Tacos or cheeseburgers?

Ford or Chevy?

Cat or dog?

From the day you choose your college to the day you walk across the stage and receive your degree, you will be faced with many choices. Life is all about decision making and college is where you begin to make some of your most important decisions - some that may even last a lifetime. I've decided to begin a series of some popular college related decision you will likely face (some big and some small), and to give my opinions for both sides. So here is the 1st set of 10 decisions you might have to make over the course of the next few years.

Continue reading or stop reading?

....... I'll help you with that one: continue;)

1. JUCO or University

There are people who are totally against junior colleges and there are people who are totally for them. It really just all depends on your situation. Normally, the classes you take your freshman year are basic level classes: English Comp I & II, College Algebra, Psychology maybe, etc. These classes are always going to be required, no matter what school you choose to attend. So why spend thousands of dollars more to take the same classes you could take at a JUCO for significantly cheaper? Common sense, right? BUT, this isn't always the case. A lot of my friends and I took a majority of our basic level college classes our senior year in high school through dual enrollment. So by the time we began our freshman year, we were able to move some classes that we would've originally taken our sophomore year of college to our freshman year. My major, architecture, was also a major that you started your freshman year. So, choosing to go to a JUCO would've put me 2 years behind instead. JUCOs stereotypically have easier professors too. People often turn to JUCOs during the summer to hike up their GPA a little too. (Me this summer). Just consider your situation and weigh your options.

2. Private or Public

A lot of people don’t know the true difference between a public university and a private university, besides the fact that one generally costs more. Yes, private schools do cost significantly more than public schools but this is because private schools aren’t funded by the state like public schools are. Despite the price, private schools can be quite beneficial. They are normally smaller, which means smaller classroom settings. Options may be limited though: sometimes private schools don’t have certain sports, organizations, or majors. It all depends on what you’re looking for. Do research on both and decide which is best for you.

3. In-State or Out of State

We all know that one person from Mississippi that cheers on Alabama in football. Or what about the one who grows up in a State family and ventures off to TSUN? Is that not against SEC code??? Well, SEC or not, both in-state and out of state schools offer different things to different people – some things good and some things not so much - but you don’t necessarily have to move out of state to get the whole “new place, who dis” vibe. I’ve been in Starkville a year now and there are still endless discoveries for me to make in the small city. I feel like I’m the perfect distance from home. Far enough to get away, but close enough to make a quick trip home in the event that I need to. The main thing that sets in state schools apart from out of state schools - asides from location - is the price. Out of state tuition is normally sky-high, but don’t let that discourage you. There are ways around this. Some schools offer lower tuition for kids of alumni. For instance, my mom is an Ole Miss alumni and works for UMMC now. Her education and employment status granted me the opportunity of receiving half my tuition paid if I had chosen to go to Ole Miss … (but hail state y’all). Not an alumni kid or the kid of an employee? There’s still hope. I’ve seen some of my friends go to school out of state and receive in-state tuition just because of their high GPAs and/or test scores. Apply to more than one school – in-state and out of state. You never know what you may be offered.

4. New Construction Dorms or Traditional

Everybody fears community showers, but trust me, after having been in the military for two years, I've encountered my fair share of public showers and they are NOT that bad. Just stay to yourself, OBVIOUSLY! I stayed in a new construction dorm my freshman year (private bath) and it was sweet and cozy. But traditional (public bath) dorms have their own set of perks too. People are so much more likely to leave their doors open in a hall in a traditional dorm than they are in a new construction dorm, and this leads to meeting more people in your hall. Honestly, I knew like 3 people in my hall: one of which was my RA, one of which I met at church (and didn't even find out we lived in the same building until May) and one of which was my roommate. Community bathrooms suck, but they also force you to get out your room and meet your neighbors - something I didn't do my freshman year.

5. Mac or PC

This is a popular argument. I'm sure many of you have been committed to Apple for a long time and I'm sure many of you have been committed to PC for a long time as well. This isn't anything I can persuade you on, but I will say DO look into your major's computer requirements. Some programs aren't available on Mac which may force you to purchase a PC. There are ways around that like downloading a software that allows you to run Windows on your Mac, but if you have to go through all of that why not just get a PC to begin with?

