Published on : 04 November 20203 min reading time
Once you have chosen your field of study, it is essential to find the university that suits you best, the one where you can imagine yourself studying in the years to come.
The university of your choice can influence your life in many ways, so it is very important to spend a lot of time evaluating and comparing universities to find out which institution will be the best fit for you. It is therefore a very personal choice!
Here’s a short guide we’ve put together to help you choose the right university, wherever it is in the world!
Establish your priorities
Make a list of things that you think are important at a university. For example: the city where it is located, its nightlife, its interests… But also the accommodation, the facilities… What do you plan to do: live at home or on campus? Studying in your home country or abroad?
Your decision will also depend on the choice of courses and the quality of teaching. Take a good look at how the university’s offer meets your expectations in terms of subjects and academic curriculum. Remember that this is the place where you may spend more than three years of your life and you will want to be satisfied in every respect! So you have the right to be a bit demanding…
Choose a good match!
Curiously, searching for a university can be like looking for a partner on an internet dating site. Once you have determined what qualities you expect from a university and you know where you want to live, go to Google and start your search. You can use www.whatuni.com, a very good site with student reviews and school programmes.
Meet your destiny…
If possible, find the dates of open days and start tracking down the universities you are interested in. You will normally find all the dates on their websites. If you can, attend campus visits, where you will be shown classrooms, facilities and accommodation. This is a very good opportunity to see if you like the atmosphere of the place: do you see yourself studying there? Will you be able to feel at home when you make your way around the campus?
It’s also an opportunity to meet other students who are visiting the university at the same time as you, and with whom you might be partying in a few months’ time, who knows? And you can also start looking at what the neighbourhood and surrounding area looks like.
The importance of Open Days cannot be overemphasised. You’ll be amazed at how much they can influence your decision! If you can’t go, ask those who could: how did they find the university, would they recommend it, the location, the courses?
All this research can be a bit scary at first, but you’ll find it’s also exciting! The university can lead you to so many opportunities; the possibilities that are open to you are endless…
We wish you good luck in your research and hope you find the right university!