Choose the right course and college
YOU have decided what you want to study and have found several colleges that look good to you. How do you choose the right one? Here are some criteria you might want to factor into making your decision.
Digital libraries
It takes a year to publish a book and at least another year to translate it. After this, it needs to be distributed.
Traditional libraries are therefore useful, but not always cutting-edge. Journals work far faster, but they are not always easily available.
To get access to the hottest and newest information, look to digital libraries. This is where newly published books and journal articles are made available.
To find out if the library is just what you need, make a list of the top 20 journals you think will be most useful to you. Then ask what libraries will be made available to you and see if the journals are part of this system.
Moving on to further education
If you’re planning to do a postgraduate degree, be aware that some schools give priority to former students. If you plan on pursuing a master’s degree in a certain school, you may want to check whether they prefer that you take your first degree with them too.
Be aware that as schools can be dominated by a particular approach or system, some people may think it useful to change school in order to obtain a broader education.
Corporate links
Applying what you’ve learned in real life can be a bit of a challenge. One way to do this is to learn directly from industry leaders or through short internships.
Schools with guest lecturers from relevant industries and strong links with corporations that provide such opportunities may offer that extra edge.