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Most individuals, parents and governments in the developed and developing world believe in investing heavily in education since it pays off generously both personally and professionally. This investment is not only limited to financial spending, but also the time and effort devoted to learning.

Methods of education, goals of education and the overall thrust of education have changed radically in the last 5 decades. Education is now more about enabling the student to identify problems and suggest solutions than memorizing facts and following disciplines. In the past, a student's poor performance was blamed on his deficiency of intelligence or lack of will to succeed. We now know the roles played by teachers, parents, environment, and available resources are equally important in contributing to the overall learning of the student.

Today's educational institutions have to respond to the needs of the market; more so than ever before. The market needs problem solvers and innovative thinkers in almost every field. It needs people professionals specialized in a certain area but with a good knowledge of related or requisite fields. For instance, the job market is increasingly unwilling to employ those without appropriate computer skills. New fields of study have emerged which did not exist just a few years ago. Bioinformatics, for example, is a new field which requires knowledge of both computer programming and molecular biology.

The education industry has been adapting itself to the demands of the job market. Numerous universities, specialized schools, language institutes and distance learning programmes now offer prime education promising a bright future. Universities are struggling to keep pace and are therefore, opening new faculties like life sciences. The revolution in the education industry has offered today's students a huge array of choices; universities, specialized schools, distance learning programs, vocational schools, language institutes, paid training, etc. Choosing the right educational institute can make a big difference.

When it comes to choosing the right school, the first and most important question is your goal. What do you want to do in his life? Most youngsters do not have an answer for this question; and for a good reason. They do not know what a day in the life of an accountant, programmer, doctor, or professor is like. A better question to ask is which field of study interests you the most and how likely is it for you to earn a decent living in your chosen field. You might like music but most musicians are either unemployed or earn too little.

Second step: It is worth doing some research to find a suitable institution for your chosen field of study. Following are the questions you should be asking:

• How long has the institution been in operation?
• Is the institution accredited by a reputed organisation?
• Who is the institution affiliated with?
• How much would the education cost?
• Is the faculty well-reputed; are the professors qualified?
• How long would it take to complete the program?
• Equivalences and credit transfers
• Entry requirements
• Research labs, libraries, and other facilities
• Legal, immigration, residence issues
• Other matters to consider

Step 3: Gather the necessary information and apply. Don’t just assume that your application would be rejected because you lack a few things. Apply and let the university decide.

How long has the institution been in operation?
The institution should have at least a few years of operational experience. Many schools open and close a few years later, usually days after collecting tuitions for the next year from its students. This tactic allows them to recover some of their losses but leaves the students without tuition for the current year and sometimes loss of an academic year.

Is the institution accredited by a reputed organisation?
An accreditation is a self-regulatory process by which governmental, non-governmental, or other statutory bodies grant formal recognition to educational programs or institutions that meet the stated criteria of educational quality. Educational programs or institutions are measured against certain standards by a review of written information, self-studies, site visits to the educational program, and thoughtful consideration of the findings by a review committee. Whereas programs or institutions are accredited, individual physicians are licensed or certified.

Most accreditations are specific to a geographical region or a field of study. Most accreditation bodies accredit an educational program for a geographical region. British Accreditation Council concentrates on the UK. EDUQUA is most widely accepted in Switzerland. ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is recognized and respected in 160 countries but covers only the field of accounting.

Make sure that the program is recognised by at least one respected accreditation body.

Who is the institution affiliated with?
An affiliation in the educational domain usually functions as follows. Suppose I own a small thriving business institute. My school offers high quality education and employs competent professors but it's not well-known and therefore the degree my students earn is less valuable. To rectify this problem, I would apply for an affiliation with a well-known institute. Harvard Business School, for example. Harvard Business School would consider my application, visit my school, evaluate my standards, etc. Then they would ask me to make certain modifications and discuss money. Once approved, I would offer the same courses, similar exams, and implement similar standards as Harvard Business School. In return, the degree/diploma I offer would come directly from Harvard. Harvard would, of course, charge me a fortune for it.

