by Fatema Morbi

Created on: July 11, 2009

To many parents, this may seem like rewinding a decade when you had to choose a school for your toddler. The big difference between then and now is that your child is now a young adult with his/her own dreams, aspirations, and most importantly, a mind of their own. Choosing the right university or college for that will harness your child's potential and develop it so that they may realize their dreams, may be a daunting task for you as a parent especially with the wide choices available and the restraint of cost factors. However, there are a number of guidelines that you can keep in mind to facilitate the process.

Firstly, as a parent, you need to identify and accept your role in this choice-making process - You need to be prepared to take a step back and provide guidance rather than to dictate decisions. You need to realize that it is your son/ daughter who will be studying and not you. Therefore, forcing him/her to attend a particular college or a particular course to ' keep the family tradition ' would probably be a bad move that may jeopardize your child's future.

Secondly, you need to understand and respect your child's abilities and interests. Forcing your child to attend medical college when he/she cannot stand the sight of blood may not be very wise. Parents create their own dreams and aspirations as the child is growing up and realizing that they may have to let go of some of these may be difficult. Do not force your child into something by superimposing your own dreams on them or by being influenced by societal perspectives. Let your child decide what he/she wants to pursue and where they would like to study. Help them come up with a list of options and talk them through. If necessary, contact the colleges, compare courses, costs and all the other pros and cons associated with them before reaching a decision. Remember, as a parent, your main role is to act as a facilitator.

Thirdly, being a parent, you undoubtedly have the cautious streak ingrained in you. Use it to your advantage. Carry out some background research about the institutes that your child is thinking of attending. Find out about their reputation, the environs, the accommodation facilities, possibility of working part-time, etc. Also think about future prospects in terms of postgraduate studies, securing a job after graduation, recruitment fairs held at the campuses, etc.

Lastly, having said that the parent needs to take a backseat in the decision-making process, it still stands

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