What to Choose Between College and Course?

When it comes to choosing between a desired course and a good college the debate never stops. Students find themselves in a tough situation to take a right call because this is a crucial choice that will help mend their future. The ‘college or course’ choice has been bugging students and their parents since years and it never seems to get any easier. Today, we aim to help the students by explaining various factors from both sides of the debate. This, we believe, will help students to make a calculated and wise decision while embarking on their career journey.

Our life is shaped by the decisions we make. Toughest decisions are the ones that earn you sweetest fruits. That is the reason why you should never rush into making a decision. First, know what’s best for you and your career. Research, talk, and read about your concerns.

The competition to secure good score and a desired seat in the dream college is getting fierce every year. Top educational institutions are witnessing rising number of applicants each year. Students willing to go for courses like B.Com, BMS, BMM, BCAF, B.Sc, etc. struggle with options. The huge number of applications leads to tough cut-off and students, even with highest scores, are deprived from getting their desired choice of branch in their dream college. For example, a student interested in B.Com might not get a seat in the college he prefers but might get admission in a B grade college. So, should he go with what he got or not is a crucial decision to be made.

When a student does not get a preferred course from the college of their choice they have to choose between two options- whether pursuing a less preferred course from an A grade college or to choose a preferred course from a B grade college. While the first option seems to catch your attention you must consider the long term results of your choice.

Choosing College over Course:

Each student has a dream college where he desperately wants to get admission. It’s true that a good college can help shape your career but it’s also true that college alone cannot carve a successful career for you. If you choose a less preferred course in a good college then you will be spending next couple of years studying a course you were not interested in the first place. For example, choosing a course like civil or mechanical engineering when you are truly interested in computer science is clearly a compromise on your passion and interest. This further affects your grades as you find difficult to excel in academics.

Being said that, a good college has some perks. A good college provides with facilities better than other colleges in terms of better infrastructure, resources, faculty, etc. The faculty in a good college is well versed in their respective subjects as they have years of experience in teaching. The pedagogy adopted by teachers in such colleges comes only after huge experience that helps students to understand the subject more easily.

The campus is often good for students to explore their inner strengths, students from different region come together and create a diverse environment, and students get exposure to big companies during placements. The various clubs in such colleges help students to develop new skills like speaking on stage, public relations, leadership, etc. You might end up getting a good job through such college but it will still have some disadvantages like you won’t be able to gel with the job and you won’t enjoy it as much as you want to.

Choosing Course over College:

When you do what you love results speak for themselves. As a student when you pursue a course where your interest lies, your potential gets a chance to boost time and again and increase by multiple folds. You challenge yourself to become better and better and you get so good at it that you never have to worry about good grades and great job because it automatically follows you. Excellence is a prize earned after consistent hard work. And when you enjoy what you do then hard work never feels hard.

Choosing the course of your interest in a less preferred college will allow your passion to grow further. You might not get same facilities like an A grade college but you will be studying and learning the course you are truly passionate about. Consider you chose college over course and spent most precious years of your life studying the subject you were never interested in. In the placement you land a good job on the basis of that course. But once you start working will you be able to enjoy the work? Statistics say people working in the field they love have more chances of getting successful than the ones whose interest lies somewhere else. According to ICMR, 13% of school students in India suffer from acute depression and India has one of the highest suicide rates among the age 15-29. This is quite alarming and is happening due to the pressure of exams, tough competition, and fear of failure.

Small decisions are like small steps you take towards your dream. Choosing a course where your passion lies is one such small decision that describes your aim and takes you one step closer to your dream career. This is an important decision to make because your career and what you want to be in life depends on it. Once you are in a field which you are interested in you have a far better chance to excel in academics and you will learn the subject quickly. Whereas, choosing a college with a course you are less interested in will undermine the chances of your good academic performance and you won’t even be able to enjoy it.

The fear gets embedded in students when their performance deteriorates which happens due to uninformed career choices. It is crucial that students be prepared early in their life to face these challenges so that they could make informed decisions while choosing between course and college.

Concluding Thoughts

Lots of students end up making decisions which turns out to be incorrect after a couple of years. By that time it’s too late to go back and correct that mistake. This is why making a right decision at right time matters the most. Your decisions should be based on your Career interest, personality and aptitude only. It would be helpful to know what does the curriculum includes of the course you wish to pursue. What are the specializations required to be successful in the chosen field. Will the job profile suit your personality?

Grades are important and if you are truly passionate in one course then scoring excellent grades is not a mountainous task. Remember, you can compensate the lack of having good college name in your CV with exceptional academic records but not the other way around. You could further enhance your profile by doing add on courses to improve your skill set. And once you have good academic records and skill set, finding a good job is not a difficult task. Once you get a good job you will find yourself enjoying the work and excelling at it at a pace you never imagined you could. After all, being successful means excelling at what you do and enjoying while doing it. This is the right time to make a right and well-thought decision to ensure a successful career.

Give it enough time, talk to experts, research on your own and then decide what’s best for you. If you need professional help we at RMCC provide career counselling to help the students navigate their career path.