Dear students planning to study in the USA in 2011:
The process of trying to choose which of the USA's 4000+ colleges and universities is the right one for you can be a long and exhausting experience. As you compare school facts and figures, be sure to learn all that you can about the school's location. The best school is one that is also in a location that you will like and be comfortable living in. You will spend a lot of your time at school, but you will probably be spending even more time outside of school so your school's location and what it has to offer should also be a very important factor when making your school decision.
If you have never lived outside of your home country or have never visited the USA, you may not realize how important living in a comfortable place that fits your lifestyle is. Studies show that happiness with your living environment is directly linked to school success. If you are happy where you are living, other aspects of your experience, including your studies will be positively affected. If you are not happy where you are living, your experience and studies will be negatively affected.
When you are going through the process of choosing the best college or university, also carefully consider the types of weather you like, what hobbies you have, and what kind of local attractions and activities you would like to experience after school and on holidays.
Most school websites help you learn about the local area by including information or links that describe the climate, local area events and attractions, and how to get to them the school.
For example, if you want to study business, get a personalized education experience, have the opportunity to participate in a post-studies work program, like to live in warm weather, play outdoor sports and have a lot of different cultural and social experiences, you may want to select a small, private university that's located in or near a large city in California, Texas, or Florida. If you have different goals and preferences, you may want to consider different places.
With so many schools to choose from in so many different types of locations, the perfect combination of school and location can be found for just about any student.
If you need assistance in starting or completing the process of finding the school that's right for YOU, contact one of American Education Partners' school placement advisors at: info@americanedpartners.com
This is a good point. In addition, some students have found that it's important to select a school with an academic philosophy that matches their own. According to an Armenian student at St. John's College in New Mexico, "Applying to big name schools is all well and good, but sometimes, what you really want out of an education can be really special and well worth the obscurity."
ReplyDeleteMore on how other international students went about doing their research and picking a school at: http://blogs.voanews.com/student-union/2010/12/17/question-of-the-week-how-do-you-decide-where-to-apply/