Life is like a jigsaw puzzle and the choices we make are the pieces of that puzzle. Hence, we must make the right choices at the right place and time. Throughout our whole life, we are given numerous opportunities to choose from. Therefore, it is necessary to apply our brains and calculate their impact beforehand. Having said that, we all have been through the phase where we were perplexed about finding the right answer to the “course vs college” debate.
With the rising competition, securing seats in top colleges and universities like IITs, AIIMS, Delhi University, etc. have become a common aspiration among students. The students face a common dilemma, i.e., Â whether one should pursue a preferred course from a less preferred college or pursue a less preferred course from a preferred college.
While some of the students may focus more on the “name” of the college, the other half, go with the course. Keep reading and you will discover both the pros and cons of each choice.
Instances when course triumphs college
1. When you have clarity about your career goal
Well, in this situation you can easily decide and make a perfect choice. When you have absolute clarity regarding your career goal, you should choose the course that gets you there. Even if it means studying in a mediocre college.
If you are interested in the course you are pursuing and can score well, you can easily make up for the mediocre college by getting into a great college/university for your post-graduation. That way you might even be able to outperform students from top colleges across the country. You can also acquire skills throughout college life and make yourself good at what you do.
For example – Suhail had always wanted to pursue Mechanical Engineering and couldn’t see himself doing anything else. Then time for college admissions came. Unfortunately, for Mechanical Engineering, he could only manage to grab an off-campus college under Delhi University, even though he had scored well in board exams. Now instead of taking the North campus college and enrolling himself in something like Physics (Hons.), he didn’t think twice before enrolling himself in Engineering.
2. When the course available in the better college is not interesting
If you find that the course available in the better college isn’t interesting enough for you, you needn’t prefer the college. Make sure that whatever the course you are pursuing is in sync with your interest, otherwise, you will not be able to enjoy your learning and college life.
For example – Yuhina wanted to pursue B.Com and was getting admission to a south campus college. Alternatively, she had the option of pursuing a BBE from a north campus college. Yuhina checked the curriculum of both and found she didn’t find BBE interesting enough. Thus, she decided to choose B.Com from the south campus college, as she wanted to enjoy what she was studying.
Instances when College Triumphs Course
1. When you are not sure about your career goal and want to explore
Not everyone has clarity regarding their career goals. You may want to first explore different options and then decide on your ultimate career goal. If your career goal is not very defined you can simply choose the college.
For example – Pratik had done his 12th with Commerce but hadn’t explored his options yet. He was getting admission in Economics (Hons.) in a tier 1 college, which had a heavy focus on extracurriculars and a good placement record. On the other hand, he was also getting admission in B.Com in a tier-2 college. Since he was open to exploring options, choosing the tier-1 college was the best option.
2. When a related course is available in a better college
If you are facing a situation where you are getting a course similar to your course of interest in a better college, you can consider choosing the college here.
For example, if you are looking to pursue Psychology (Hons.) and are getting a B.A. Programme course (with the option to major in Psychology) in a significantly better college, you may choose the better college here.
3. When your long-term career goal is a little generic
In case your long-term career goal doesn’t have a defined route to be taken and can be pursued with any course, you can opt for a better college over course. This, however, does not mean that you have to completely ignore the course you are getting in that college. Make sure it is somewhat related to your ultimate goal and can help you on the path towards it.
Also, try to ensure that your college offers other opportunities for your overall personal development. This can include student clubs, placement activities, internship opportunities, etc. to help you get there.
For example – Ananya’s long-term career goal was to pursue MBA. Now, MBA can be pursued with any course (although commerce is recommended). Thus, she decided to give preference to her college here. She planned to prepare for her MBA entrance exams alongside her graduation. She also heavily engaged in extracurriculars to build up her profile for B-schools.
Conclusion
All your life you’ve been in a race. In fact in reality you’re so much on your own as an individual that you compete with no one. It’s time to unlearn and then learn. Choose wisely. Now do the math.
Happy Admissions Freshers!
