Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-08-19
CHOOSING THE COLLEGE.


The time is drawing near when thou
sands of young people who graduated
from high schools all over the land
last June will pack UP and 20 away
to college to finish up the work that
has been we'll begun in most cases. They
will do we'll to give careful consider
alton to the various schools before
choosing between them for whether or
not they complete the course IN their
chosen study depends to great ex-
tent on the college to which they go.
To begin with they must not put too
much emphasis on the desirability OF
COINS to school which some Of their
schoolmates of high school days have
selected. It Is very nice to feel that
you are going in among friends where
there will be some one to pave the way
for meeting everyone and getting into
the swing" of the college doings, but
in so doing you are avoiding the very
information that is going to stand you
in greatest need in the struggle OF life.
ability to meet and become acquainted
and friendly with new people.
After all is said and done, to the
average student. the contact with
other students, the rubbing of the,
bumps, the meeting new friends, is
D. large part of his education.
In selecting school. one should
bear in mind where he Is going to
make his home. If in the state Of Iowa,
then the student can do nothing better
than to take four year course at one
of the larger state Institutions the
larger the better, because the big
schools are better equipped for teach
ing the various courses, their diploma
lends more dignity to the, degrees con-
ferred and the acquaintanceship one
gains is larger and correspondingly
more valuable. If finances permit. a
yearsin an eastern college will top off
in nice shape the education
gained in the state school. The
student who does this Is enabled
to imhibe new ideas Tor de-
spite the fact that these United States
are bound closely together in customs,
speech. and generalities. yet there
are III tile differences and distinctions
the learning of which broadens ooe out
wonderfully. The western youth who
goes east to school and the eastern
youth who comes west have just a
little better opportunity to broaden out
their mental capabilities.
Ina large way going away to college
does the same thing for the student
that leaving the sectional grade schools
and going to the high school does. 1t
is al, admitted fact that a student de-
velopes and broadens out more in his
foursyears in high school than he does
in eight years in the grade school.
Theyreason. Is, that he meets on COM
mon ground with the children from all
parts OF the city, learns new ideas,
meets new people, gets better acquaint-
ed, Is called upon to do things and
think about things that were never
done or thought about where he came
from, and naturally, he grows. The
TACT that, that is the common meeting
ground is what makes the high school
of value out of proportion to the book
learning that is taught there.
The same thing Is true of. the col
lege. Go where you will meet new
people, new ideas and run into new
customs and you can pretty safely
0ank on getting. the needed book
learning" to top OF a real and valuable
education that will be of use to you in
Ill your life regardless Of what field
you may enter.