ChoosingaCollege

SubmittedbyGroup3:
Brand,Joshua
Earl,Lydia
Glines,Aaron
Lund,Jacob
Winkel,McKenzie

SaltLakeCommunityCollege
COMM1010Sp16Johnson
March30,2016

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary2
ProjectDescription3
Methods3
PartI3
PartII3
PartIII5
PartIV6
PartV7
PartVI8
Conclusion9
WorksCited10
Appendices:
1. TeamContract11
2. SolutionComparisonChart13
3. ParticipationPoints14

ExecutiveSummary:
Inthisprojectwehadtocomeupwithastrategyofwhichcollegeweshouldcontinueour
educationatafterwehavegraduatedfromSLCC.Wehavecollaboratedandhavediscussed
variousfactorsthatwouldcomeintoplayinourdiscussionmakingprocess.

Ourgrouphaslookedatourquestion,analyzedourquestion,brainstormed,researched,andset
upaplan.Wediscussedeverythingfromthecostofcollege,thecollegepassingrate,location,
onlineschoolvs.goingtothecollegecampus,etc.Thisquestionisveryhelpfulforallofus
becausemostofuswilladvancetoanothercollegeafterSLCCsoitisagoodideatoactually
discussthisandgetanideaforwhatweplantodo.

Ourgrouphascomeupwithseveralmainfactorsthatwethoughtwereimportanttoconsider
whenchoosingacollege.Someofthemostimportantthingswerelocation,cost,programs
available,andpassingrate.Relocatingcanbedifficultespeciallywhenitinvolvesmovingour
familiesandkids.Costisahugefactorinchoosingaschool.Noneofuswanttohavesomuch
studentdebtthatitisntworthgoingtocollegefor.Passingrateisalsoahugefactorfor
everyone.Theprogramsofferedateachuniversityisanotherobviousfactortoconsider.

Ourgrouphasresearched,discussed,andcomeupwithasolutiontoourproblem.Wefeelthat
ourbestcollectiveoptionisaninstate,fouryearuniversity.TheUniversityofUtahforexample,
isclosetoallofusandisveryreputable.Inaddition,thisisafairlycostefficientoptionandwe
feelthatthiswouldbethebestoption.

ProjectDescription:
Weareagroupof5fivepeoplethatattendSaltLakeCommunityCollege.Butwhatcomesnext?
Sometimesattendingacommunitycollegeisjustasteppingstonetoevenhighereducation.If
thisisthecasethenyouhavetoaskyourselfwhereyouwillbegoingtoschoolafteryouve
completedyourprerequisites.However,itsnotaseasyasitseems.Therearesomanyfactors
totakeintoconsiderationsuchasfamily,money,location,etc.AsgraduationinMay
approaches,theseconsiderationsbecomemorereal.

Wewantedoursolutiontoconsidersomeofthefactorsthatwouldinfluenceourdecisionand
alsototakeintoaccounttheindividualsthatwouldbeaffectedbysuchadecision.Weendedup
withtheconclusionthatthemostbeneficialoptionistoattendaninstateschoolaftergraduating.
Thisoptionisnotonlythemostcosteffective,butalsorequirestheleastamountofadjustment,
whilealsoprovidingmanyincredibleeducationalopportunities.

Methods:
PartI:ProblemQuestion:
Ourgroupgottogetherandagreedthatthemainproblemweareallcurrentlyfacingis:"Which
collegeshouldItransfertoafterIcompletemydegreeatSLCC?"
Scopeofthisproblemismanageable,andisanissueeachofusiseitherfacingnow,orwillbein
thenextyearortwo.
Wethendecidedtostatetheproblemasanopenendedquestionbecausewefeltthisdecisionis
toocomplicatedforaonewordanswer.Whatwecameupwithis:Whendecidingwhereto
attendaftergraduation,whichcollegeoruniversitybestfitsourcurrentandfutureneedswhen
consideringfactorssuchaslocation,costs,andtheprogramsavailable?

