Hunt for a Four Year College

As most peoples first year of community college slowly creep to an end, they have some questions flowing through their heads. Most of them have to do with if they want to go to a four year college. Where should they go? What type of four year college are they looking for? Some people can’t decide if they want to go to a college that has a large campus. These are some of the many questions that they must ask themselves before they can take the next step towards a four year college. I am asking myself these questions too.

I have found interests in two universities. The first one is Western Washington University and the second one is Eastern Washington University. These two universities have programs I like, but they are completely opposite when comparing the both to see which one fits me the best.

The location would be key factor in comparing different schools. Western Washington University (WWU) is located in Bellingham about two hours away from Everett. I like the fact that it is on the Puget Sound. When the rays of the sun hit the surface of the water it is a sight to see. There are many beaches and parks that are near, like Birch Bay. While driving through the back roads students can see the beauty of the Orcas Islands. WWU is also located near Canada, so anytime I want to leave the country I can just hop in my car or take the bus.

On the other hand, Eastern Washington (EWU) is located in Cheney near Spokane. It’s about 6 hours away from Everett. This would definitely be a factor that might make people not choose EWU. Since some people hate being by themselves and this could be hard. On one side, it could also be a place for people to grow. Being on that side of the state would teach people to find themselves and they would learn how to survive on their own, because EWU is in the middle of nowhere.

The city of Cheney (EWU) was the campus I felt more at home with, because I felt like I could know everyone. EWU is close to a few attractions. One is being Spokane, which is big as Seattle. It also has a theme and water park that might attract many tourists. Every time I would go there for basketball camp I had a good time. This makes me feel a little closer to EWU.

The less is better. EWU had a total of 9,838 undergraduates and WWU had a total of 13,099 undergraduates. I figure that it would be fewer students in each class. There would be a better opportunity to do one-on one with the professor if I needed help. Both of those numbers mean that I could actually be able to name most of my peers; unlike large campus where there’s so many students to keep track of, that not even the professor knows everyone’s name.

Money can be a factor when choosing a school. Medium sized public schools also mean that tuition will be less expensive than other schools that are larger and private. For example, WWU $5,301 is for tuition and fee, $7,090 is for room and board equaling a total of $12,391. EWU on the other hand is only $4,847 for tuition and fee, and $6,433 for room and board combining those two amounts the total would be $11, 280.

It is important to look into a four year colleges that have the right classes you’re trying to major in. EWU and WWU have similar class types. They have many varieties of programs that could help people in their line of work.

It is good to research four year colleges beforehand. Now that I’m attending community college I would tell people to start picking out colleges and comparing them earlier. I chose to look at Eastern Washington University and Western Washington University. EWU would be good for me to attend, because it would teach me independence and it has the programs I need. On the other hand, WWU would be a perfect place to go if I decided to major in criminal justice. They have courses there to help me. It’s also located not too far from home.

By doing this assignment I have learned that finding reasons for picking a certain college is not as easy as it seems. Some colleges don’t have everything you’re looking for. All colleges will have some things you don’t like. EWU for example, is a little far away and WWU it has a higher tuition then EWU. These are few things that make picking the right college really difficult. Before I use to say I want to go to “so and so” college, because they have a good basketball team or that’s where all my friends are going. I now realize you don’t base your decisions on friends and basketball. I need to look at the hard facts, like career interests, size, and of the college.