Compare and Contrast

When it comes to college selection it is very important to find a college that satisfies all a people’s hobbies and majors. Many people ask themselves “Which college is best for me and my interests?” In the college application process I was stuck between San Diego State University and ITT Technical Institute of Criminal Justice. I first ask myself what my dream school would be. I came up with wanting to be close to the beach, close to a major city as well as a school that would support by academic needs.

San Diego State is located in San Diego, California. It is very close to the beach and has beautiful weather year round. San Diego, with a population of 1,336,865 (Census Bureau 2008), it satisfies my need of a big city. San Diego State is also known for its wild night life, which is always a positive factor for colleges. Finally, San Diego State has a very strong majoring program in criminal justice, which is my declared major. For example “Upper-division course work consists of classes in law and social control, social policy and systems of justice, applied planning, and research and program evaluation. Criminal justice electives are offered in the areas of corrections, courts and the judiciary, delinquency, juvenile justice, and law enforcement.” (San Diego State 2007)

IIT Technical Institute on the other hand is a fast track to a career in criminal justice. For example ITT Tech states “With a hands-on learning environment in most programs and convenient class schedules, the ITT Technical Institutes offer an education designed around today's workplace. A world of opportunity is waiting for those ready to take the next step forward in their education.” (ITT Tech 2008) ITT Tech is located in Torrance, California which is very close to El Segundo. This would give me the option of staying at home while I completed my education. Being close to home is definitely a positive and ITT Tech is about as close as you can get. Also ITT Tech has over 100 campuses nationwide (ITT Tech 2008) including one in the San Diego area.

Overall, I feel that San Diego State is the better school for me. I have always wanted a four year experience and the location is hard to beat. With a wild night life and plenty of beautiful women I think the social aspect of San Diego State is perfect. Finally, San Diego offers a great program for my desired major in criminal justice so I would have to say SDSU is my number one choice.

Reference List:

Population Estimates for the 25 Largest U.S. Cities based on July 1, 2006 “Population Estimates" US Census Bureau.not properly cited.

Hodge, Margaret. 2003. The Benefits of a University Education. http://www.he.courses- careers.com/university.htm not used

Prefer. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/prefer not used

ITT Technical Institute Facts. (2008) ITT Tech Criminal Justice. http://itt- tech.edu/teach/criminaljustice.cfm

San Diego State University. (2008) Criminal Justice Program. http://spa.sdsu.edu/criminaljustice.html