6. Random Roommate or Friend

It’s possible to room with someone you’ve known for a while and have a great experience. It’s possible to room with a stranger and have a great experience. It’s possible to room with someone you’ve known for a while and have a horrible experience. It’s possible to room with a stranger and have a horrible experience. Don’t buy into all the myths of college roommates. Literally, anything is possible. Knowing your roommate ahead of time means you two already know how to get along, you know what the other likes and dislikes, and you know the other acts. But just because you can get along with somebody doesn’t mean you can live with them and just because your roommate may start out a complete stranger doesn’t mean you can’t end up being best friends. All roommates go through their own set of problems, both large and small. You may like the room cozy; they may like the room Antarctica. You may be a germaphobe; they may leave toothpaste in the sink. It sounds small, but after 5 months you might begin to get fed up with the small things. Random roommate or not, talk to your roommate beforehand to discuss what you two expect of each other. If you do choose to go random, take advantage of the roommate finder your housing department offers. It asks you questions and pairs you with a roommate who has similar answers as you.

7. Summer Classes or Summer Job

This all depends on where you stand both financially and academically. Sometimes, summer classes are unavoidable. You may have prerequisite classes that you need to take before you start school in the fall or for instance, a senior may only need a few more credit hours to graduate on time. Summer classes cost money though and the money spent on summer classes normally comes out of pocket. Although taking them at a JUCO will save you a significant amount of money, they can still run you up to $2,500 depending on how many you take and where you take them. Summer classes can be a good GPA pick-me-up if you really take them seriously. Classes at JUCO’s are stereotypically taught by easier professors and you have a lot more time to focus on your material - considering you aren’t taking 4 other classes, juggling extra-curriculum activities, and trying to have a social life all at the same time like you would be during the normal school year. In the event that you choose not to go the summer school route, a great alternative is to get a summer job. I shouldn’t even have to explain this one. We’re college students. There’s no such thing as us having enough money.

8. Morning or Afternoon Classes

Just because you got to school at 7:30 in high school does NOT mean you can make it to an 8 am class. If you know you aren't a morning person, try to avoid 8 am classes. You may think "If I have class, I'm gonna go no matter what time it is" but college is so different. Mama is not going to be there to wake you up every morning. Unless you are the most literal definition of an early bird, try to schedule your classes in the afternoon. This isn't always possible, but if you register for your classes as soon as possible, you should have a pretty decent chance at getting classes at good times.

9. Small or Large Classes

This one coincides with both #1 and #8. This is another plus of attending a JUCO first. The classes they offer are generally smaller but isn’t impossible to get a decent sized class at a university. Now I’m not saying your English Comp class is going to have 15 people in it, but you may avoid it having 200 people. Registering for classes as soon as possible gives you the most options to choose from, so don’t procrastinate in getting advised for classes. It’s only going to hurt you, not help you. The sooner the better. Smaller classes grant you the possibility of an actual human relationship with your professor, versus a large class professor only knowing you by your electronic student ID number. You also have a better chance at getting your professor’s help in a smaller class. It’s not like you have to compete with 100 other students for an appointment during your professor’s office hours. Oh, and by the way: UTILIZE OFFICE HOURS. Although it can be hard to communicate with your professor in a large class setting, you also have plenty of classmates to fall back on. Somebody in your class is a genius, trust me. Find them. Ask for help. Study with them. Do whatever you must do to make the most of your class performance. No matter what size the class, your effort is still mandatory and most important.

10. Cafeteria or Cooking

Some people manage to get through an entire school year without a meal plan. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Meal plans are expensive, but they’re convenient - especially when you live on campus. Not all schools are the same, so look into the available meal plans your school offers. Are the meals all-you-can-eat? Can you go in the cafeteria as many times a day as you want? Can you bring guests who don’t have a meal plan inside? These are important factors to consider when it comes to choosing rather or not you want a meal plan or which one you want to get. In my opinion, food is food. Even if you do intend on cooking often, the cafeterias are a good fall back plan for when you get too busy or too lazy to cook. I’m not saying it’s impossible to independently feed yourself, but we’re college students. We’re going to get busy. Although buying groceries/food to cook is a good way to save a little money, I wouldn’t heavily depend on it. But if you do decide to go that route, maybe just consider buying one of the smaller meal plans so. That way on days you can’t squeeze a home cooked meal into your schedule, you still have the cafeteria to depend on.

We're like kinda sorta grown now! Decisions, decisions, decisions. They're something we can no longer avoid and college is where they really begin to matter. So hopefully this small series of "This or That" will be beneficial to you and give you a bit of in sight of both sides of the table.