College Choice Theory

Starting out choosing a career starts early for many young adults while they are still in high
school. When a student has their mind set on becoming a member of a specific career their
selection of higher educational intuitions becomes narrower in whom they believe will provide the
best preparation for their career. The major theory of college choice avers that selecting a
postsecondary institution is a dynamic process with three distinct phases: predisposition, search,
and choice (Hossler & Gallagher, 1987). During the phase of predisposition an individual’s
aspiration to attend higher education is explored.
This could be influenced by he or she’s gender and ethnicity; socioeconomic status (SES);
academic achievement; parental education …show more content…
Research has shown that the characteristics considered during the predisposition stage are
continued throughout the entire process. Prior research in the realm of college choice has
primarily focused on the predisposition and choice phases of the process (Hossler & Gallagher,
1987). Knowing that most of the elements in choosing an institution are personal driven, a
question arises about how do the rankings of the school assist into the personal choice of the
hopeful student? Researchers have found that school rankings are becoming less of a factor in
the choice of where the student will go to school. The cost of attending the schools, among other
factors are playing a larger part into what the student chooses. Understanding this why do
institutions still get ranked and are they actually producing the quality members of society that
their rank …show more content…
As mentioned previously the choice comes from a wide variety of factors. But when selecting a
career such as teaching there are additional considerations taken to assist in their choice. One of
those choices is the type of credentials that would be obtained while in the program. When looking
at schools, state schools are designed with state teaching credentials in mind, which might not be
the case for private schools (Schmidt, Burroughs, Cogan, & Houang, 2011). This plays a major
factor if the candidate is looking to ever move out of state in the future. Most states are now a part
of a reciprocity contract that allows teachers from one state to teach in another but if the school
selected by the candidate is not apart of the contract they must go through all of the required

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