College vs. University Pt. 2

Education
This is, perhaps, the most notable difference between university and college. Simply put, a university education tends to be highly academic, even abstract - it teaches you how to think critically about the world around you. On the flip side, a college education focuses more on applied knowledge and hands-on learning - college teaches you how to do something in the world.

This obviously carries over into classroom instruction. In university, you'll likely sit in a room with 200 other people, listen to a professor talk, and then do some readings and hand in a few highly intellectual essays and assignments. In college, classroom instruction often takes the form of the students learning how to do something and then getting up and actually doing it - taking apart a car engine, designing a magazine advertisement, building a computer.

Both forms of learning have pros and cons - university grads sometimes find themselves unsure exactly what it is they're trained to do in the "real world", whereas college graduates might find their program was too focused and wish they could have gotten a taste of a broader range of topics.

For the best of both worlds, you might want to consider entering one of the growing number of joint programs being offered through university and college partnerships across the country. In these types of programs, you generally spend a year or two in college to earn a diploma, and then another couple of years taking university courses to earn a bachelor degree. This balanced route might best prepare you for the future by fostering both practical and intellectual skills.

Program Value
Because universities tend to be bigger institutions, with more course options and longer programs, they've come to be seen as the more prestigious post-secondary choice. In fact, in the eyes of some employers a university degree is still seen as being more valuable than a college diploma. Just having it on your résumé might be enough to get you a job, when put up against a college-trained applicant.

There are also plenty of statistics saying university grads make more money in their lifetimes than college grads, although this might have more to do with the initial career choices those grads are making than with where they went to school. After all, a doctor (who went to university) is going to make more than a mechanic (who went to college). On the other hand, a college-trained journalist and a university-trained journalist might still make about the same amount of money in the field.

In the end, it really all comes down to personal preference - which school and program do you feel will give you the best launch-pad for your future? The best way to find this out is to do lots and lots of research - talk to former students to find out if they think they wasted their time taking a certain program, and ask potential employers what kind of an education they'd suggest.