Even top universities are affiliated with other organizations, research institutes, etc. It would definitely be a plus if a university can say that they are somehow affiliated with NASA, for example.

Find out who your preferred universities are affiliated with and whose name would be printed on your certificate, degree or diploma.

How much would the education cost? Quality education is expensive and for a good reason. Not too long ago, an institute with only books, furniture, and teachers was able to offer good education. Not anymore. Now we need computers, scientific equipment, video, audio and various other facilities. Career teachers are no longer desirable in specialized institutes. They prefer professionals working in their domain but teaching part time. Part-time specialist teachers are hard to find and expensive to hire. Let’s not forget that educational institutions also have to pay for the affiliations and accreditations we just talked about. Larger institutions tend to have high administrative costs as well.

In many countries, the government bears the bulk of the burden of education expenditure but not for all institutions. If you attend a private institute, you might receive little or no financial aid. Inspite of government grants, subsidies, scholarships, etc. education can still be expensive. There are several ways to cut the costs but that is another topic. Check out http://www.finaid.com for more information on financial assistance for education.

Cost of education is an important factor to consider when choosing an institute. Choose prudently and shop around for financial assistance. Remember to factor in your cost of living.

Is the faculty well-reputed; are the professors qualified?
In the United States, faculty is often referred to as department. The department of engineering of City College of New York is well-reputed. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the department of economics. Don’t just choose a school with a good reputation; choose a faculty with a good reputation. No educational institution in the world is specialized in every field.

Well established institutions usually hire qualified teachers and professors. Smaller institutes tend to hire whoever they can get for the lowest salary due to their budgetary constraints. If you hear plenty of negative comments about teachers in an institution, avoid it.

How long would it take to complete the program?
Degrees have different names and signify different qualifications in different regions. University of Geneva offers License and Diplôme. American universities offer Bachelor and Master degrees. Diplôme is roughly equivalent to Master, but License is not equal to a Bachelor. License is 3 years of study, while Bachelor is usually 4 years of study. Both Diplôme and Master are 2 years long. So to complete a Master after 12th grade, you need to spend 5 years in Geneva or 6 years in the United States. Why a year longer or shorter for the same qualification? That is yet another excellent topic for debate.

Know which degree you want and how long it will take you to get it in different regions of the world.

Equivalences and credit transfers
Anyone who has ever changed universities would have a painful and frustrating experience to tell you about. Students who transfer from one university to another within the same country or in another country experience problems. All of the problems can be categorized in the following sentence. The university finds an excuse for not transferring your credits from your old university. How would you feel about having to repeat one year of your studies? It happens more often than you might imagine. Changing countries and your new university might not even recognize your Bachelor or Master degree!

Get your equivalences and credit transfers done before you transfer to a different university.

Entry requirements
Entry requirements for an institution may at times not be as logical as they should be. One of my friends completed his Bachelor degree in the United States and applied for a master program in Canada. He was asked to take the Canadian Language Benchmark test to prove that he speaks English! I wonder which language is spoken in the US.

Read the fine print and don’t assume anything that is not written.

Research labs, libraries, and other facilities
Facilities like research labs, libraries are very important in advanced higher studies. If you are studying astronomy, an institution with an observatory is highly desirable.

Legal, immigration, and residences issues
Don’t just assume that an admission into a university would get you a student residence permit. Many countries do not allow foreign students to work part time. Get informed in advance. Consult consulates and their websites.

Other matters to consider
You might one day realize that the programs offered by the University of Edmonton are very interesting. So you get your admission and fly into Edmonton. You see a snow storm in September and realize that -30 degrees Celsius is normal in the winter. You were perhaps not prepared for such cold weather.

A friend of mine got admission into a good university. She was satisfied with the programs, facilities, and the professor. But she transferred to another university. Why? There were no Koreans in the previous university and she wanted to be among her fellow citizens.

So what is the key to choosing the right educational institution? Getting informed and choosing the one which suits your needs.

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Copyright Nazim Rahman (c) http://www.selfimprovement.ch

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