University Checklist

1) Recognition and Affiliation: If you are studying in India, do ensure that the institute that you are applying to is recognised, either by the AICTE or the UGC. If you intend to study abroad, do take note of equivalent state or central government accreditations in the country of your choice.

2) Programme Relevance: Check whether the university has made a name for itself in the subject that is of particular interest to you. If you want to specialize in art history, attending a college that is known for its great biology research does not make much sense.

3) Faculty and Academic Quality: How much you learn depends to a great extent on the quality of your teachers as well as the curriculum being taught. Speaking to alumni and getting a sense of the teaching faculty's extracurricular contributions to society, can be a good indicator of an institute that encourages growth. Understanding the industry relevance of the curriculum, will also help you get a sense of your employability.

4) Infrastructure: Well-equipped classrooms and laboratories are crucial to the teaching and learning process; so do ensure that the institutes that you are applying to have the technology to cater to your educational requirements.

5) Industry Connect: Unless you plan to be entrepreneur, what matters at the end of the day is 'Are you employable and who's going to employ you? 'It's advisable to check an institute's placement record. How many students has it placed? With which organisations have these students been placed? Are industry experts often invited to the campus as guest faculty or visiting lecturers? Answer these questions and you will have a good indication of how strong an organisation's industry connect is, and consequently how industry-relevant their curriculum might be.

6) Institutional History: How long an institution has been around in the education sphere and whether it has successful alumni, who may have returned to teach, are great indicators of a stable learning environment. Institutes that have been around for a while have typically spent a considerable amount of time building resources and a reputation that can benefit you.

7) Skill, knowledge, attitude and beyond: An institute must equip you with more than core curricular knowledge. It should enhance your soft-skills, help you develop a sense of self and make you confident enough to use the knowledge that you have. Extracurricular activities, whether these are cultural fests, seminars or conferences could be a great training ground, for the application of your skills and knowledge of the real world. Do check if your prospective learning institute goes beyond the books.

8) Counsellors: From selecting subjects and specializations that would work well for you to dealing with personal drama or trauma, having a counsellor at hand always helps. So do check whether the institutes you are looking at have one on board.

9) Entrepreneurship Cells: As the future seems to be shaping up as one where self-employment will play a big role; if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, it would be a good idea to inquire about the existence of an entrepreneurship cell that could incubate your big business plan, find a mentor, help you connect with angel investors and more.

10) Scholarships, Cost, Logistics, Culture, Diversity of Student Population, Safety...: While these factors may not be a very big concern if you intend to study in an institute close to home; if you plan to study abroad, they ought to be a critical parameter in your decision-making paradigm.