When the appearance of a college affects everything

Alright, I’m not guilty to admit it: I judge things based on its looks. Now come on, don’t tell me you don’t.

As humans, we tend to judge prematurely based on looks, and that impression will somehow influence our later judgments. Choosing college, unfortunately, falls into this category. Many people go visit campuses not to visit the school and its programs, but to see how “pretty” the school is. The prettier and newer the buildings are, the more attracted to that school you are. It’s kind of similar to the whole “apply for the college name” scenario where people apply to a certain school because of its name.

As part of an immigrant family, my parents have urged me to apply to certain schools because “they are good schools”. They don’t necessarily understand what specific programs each individual school has to offer, but the name is just way too appealing. Just like the school names, the school’s look also draw in a lot of incoming students as well. Some students choose School A over School B because School A has newer buildings, better campuses, and more varied facilities. These factors are important when one chooses colleges, but often times these factors become the only factor people consider.

It’s understandable that you cannot possibly learn everything about a certain school based off of the websites. Each person is built differently and can adapt to different environments differently. Though it will be difficult to fully know a school before actually attending there, students ought to be more objective. You are spending the next couple of years in that school, so considering everything is important.