At times, years fly by faster than we might expect. In the blink of an eye, your precious toddler turns into a fully functioning adult on the cusp of a very special time in their life. Choosing the right university is an exciting, yet tough process.
Chances are, going to university sounds exciting to your soon-to-be adult, but it may be your responsibility to guide them through the process, making sure they make a decision they will not regret in the future.
There are many important factors to keep in mind. The workload is one of them. Be it a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, at each qualification level students will encounter assignments of similar difficulty. For example, dissertations are tough, so sometimes you’ll need to find online solutions like buying a dissertation to get that scholarship or high grade the student needs. But more about that later.
Of course, there are plenty more other aspects to consider. What does your child enjoy, and what are their hobbies? How do they learn? Do they prefer an academic or a more practical approach? Helping your soon-to-be student choose the right university is crucial not only to their academic performance but also to the development of necessary social skills that will pay off in the future.
Here are some things to think about:
Choosing The Subject
So, arguably the most critical thing is selecting the appropriate subject. Many things will be easier for your child if they are interested in their studies. On the contrary, learning a subject that they dislike will introduce new obstacles and challenges that can easily be avoided. Here are a few ways that will help your teenager make up their mind:
Analyze hobbies
- What hobbies do they have?
- What specific aspects of it do they enjoy?
- What courses have those aspects in the curriculum?
Start by discussing their areas of interest. Do they enjoy taking care of animals, or perhaps painting? Maybe, computing or playing sports? Hobbies will tell you and your teenager a lot about their personality, so identifying key interests is crucial to making a rational, weighted decision on the course they want to pursue. Once you pinpoint certain aspects present in their hobbies, both of you will have the opportunity to correlate those with the offered courses.
Consider school subjects
- What are their favorite subjects?
- Do they have a natural talent for any of them?
- What exactly do they enjoy about the subject?
- What courses have such features in their curriculum?
Of course, do not forget school subjects. While it is important to remember that university courses are not limited to the subject range provided at school, your teenager’s curriculum favorites will provide further insight into what course they may choose.
If they enjoy Social Studies and Math, Economics will be a great degree choice. Or, perhaps, they enjoy the freedom of the Arts and have an affinity for History, then History of the Arts will be a good fit. Promote your teenager to be creative and keep an open mind when trying to find the best university course for them.
Evaluate Strengths
At this stage, it is important to think outside the box and offer any wanted advice, since you may notice some things about your adolescent that they have not yet encountered.
Try to identify their strengths together. In case the future student leans toward humanities, it would only make sense to explore something in the same area, or perhaps, choose a subject with only a small inclusion of math or science.
On the contrary, if writing is not your teenager’s best suit, something more practical or mathematical would be a better fit. Although, it is important to remember that all subjects will require quite a lot of writing.
Essays, theses, and dissertations will be constant companions to your student throughout the university years. But it is no reason to worry just yet. If writing is not your teenager’s strong suit, it does not mean they will not excel at university.
Nowadays, there are plenty of services that offer writing help to students, for an affordable price. So, if one day your student will need help writing a dissertation, they can easily buy one off the internet. Not everyone is born to become a writer. Choosing to buy a dissertation should not be frowned upon or disregarded; it is a great way to get some help with such a difficult task.
Discuss The Shortlisted Courses
- Career opportunities
- Possible difficulties
Because universities are eager to attract new, motivated students, they put their best effort into providing the most detailed overviews of available courses on their websites. While it is your child’s responsibility to do independent research, as a parent, you can always provide guidance in the process.
After the research is done, sit down together to discuss the shortlisted options, their pros and cons, career opportunities, and possibilities the courses might offer.
Think About The Future
Another aspect to consider is the availability of master’s and postgraduate degrees that can be pursued after each specific course. The conditions may vary from country to country, but you often cannot pursue a Biology master’s after completing a Psychology bachelor’s, although a vice-a-versa option may be available.
It is also important to understand how far the future student wants to go with academia. This path requires a lot of dedication, and the conversation should be had earlier rather than later. Go through the pros, cons, and opportunities the pursuit of academia might offer.
It is exciting but can and will require a lot of work: for example, at the doctorate level, they will encounter dissertations. Of course, these days you can buy dissertation online, and the process is as easy as any other online purchase. However, you should thoroughly check the writing service you choose to use to get your dissertations.
Location & Finances
- Location
Location is a key factor in choosing a university. The climate differs in various regions, as does nature, entertainment, and population. Does the student prefer crowded cities, or perhaps campuses surrounded by lakes and mountains? Do they prefer partying or kayaking? Some students may choose to go as far away from their hometown as possible, while others like to stay close to family. It is all a matter of preference!
- Finances
At such a young age, it might be difficult to estimate expenses independently. We learn to budget as adults through everyday experience since it is not taught in school. So, at this stage, the future student might require the most of your help. We suggest using this calculator to help you out.
Sit down together to work out tuition, housing, and groceries expenses. If you are worried this will put a strain on your wallet, you can look into financial age, and your teenager may consider taking up a part-time job to help out.
Things to think about when budgeting for university:
- Housing
- Water & Energy
- Mobile data & Internet
- Transport
- Groceries & Takeaway
- Partying
- Clothing
- Home decor & Furniture
Other Factors To Consider
- Accessibility
In case this applies to your soon-to-be-student, accessibility is a very important factor to consider, in order to make the university experience as effortless and as enjoyable as possible. Some universities are more committed to providing the needed assistance and infrastructure, others less. Often, you will find statements on websites describing the amenities and overall experience in detail.
- Learning spaces
Achieving high grades entails a lot of studying. Unfortunately, excelling at school does not guarantee success at university: this requires a lot more dedication and discipline, which many students overlook at school. So, choosing the right learning space will be crucial to successful studying.
Encourage your teenager to check out the library and learning spaces in their shortlisted universities. This may seem unimportant, but you will be surprised what difference a great environment makes to writing a tough assignment, such as a dissertation. Of course, if other factors outweigh a good learning space at a given university, a student can always opt to buy dissertation write-up help. It won’t cost a fortune and will save a lot of stress and time.
To Conclude
As we have seen, choosing the best university entails a lot of research, so it is better to start the conversation early. This will allow more time for your student to think about what it is they want to do in the future, and how they want to do it. Don’t forget to remind them that university is not all about writing dissertations and doing assignments. University is fun! They will meet a lot of interesting people, and probably find friends for life, all while enjoying their favorite hobbies at clubs or campus parties.