PartII:Analysisoftheproblem
Characteristics:
Aswetookacloserlookatourproblemwebeganbrainstormingsomepossible
factorsthatcoulddeterminewhichschoolwouldbethebestfitforeachofus.Wewantedto
knowwhichofthesefactorswouldinfluenceeachofourdecisionsthemostandwhowouldbe
affectedbythedecisionswemake.

Someofthecharacteristicsthatwouldimpacteachofourdecisionsare:
1. Cost:
Oneofthemostinfluentialfactorsthateachofuswouldhavewasthetotalcostof
attendingacollegeoruniversity.Whenmakingthisdecisionwewouldallhaveto
considerifbasedonourcurrentfinancialsituations,wewouldbeabletoaffordour
universityofchoice.Inadditiontothepriceoftuition,eachoptionwouldhavedifferent
costsassociatedwiththemsuchastextbooks,parking/transportation,housing,meal

plans,etc.Eachoptionwouldalsoofferdifferentfinancialaidandscholarship
opportunitiesaswell.
2. Location:
Anotherfactorthateachoneofofwouldhavetoconsideristhelocationof
eachschool.Wewouldeachhavetodecideifwewantedtogooutofstate,liveathome,
liveoncampus,etc.Someofthein
statelocationsweconsideredinclude:SaltLakeCity,
Logan,St.George,CedarCity,Ogden,andProvo.Whendeterminingwhichofthese
locationswouldbestfitourneeds,wewouldneedtoconsiderfactorssuchaswhat
housingwillbelike,whatinternshipswillbeavailable,whattypesofschoolswouldbe
availableforourchildren,andhowmovingtothislocationwouldaffectourcurrentjobs.
3. ProgramsAvailable:
Ahugefactorindeterminingwheretoattendschoolafter
graduationiswhichprogramsareavailableatwhichschoolbecauseeachcollegeand
universityhavedifferentprogramstheyoffer.InadditionsomeoftheseUniversitieshave
differentlevelsofprestigeandrecognitionfortheirprograms.
4. StyleofClass:
Somethingelseweeachhadtoconsiderwastheformatandstyleof
classesofferedateachschool.Somecollegesoffertheirclassesexclusivelyoncampus,
whileothersofferacombinationofonlineandoncampusclasses.Inaddition,each
schoolhasdifferentsizesofclassesandlevelsofprofessorinvolvement.

Stakeholders:
Wethenbegantoconsiderwhoourdecisionswouldimpactandhaveaneffect
on.Wewantedtoknowifchoosingaspecificschoolwouldhaveunintendedconsequenceson
others.

Someoftheindividualsthatwefeltwouldbestakeholdersinourdecisionsare:
1. TheStudent:
Weeachfeltlikethemainstakeholderinourdecisionwasourselves.We
wouldeachhavetocommittothedifficultworkloadcollegebringsonandanyofthe
costsassociatedwithattendingouruniversityofchoice.
2. OurFamilies:
Eachofourfamilieswouldbeaffectedindifferentwaysbasedonour
decisions.Childrenforexamplewouldbeaffectedbyapossiblemoveinlocationand
changeinschool.Spouseswouldalsobeaffectedbyapossiblemovebecausetheirjobs
mightbeaffected.Inaddition,achangeinlocationmaycreateasituationwhereit
becomesmoredifficulttocommunicatewithextendedfamily.
3. ClassmatesandProfessors:
Wefeltthatourdecisionwouldalsoaffectourfuture
classmatesandprofessorsattheuniversitywechose.
4. Employers:
Ourcurrentemployerscouldbeaffectedbyourdecisionsbecauseofthe
increasedamountoftimeandeffortputintoschool.Theycouldalsobeaffectedbecause
achangeinlocationmaymakeitimpracticaltokeepthesamejob.

History:
Thenextstepwetookinouranalysisoftheproblemwastotalktosomeindividualswe
knowwhohadrecentlymadesimilardecisions.Wewantedtoknowwhytheymadethe
decisionstheydidandhowtheirchoiceaffectedtheirlives.

