A profession first
"Choose a profession first, and then a university" is a strategy that has proven to be effective in building an educational trajectory. First of all, the student needs to decide on the direction he or she is interested in, and then consider the educational institutions of the corresponding profile. It can be not a specific university specialty, but an expanded area of interest to the teenager, such as IT, medicine, advertising and PR, and natural sciences. The first step in choosing a career can be a vocational test and an interview based on its results. The testing will help identify the aptitudes that the pupil has and, as a result, designate a number of suitable areas. It is best to think about choosing a career in advance, ideally in grade 8 or 9. Then you will have enough time ahead to learn more about the areas of interest: what a specialist of the chosen profile does, what tasks he solves in his work, what prospects for development in this direction exist, and, of course, where to study in the relevant specialty.
List of universities
Once the direction is chosen, it is time to think about which universities offer the appropriate educational programs. Since there are several majors for each major, make a list of universities and the appropriate majors in each field.
For example, if you want to become a doctor, "Medicine," "Pediatrics," and "Dentistry" will suit you. The economic direction, in addition to "Economics", includes specialties "Management", "Merchandising", "Personnel Management", "State and Municipal Management", "Business Informatics". If you dream in the future to engage in biotechnology, consider specialties "Bioengineering and bioinformatics", "Biotechnology", "Biology". The largest - engineering and technology - area of higher education is represented by 160 specialties. Analyze the specialties suitable for you in the chosen universities, find information about each of them, and study the state educational standard. Then gather all kinds of information about the universities you are considering and create your own ranking.
Where you can get information about a best colleges:
- On the official website;
- At open house events;
- At "University Saturdays" events;
- In the university's social networking groups;
- On websites where students and alumni write reviews of universities.
What to look for when choosing a university:
- The presence in the university of the specialty of interest;
- State or non-state. All public institutions have budgetary places and a fee-paying department. In private universities you can only study for a fee.
State accreditation. Accreditation gives a higher education institution the right to issue a state diploma upon graduation and to grant a deferment from the army.
The number of budgetary places in the chosen fields of study. The higher the enrollment plan for the first year, the easier it is to enter.
The passing score for the chosen areas.
Tuition fees
- Military department. The military department at a higher educational institution gives an opportunity to get a military registration specialty parallel to the main educational program.
- Dormitory. Availability of own dormitory, its remoteness from the campus and cost of living.
- Additional programs. Many universities offer their students professional courses in related specialties, second-degree programs in cooperation with foreign universities, and creative associations and sports clubs.
What to pay attention to in reviews of universities:
- Foreign languages. What foreign languages can be studied at the university?
- Internships. How is the internship organized for students? In which companies do students pass internship or training? Does the university provide an internship place?
- International internships. Does the university organize internships, in which countries, for students of what specialties? Is it paid or free?
- Where the graduates work? Does the university have a job center for graduates, what vacancies does it offer? What companies have the university graduates been employed in?
