When it was our time, lack of orientation made us fumble woefully. We were jumping for the biggest name schools just to boast as undergraduates but never considered the little things that really mattered when choosing a higher institution for study.

For the benefit of the younger ones, I have decided to expose some points on the real stuff to be considered before selecting a school to ensure the candidate gets a pleasurable higher schooling.




In selecting a school for studies, you are to consider the following items.

[size=13pt]The nature of entrance[/size]

The competitiveness in getting admitted into the department
This is the most important question to be asked. It gives a firsthand insight of what the candidates is bound to face in trying to win a space in the department. This inquiry is so important that it tends to give a boost to the prospective student to work harder during the UTME exams. Parents are advised to ensure the students visit campus to spur him or her up to work herder to get there. Study have shown that when one has a vivid picture of what he chases, he works harder and tends to do better to attain it

The O’Level requirement of the department
The Ordinary level requirement of a department may vary slightly amongst schools. Some schools may allow for the absence of a course while others may not. The candidates is to ensure that his or her O’Level qualification meets the prerequisite of the school he or she applies for. Where result is awaited, the candidate must ensure he or she has done well in the exams.

Other requirements
There may be also other requirement that may be strictly demanded by schools that the candidates must produce. Some of this document may be very difficult to get and may take months or years

The average number of student especially those in the first year
Knowing the average number of students in a department gives an insight on the number that is likely to be admitted the next time. This gives the candidate a comprehensive understanding of how the admission process will go in his own time. The prospective student is expected to find out how many actually applied to arrive to that number. The information the candidates gets from here will also expose how convenient it will be studying in his or her time.

Hint: the number of students that applied for the admission year in a department may be found in the JAMB UTME website




[size=13pt]The studentship nature [/size]

The inherent problems faced in the department
Every department has got its advantage and disadvantage. This is best communicated by a current student of the department. The candidate is to give good listening ears to the other to know if any of the problems may seem unbearable. Some students are made to travel to far away campuses for lectures, others are made to stay overnight in the department. Every problem presented by the student must be assessed by the prospective student to see if conditions will be bearable.

The average cost of studying in the department
The study activities of a department directly translate the level of spending for the student. Courses that do a lot of practical, field, and studio work are relatively more expensive than enumerate and philosophical courses. This is because the student will have to bear the bills of purchasing the items needed for this purpose. The nature of study and the approach the department has taken in teaching and researching the course defines its activities and this determines expenses.

How study materials are sourced
Various schools have various traditions of sourcing study materials. Some are made available directly to the student, others are bought from the school's bookshop. There are also cases where students are forced to purchase books and materials directly from lectures at exorbitant prices with the gun of failure pointing to their result if they do not cooperate. The prospective student is to check this area to ensure his budget can match the expense.




[size=13pt]The exit nature[/size]

The grading attitude of the departmental lecturers.
Some departments have lectures who forbid giving an “A”. Some departments in a school will hardly give a first-class to their graduating student. However this may sound, it truly exists in Nigerian schools. Lectures of older departments have worked together for a long time and have overtime built a tradition in grading their students. This is an important aspect of the student’s inquiry.

The average cost of activities outside academics
Other cost like accommodation and feeding expenses in living in or around the campus must also be checked. All these are checked to prepare the students mind and to ascertain if they are affordable to avoid having the student got distracted during studies in need to top up cash.

The length of study years, nature of exams and other training
The candidate is also expected to verify the length of time to be spent in the department and match with what he or she had earlier estimated. The nature of the exams may also be verified to prepare him or her mind for the task ahead. All these are important because it enables the student to know what to prepare for in the times ahead.




What is your take on the above...graduates may also teach more points from their hard experiences.