Thetwoindividualsthatwewereabletospeakwithwere:
1. Aaronsbrother:
Aaron'sbrotherwantedtogointocomputerprogrammingandhasa
wifeandtwochildren.Heresearchedeveryschoolinthestate(hiswifewasunwillingto
moveduetofamilyposition)andfoundtheinstitutionthatbestmethisneeds,wasinhis
pricerange,andstillallowedhimandhiswifetofullycareforhisfamilywhilehe
attendedschoolandworked,andhiswifeworked.
2. Joshuasfather:
Joshuasfatherwantedtogobacktoschoolandhadtodecidewhich
college/universitywouldbestfithisneedswithafamilyandafulltimejob.Hechoseto
attendauniversityonlinesothathecouldworkonhisowntimewithoutdisruptinghis
workscheduleandfamilylife.

PoliciesandPolitics:
Ournextstepwastoexploresomeoftheregulationsandrequirements
thatcouldaffectourdecisiononwheretoattendschoolafterwegraduatedfromSaltLake
CommunityCollege.

Someoftheregulationsandrequirementsthatwefoundmightaffectourdecisionsinclude:
1. Programs:
Foreachschoolwehadtodecideiftheschoolweareconsideringoffersthe
degreewearelookingfor,andifwemeettherequirementsforthedegree/certificationwe
areseekingatthisschool.
2. Opportunitiesavailable:
Foreachschoolweneededtoconsiderwhatkindof
opportunitiesoutsideoftheclassroomwouldbeavailabletouse.Thisincludeswhatkind
ofinternshipsareavailableintheareatheschoolislocated.
3. Prestigeandrespectabilityofschool:
Foreachschoolwehadtodeterminewhetheror
nottheschool'saccreditationsarelegitimate,respected,andacceptedinother
post
graduateprograms.

PartIII:Criteria
Ourgoalwiththisprojectwastodeterminewhichcollegeoruniversityeachofourgroup
membersshouldattend.Wewantedthisdecisiontobebaseduponasetofcriteriathattookinto
considerationinfluentialfactorsandpotentialconsequencestoourdecision.

Wetooksometimetodiscussandidentifysomeofthekeyfactorsthatcouldinfluenceour
decisions,aswellaswhosomeofthestakeholdersthatwouldbeimpactedbyourdecisionsare.
Wewerethenabletodevelopsomecriteriatohelpusdeterminethebestsolutionpossible.

Webeganbythisprocessbylistingoutthefactorsmentionedabove,anddiscussedwhichof
thesefactorswerethemostimpactfulandinfluentialonourdecision.Weusedboth
BrainstormingandtheNominalGroupTechniquelearnedinthetextbooktodiscussanddecide
whichinformationwasmostimportant.Fromthestart,weallagreedthatcostwasoneofthe
biggestfactorsthatwoulddetermineourchoice.Throughourdiscussionswedevelopedasetof
14criteriathatwewouldconsiderwhendeterminingoursolution.

Oursolutionwouldconsiderandfactorinthefollowing:
1. Applywhatwehavelearnedaboutcommunication.
2. Bedeterminedwithinthefourweektimelimit.
3. Provideadecisiononaschoolwithinourpricerange.
4. Findaschoolthatoffersaprogramthatwillprovideskillsandknowledgethatoutweigh
thecosts.
5. Factorinwhateffectwillattendingtheschoolofchoicehaveonfamilymembers.
6. Factorinwhateffectwillattendingtheschoolofchoicehaveonfriendships.
7. Considerwhatkindofeffectattendingtheschoolwillhaveonbothmyownandmy
familymember'sjobs.
8. Determineiftheschoolandprogramofchoiceprovidemewithacompetitiveadvantage
overotherpotentialcandidatesinthesamefield.
9. Consideriftheprestigeandcredibilityoftheinstitutionweighinontheabilitytoobtaina
positioninthisfield.
10. Decideiftheschoolofchoicewillprovideotheropportunitiesforsuccessoutsideofthe
classroom.
11. Determineifthelocationoftheschoolalignswithmyfamilyvalues.
12. Decideifthesocialconsequencesofattendingthisschoolaremoreimportantthanthe
endresultoftheprogram.
13. Considerifthelocationoftheschoolprovidesapracticallivingspaceforbothmyself
andmyfamilymembers.
14. DetermineiftheworkloadrequiredbytheprogramissomethingIamabletotakeon.

