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6 tips for choosing your dream college

Education / Date: 02-09-2025

Today we will give you incredible and very practical tips to help you evaluate yourself, better research the available possibilities and discover how to choose a course to make your dream of going to college come true . And as a bonus, we will tell you how to make the payment in a scheduled way.

What to do before choosing a college

1. Consider your skills

Determining your personal skills is an important step in identifying the higher education program that best fits your goals, as important as discovering your preferences.

So, when it comes to 'ordering' the undergraduate courses that interest you most, you need to look beyond personal taste: you need to consider what your talents are, what you are good at, your strengths and weaknesses - after all, the ideal is to invest in your strengths.

Most of the time, soft skills align with our preferences, however, this is not always the case. For example, you may enjoy hands-on chemistry classes in the lab, but struggle with formulas and calculations.

At this point, a good tip is to think carefully about whether it would be worth dedicating yourself to an area that you find easier — and, of course, that also gives you pleasure. After all, you will be dedicating yourself entirely to it for several hours a day.

2. Analyze your expectations and list your priorities

Another important point to consider when choosing a degree course is your plans for the future. To do this, it is important to determine what your life expectancy is and what your priorities are – not just now, but in the medium and long term, a few years from now.

A good exercise to get these answers is to ask yourself what your desired standard of living is. Are you planning to make money and live a luxurious life? Or do you not care about material wealth and just want comfort and stability? Are you willing to sacrifice personal preferences for a career with a higher financial return ?

It is important to remember that while some careers are more valued in the market and pay more, others have more relaxed and flexible schedules. Keeping this in mind can make all the difference and directly contribute to your personal satisfaction.

3. Research each course thoroughly

At this point, you should have already selected some college course options or, at least, decided between some of the available areas of knowledge, right? So, it's time to take the focus off yourself and study each of the possibilities in a practical way.

The internet is full of information about the most diverse courses — all you need to do is do a good search on the major search engines to find websites and blogs with details about each of them, such as duration, areas of activity and the curriculum with the subjects offered in each semester.

Another good way to learn more about undergraduate options is to attend career fairs, career and job market workshops, or events hosted by the educational institutions themselves. During these activities, you can find out important information about the courses and learn about the college 's infrastructure .

In addition, you will be able to attend lectures given by coordinators and professors of the various courses, meet professionals who already work in the area, ask them questions directly and find out more about the proposals and academic projects offered.

4. Conduct a detailed survey of educational institutions

Choosing a higher education course also involves choosing the ideal college for your education, as the ideal is to ensure a qualification that truly meets your needs. And, to help you make a more informed choice, we will highlight below some important points that should be carefully observed:

MEC seal of approval

Every year, the Ministry of Education (MEC) evaluates specific quality criteria of universities throughout the country and the undergraduate courses they offer. Based on the results obtained, these courses may or may not be approved to be offered to the public.

Below, we will list some situations in which having a diploma recognized by the MEC is essential:

• to register for public competitions that require a higher education degree.
• to register with the professional councils of your profession.
• to enter master's or doctoral programs , depending on the requirements of the educational institution.

Furthermore, in the job market, diplomas accredited by the Ministry of Education can also play an important role in making candidates stand out and increasing their chances of securing coveted positions.

To find out whether the chosen course has this seal of approval and meets the basic quality standards required, simply access the e-MEC website and search in an easy and practical way.

Quality indicators

In addition to approval by the MEC, there are some other quality criteria that you should observe when making your choice, such as the General Course Index (IGC).

Based on scores ranging from 1 to 5, this metric is used by the Federal Government to evaluate the quality of higher education courses throughout the country, the score achieved in the National Student Performance Exam (ENADE), the campus infrastructure and the teaching staff, which we will discuss in more detail below.

Qualification of teaching staff

Finding out who the teachers responsible for the subjects on your course are is also an important point to consider in your decision, as they will be your guides throughout your training .

Try to find out information such as the number of masters and doctors the college has, what subjects they teach, how long they have been teaching, whether they are involved in research projects or their experience in the job market.

When choosing a higher education course, it is essential to know whether the teachers at the educational institution are properly qualified. This factor has a great influence on the quality of the content that will be transmitted. As you acquire more knowledge, the greater your chances of becoming a successful professional.

Curriculum

Researching a course's subject list in advance is essential to understanding the course content, the professors responsible for teaching the course, and the course's workload throughout the semester.

Through this research, you will also be able to consult the basic bibliography beforehand, learn more about the need for mandatory internship, and other information that will help you assess whether the course content provides the most sought-after and valuable skills in the company by current job function in the market.

Extracurricular activities

Essential for promoting student integration and complementing the knowledge learned in the classroom, extracurricular activities are excellent differentiators for both your academic and professional resume .

Therefore, before enrolling, it is worth finding out whether the university offers initiatives that could make a difference in your education, such as:

• sports groups for practicing different sports and participating in competitions and events;
• artistic groups of music, dance or theater with performances inside and outside the college ;
• research and scientific initiation projects linked to the different disciplines offered by the undergraduate course;
• exchange and partnership options with renowned universities from other countries and recognized in their field of activity.

It is interesting to add that several of these activities can guarantee students a discount on their monthly fees, in the case of private educational institutions, or a scholarship, which helps to give that extra incentive to participants.

Teaching modalities

Another important point is to also evaluate the teaching modalities offered by the institution and verify which one best fits your academic and professional goals.

If you enjoy campus life and interacting with your classmates and professors, in-person courses are perfect for you. However, if you need more flexible hours to balance your studies with other activities and are determined to keep up with online classes and activities, distance learning courses are worth checking out.

When choosing a higher education course, students should consider how much time they have available to dedicate to their studies. After all, taking a serious approach to college will help you achieve the best possible results.

5. Study the job market

In this regard, the internet is also a good ally for finding out what the prospects are for the professional segment you intend to choose, what the demand for professionals is, the average hours worked and the salary range, where the companies are located and what skills they are most looking for.

6. Talk to professionals

Getting the opinion of those who already know the field you want to work in is an excellent strategy for finding out some important information about the job market and day-to-day corporate life. Here are three tips for you:

• Talk to former students of the course you chose, as they will be able to draw a parallel between the content learned at college , expectations and the reality of the professional world.
• Talk to relatives and acquaintances to clear up any doubts you may have and find out what the advantages and main challenges of their professions are.
• Contact companies to spend a day closely following the professionals' routine.

Here, it is worth consulting both those who are at the beginning of their careers and those who are already professionally established, as each of these profiles can provide a different perspective.

This way, you will certainly be able to gather important data that can help you — a lot — to make your choice more consciously and discover which profession best suits your profile!