– Prof. Anupam Saxena, MRICS associate dean and director, School of Real Estate, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University.

Graduating from school can be an extremely anomalous experience – euphoric on one hand and replete with uncertainties on the other. Most school students eagerly look forward to college life as it means more freedom and the start of adulthood. But trepidation about the future and confusion about career choices mars this exhilarating transition. Choosing a ‘good’ college at this time is a big decision for the students and their parents.

Here are some practical tips you can consider while choosing the right college or course.

Accreditations – Domestic & International: Accreditation by a reputed agency is a direct indicator of high standards of education delivery and systems in the c Accreditation is a voluntary evaluation process that institutions of higher education must undergo in order to maintain the standards of educational quality agreed upon by members of an accrediting body. Global accreditations are very tough to obtain and the colleges need to undergo long and strenuous exercises to obtain them and thereafter to maintain them.

The basic first step for a student before choosing a college should be to check for its accreditations and the values they add to the education and the alumni’s market value.

University or college ranking: Students should always check the rankings of the university/college before applying. Higher rankings for College X signify that on research it has been found ‘better’ than others on certain parameters. These parameters can be diverse like pedagogy, placements, facilities, faculty, alumni network, among others. You can also look for NIRF rankings – the National Institutional Ranking Framework is a methodology approved and adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India.

The Programme & Faculty: These are the key parameters that will decide what you will be doing in the future and how? First ‘The Programme’ that you chose should be based on the future applicability of the knowledge and its alignment with an industry that has scope for future and long-term development.

Opting for programmes that will get replaced by AI or robots will be a sheer waste of time and resources and can lead to a lot of frustration later in life. Industries that are addressing the basic needs of humans are bound to have a longer sustenance and amongst these industries the job roles that you would like to prepare yourself for again should be carefully chosen – remember that AI and robotics are fast replacing humans and one should prepare for a job role that is based on the application of human mind and not be simply process based.

The second important aspect to look at is the quality and experience of the college faculty. Faculty with higher industry exposure will be able to provide students with practical skill sets alongside education while faculty with pure academic background will be able to provide only education. In today’s highly competitive era, skill sets are extremely important; you may be highly educated but if you do not have the desired skill sets, you will not find acceptance in today’s highly competitive industry – every organisation today is on the lookout for workers who can deliver from Day One rather than those who will require a long learning curve.

Choose a programme and faculty that offer promise of long-term employment opportunities along with application-based learning. Instructors with industry experience are aware of the real-life industry skill sets requirement and can equip students with the same.

Extracurricular education and infrastructure: Extracurricular activities are usually group activities carried out in coordination among people of similar interests. Extracurricular are extremely important for well-rounded development of the student’s personality through team-work and social interaction, development of leadership and communication skills and many other soft skills. Extra-curricular activities are wide ranging and cover all physical, non-physical, mental, creative pursuits which do not figure in the college curriculum. Team sports like football, cricket or individual sports like badminton, swimming, chess, creative activities like debate clubs, music clubs, dramatics clubs or AI club, Robotics club all are bundled together under the umbrella of extra-curricular activities. Students can explore their interests and develop skills beyond studies through the options and facilities provided in college.

• Affordable Cost & Location for Education: Do check out and compare the fees and other expenses across different colleges of your choice while opting for campuses abroad.
• Internship opportunities: Internships are opportunities for students to experience the modalities of a given industry in real-time and decide whether they would like to make a career in the industry. It’s very important to opt for colleges that provide suitable internship opportunities to students rather than those who leave it on the students to find internship opportunities.
• Futuristic education: All in all, look for a college that prepares students for the future — one such college is RICS School of Built Environment (RICS SBE), Amity University that delivers on all the above criteria and within a very short timespan has established an excellent reputation for itself.

AMITY, RICS SBE programmes have been accredited by the high ranking RICS and PMI accreditations. The very relevant and industry-ready BBA and MBA programmes include:

• BBA in Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure
• MBA in Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure
• MBA in Construction Project Management
• MBA in Quantity Surveying
• PG Diploma in Facilities Management

These programmes ensure that the student stays employable for a long term as Built Environment is a basic requirement for modern-day humans. It offers job roles that are not easily replaceable by AI and Robotics and moreover the programme is delivered by highly experienced professionals in an environment that encourages an all-round development of students and churns out physically and mentally healthy students ready to face the world head-on.

For most professions, the college is an important launchpad for a rewarding career. A student should, therefore, carefully select a college based on various parameters. Since college education is the most important investment for life — both in terms of time and money — it’s worth putting in the extra effort to make the right decision.