PartIV:Brainstormpossiblesolutions
Withourcriteriasetandtheknowledgeofwhatfactorswouldbeinfluencingourdecisions,we
beganbrainstormingpossiblesolutions.ThefirsttechniqueweusedwastheNominalGroup
TechniquewhereweallcameupwithafewideasandsentthemtoJoshuaBrandcompile.We
thendiscussedtheideasthatweresuggestedinagroupchatwherewealsobrainstormedother
solutions.Wewereabletoorganizeallofoursolutionsintosixdifferentcategories.

Someofoursolutionsinclude:
1. Attendaninstateschool

a. UniversityofUtah
b. USU
c. UVU
d. WeberState
e. DixieState
2. Attendanoutofstateschool
a. UCLA
b. ASU
c. Etc.
3. Attendanonlineuniversity
a. TheUniversityofPhoenix
4. Takeabreakfromschooltocontinueworkingtosavemoremoney.
5. DiscontinueeducationandentertheworkforcewithanAssociate'sDegree.
6. Applyforaninternshipinthefieldofchoiceforexperienceinstead.

PartV:Solutionanalysis
Oncewehaddevelopedthesecategoriesofsolutions,wedevelopedachart(shownin
Appendix
2
)thatwouldenableustorateeachofthesecategoriesonvariouscriteriaestablishedearliersuch
ascost,location,styleofclass,andprogramsoffered.Weratedeachofthecategoriesmentioned
previouslyusingascalefrom05with5beingthebestoptionand0beingtheworst.Oncewe
hadratedeachoption,wetotaleduptheratingstodeterminewhichoptionwasthebest.With
thisinformationwewereabletodeterminethatattendinganinstateschoolwouldbethemost
beneficialoption.

Thefinalrankingswere:
Attendaninstateschool15
Attendanoutofstateschool14
Attendanonlineschool14
Takeabreak,SaveMoney,Thenattendschool14
ApplyforInternships13
Startworking/Discontinueschooling10

Withthischartandourcollectiveratingofeachoptionweasagroup,wewereabletodetermine
thataninstateschoolwouldbethemostbeneficialbasedonourcollectiveneeds.However,we
recognizethatweeachhavespecificneedsandfactorsthatdifferentiateoursituationsand
decisionsfromoneanother.Wefeelthatthebestdecisioncouldbemadeforaspecific
individualthroughamorepersonalizedrankingsystemonachartthatrecognizesspecificfactors
fromeachpersonslife.

PartVI:Implementationofsolution
Wehavedeterminedthatattendinganinstate,fouryearuniversitywouldbeourbestcollective
optionaftergraduatingfromSaltLakeCommunityCollege.Weplantoimplementthissolution
anddecisionmakingprocessintoeachofourownindividualcollegedecisions.Ourgroupfeels
thatthissolutionisnotonlyrealistic,butalsocanbeaccomplishedwellbeforegraduationfrom
SaltLakeCommunityCollege.Whilewefeelthatthisisdefinitelyourbestcollectiveoption,we
eachhaveourownspecificneedsandfactorsthatcouldalterourownindividualdecisions.

PossibleNegativeConsequences:
Someofthepossibleconsequencestoourdecisions.
1. Financialsituationsmaychange,andmakecontinuingoureducationsmoredifficultand
costly.
2. Changinglocationscanresultindifficultreadjustmentperiodsforboththestudentand
theirfamilies.
3. Thestudentmayfindthattheprogram/majortheychoseinnotrightforthemandmay
havetotransferelsewhere.

