Cayman Scholarship Directory 2016

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Scholarships directory 2016
Questions to ask yourself before
deciding on a college
By Lisa Beauchamp
It’s a daunting task choosing a college. With so many excellent colleges
offering the same major, you need to consider each option carefully. It’s
imperative to match your needs and priorities in order to ensure your
college experience is as fulfilling as possible.
Of course you are going to be bombarded with advice and information
from teachers, mentors, family members, and fellow students. In
addition, there is a ton of advice online which can be overwhelming.
Take control of the situation and dedicate time to asking yourself the
following questions which will help you to focus on your preferences
and what interests you, to enable you to format a relevant, significant
and attainable list of colleges.
What do you want to major in? Your scholarship may stipulate what
you are going to major in. If the decision is yours and you’ve selected
an area of study that interests you like design, medicine, law or
engineering, then you need to research colleges that offer this syllabus.
If the college does have the appropriate major, is the major programme
sufficient?
If you are not certain about your major choice – do you need
flexibility to change majors? Be careful as changing majors once or
even multiple times can seriously affect your graduation date, your
scholarship (if you have been awarded one), be costly financially and
cause you a lot of stress. By carefully researching your choice of major
in advance you can avoid this happening.
Is a large university the right environment? Leaving the cozy and
safe community of Cayman, your home, your family and friends, is a
big shock to the system. The advantages of attending larger universities
and colleges are the opportunities to meet many new people and
participate in lots of extracurricular events. However the size of the
campus and huge number of students (in and out of class) may not
appeal to more introverted students who could feel quite overwhelmed
and isolated.
Geographic location of college? This is an important consideration
for students wishing to travel home to Cayman for the holidays, as
flights can be expensive, especially as the price of plane tickets increase
during the school holidays. How close is the college to the airport?
Consider the climate, as you may have to tolerate colder temperatures
including snow and ice. Also, consider selecting a college location
close to a town or city where you may apply for internships or jobs in
the future.
Reputation and referrals – do you know a current or former student?
It’s valuable to listen to current students’ experiences and check the
college’s graduation results. Caymanian students may feel more
comfortable attending a college where other Caymanians are studying
instead of attending a college where they don’t know anyone. Ask about
the professors and sizes of classes; gather as much information as you can.
Are there activities that you wish to continue to pursue or new
activities that you wish to participate in at college? Extracurricular
activities are an important part of your development and engagement
with college life. Make note of which activities are significant to you.
Are you planning to take a part time job while attending college?
Attending college and studying is a full time commitment. Hopefully
your scholarship will cover your living expenses so you can focus
100% on your studies. If you do need additional income, check to see
if there are part time job opportunities on campus. If not, research
opportunities off campus which are easily accessible, as you don’t want
to spend valuable study time travelling to and from a part time job.
Consider all of these factors and you’ll be able to make a sound
decision. Good luck!