Public University: The Best No Matter What – Education Essay
When it comes to choosing a university, people always find themselves in the middle of a discussion in which the matter is to define if public universities are better than the private ones or vice versa. Whether an urban
myth or just a simple common belief, arguments will always be raised in favor of the two bands, trying to foster the idea that one type of university is “head-and-shoulders” over the other one. Personally, I consider that public universities are the best place to study, and with this essay I attempt to present just a couple of strong arguments that make of the myth a proven reality.
As a former student in Universidad del Valle, I gathered much experience on what undergraduate studies are in such institutions. Now, as a current teacher in Universidad Autónoma, I have more fundaments to compare the education imparted in both sides of the bridge, and for this reason, I prefer the public sector. The first reason is that the admission processes in the public sector are led according to high standards of selectivity. In fact, only 10% of the aspirants approximately get to have a place in the majors they apply for. Moreover, there is a variety of selection tests that comprise not only governmental exams, but also special examinations designed by the institutions. For instance, the ICFES tests are not a unique panacea in public universities’ admission. On the other hand, private universities do not have such exigencies in their admission processes and their standards in the latter are lower.
Consequently, governmental exams for universities show great differences between the public and private sectors, which is the second reason for my preference. As a matter of fact, according to a research led by Universidad de Los Andes , public universities show better results in all kind of knowledge verifications. Furthermore, the ICFES’ director Daniel Bogoya asserts that according to the ECAES tests held in 2003 all public universities in Colombia razed the first places, leaving only a fifth and a sixth place for two private institutions.
It is clear and neat then, to assure that public universities are fostering better results. This does not mean, however, that private universities are bad institutions. In fact, few people take the time to reflect on the fact that what makes of the education something good or bad is not the rubric of the institutions, but the way the students make use of the latter’s resources. The research by Universidad de Los Andes showed that the public institutions often have less technological resources, and despite this fact, students reach high outcomes. This leads us to think that perhaps all this is a matter of making good use of the resources. In other words, students in private universities might be taking for granted all the opportunities they are given.
Thus, it has been showed that public universities are better than private ones, without meaning that the latter are bad; they are just different. Both types of institutions comprise advantages and disadvantages. For instance, public universities cope with social and political problems rarely seen in private institutions. On the other hand, private universities are more expensive compared to those in the public sector, and consequently offer more resources to their students. Nevertheless, such advantages and disadvantages should not be the criteria to judge the quality of education. In other words, any student is potentially an excellent professional-to-be, regardless the type of university he or she chose.
All in all, it is necessary to conclude reminding the reader that the discussion will always be open. Arguments in favor and against will pursue the so longed answer to what is the best kind of university, but in the meanwhile, it is essential to keep in mind that the quality of education does not depend on the sector of the institution, but on the tenacity of students while taking advantage of what they are given.