave the nest and venture out into the unknown. And no, nobody is denying the importance of family and friends.

However, college is the time burst out of that comfort zone, to challenge yourself, and to explore. You should make new friends and collect novel experiences that will shape you into who you want to become.

Don’t let fear be your guide.

By the way, the opposite is just as ineffective. Avoiding high quality schools that might perfectly fit your needs simply because you want to get away from your parents could also be detrimental to your school selection process.

3. Force yourself to select a major, then apply only to schools renowned in that specific field

Are you 100% sure of how you want your career to progress beyond college? If so, you should feel truly lucky because you are a rare bird indeed.

Most people in their teens and early twenties are trying to figure out who they are and what is important to them. It’s alright to not know what you want to do.

Let me repeat that.

IT’S ALRIGHT NOT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.

This is doubly true if you are aiming to study in the USA: It’s normal for American college students to change their majors two, even three times.

If you actually know what major you want to enroll in, then I congratulate you. If you don’t, however, don’t feel like you have to choose your academic field and career beyond graduation right at this moment.

Instead, identify broad subject areas your interest is piqued by such as the performing arts or the life sciences and ensure the schools you apply to have strong track records in those fields. If almost every area of study seems to catch your eye, then select schools with large ranges of majors and academic strengths.

4. Go to a school you hate but that your parents feel strongly about

More so than in the West, parents in Asian countries seem to have influence on their children’s educational and vocational paths. As a daughter or son, you probably understand that your parents give you school suggestions with this ultimate goal in mind: your happiness.

It’s a smart idea, then, to take your parents’ opinions seriously (or, at least, gratefully). Try to understand where they are coming from. For example, perhaps they are pushing for certain schools because those institutions are well-recognized in your home country and might help you land an amazing first job.

At the same time, your parents have never been and will never be YOU. You are responsible for your own happiness.

Choosing a college is, at the end of the day, up to you.

If you and your family cannot agree or hold different values when it comes to school selection, communicate your thoughts honestly – while expressing gratitude for their concern for your welfare.

Here’s a caveat, though. If your parents are footing the tuition bill and have given you an ultimatum, you may not have much choice but to attend their preferred institution. I’d argue that you should still try to reach a compromise, but I’ve met students who have to take life as it comes and be grateful that their parents care so much about their futures.