Choose the Right University

According to a study in California, “about 70 percent of the students often or always feel stressed by their school work, and 56 percent reported often or always worrying about such things as grades, tests, and university acceptance” (Carter). Determining the perfect university has never been an easy step, but we may have to deal with it at some point of our life. High school students are all stressing themselves out to achieve high grades to enter top universities. However, choosing the right university should not be base on the popularity of the schools or academic reasons. As stated in Linda Frum’s Essay, “How to Choose the Right University,” an individual should consider post secondary schools through their location, course availability and environment.

A major factor in selecting the right university is the location. We need to decide whether we want to live at home or move into residence. University of Toronto Scarborough, Ryerson, or York? To make the decision, I ask myself, “am I ready to move out? Do I want to be independent yet?” I like the idea of living at home rather than in the residences. Therefore, my choice is to go a university that is closer to home. However, my parents want me to move out of the house and experience different surroundings and environments, giving me the ability to become an independent person. Others may want to live in residences that are far away from their homes, at universities such as Waterloo, Western, Queens, and etc. As Frum has pointed out, “going away doesn’t just build character; it sharpens your mind by plopping you down among people who talk funny, believe radically different things, hate your province, eat disgusting foods, and yet are still your fellow countrymen” (Frum, 308)...

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...ere. As Frum’s has mentioned in her essay, “Do I want to be around people who like to read and talk about what”. We need to ask ourselves, are we those types of people who enjoy spending time studying and be antisocial, or are we one of those types of party animals that are sociable? In addition, we want an environment that is also safe to be at. An example would be, York. We have heard tons of cases about York. This may trigger us in not wanting to go to that university, after hearing about the news on the certain campus.

Choosing the right university is not as simple as we think it would be; its nerve racking and extremely stressful. Selecting the right university should not only be based on popularity nor academically but also consider the location, the course availability and the environment. They are equally important in determining the right university.