Wecanattempttolimitthesenegativeconsequencesbytakingourtimetocarefullyrevieweach
optionduringeachofourownindividualdecisions,Inadditiontomakingourdecisionsmore
personalizedandtailoredtoourspecificindividualneeds.

ExamplesofImplementation:
AspecificexampleofhowwehaveimplementedoursolutionisJoshuaBrand.Byusingthis
chartanddecisionmakingprocess,inadditiontofactoringinsomepersonalandspecialized
factorssuchashisscholarshipoffers,JoshuahascometothedecisionthattheUniversityofUtah
ishisbestoptionforeducationbeyondSaltLakeCommunityCollege.

Conclusion:
Throughthisproject,wedeterminedthatattendinganinstatefouryearuniversitywouldbeour
bestcollectiveoptionaftergraduatingfromSaltLakeCommunityCollegebasedonbothour
currentandfutureneedswhenconsideringfactorssuchaslocation,costs,andtheprograms
available.Wecametothisdecisionbyconsideringseveralinfluentialfactors.Aswellasthe
impactofourdecisiononstakeholders.Weorganizedthesefactorsintoachartthatallowedusto
rateeachoption.Wediscussedanddebatedboththebenefitsaswellastheconsequencesofeach
optionandfeelthatoursolutionisexcellentforseveralreasons.First,thisoptionisverycost
effectivebecauseresidentsofUtaharegivenatuitiondiscountatanyofthepublicuniversities.
Inaddition,thisoptionallowsustostaynearourfamilies,friends,currentjobs,etc.This
decisionalsoallowseachofustoattendauniversitywhoseaccreditationsarelegitimate,
respected,andacceptedinotherpost
graduateprogramsacrossthecountry.

10

WorksCited
Adler,R.&Elmhorst,J.(2010).CommunicatingatWork(10e).NewYork:McGrawHill.
WebCTpagestoaccompanyCOMM1010:ElementsofEffectiveCommunication.
(2010).SaltLakeCommunityCollege,SaltLakeCity,UT.Availableatwww.slcc.edu.

11

Appendix1:TeamContract
TeamContract
COMM1010,ProfessorJohnston
Meeting#1
Virtualmeeting3516

Brand,Joshua
8016733736
CamronBrand97@msn.com
Earl,Lydia
8018919200
Lydia_dickinson15@yahoo.com
Glines,Aaron
8018248715
aaron.glines@gmail.com
Lund,Jacob
8018609896
Jacoblund96@outlook.com
Winkel,McKenzie
8018429112
Mckenz27@gmail.com

DevelopRelationalNorms:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Wecommittobeontimeforeachmeeting.
Wecommittoparticipatefullyineachmeeting.
Wecommittoowninguptoourownmistakes.
Wecommittohavefunthroughoutthiswholeassignment

DevelopTaskNorms:
1. Ifwehavetomissameetingwepromisetogivea2daynoticeviatextoremail.
nd
2. Ifwedontcontributetothegroupwewillgetawarningforthefirsttime.The2
time
wedontcontributetothegroupwewillbeaskedtobedismissed.
3. Ifwecannotattendameetingwewillfollowupwiththeleaderofwhatwemissed.
AssignRelationalRoles:
1.
2.
3.
4.

LydiaEarlPraisegiver
McKenzieWinkelEmpatheticListener
JoshuaBrandTensionreliever
AaronGlinesEvaluatorofemotionalclimate.

AssignTaskRoles:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

LydiaEarlGatekeeper
McKenzieWinkelInformationoropiniongiver.
JoshuaBrandStarterEnergizer
JacobLundDirectiongiver.
AaronGlinesDiagnoser.

12

Thehardestthingforourgroupwouldfindingatimewhereweallhavetimeinourbusy
schedulestomeet.

th
Meeting#2
Fridaythe11
at6pm.

Initialsofallwhowillabidetothiscontract
LE,JB,JL,MW,AG

13

Appendix2:SolutionComparisonChart

Attendanin Attendan
stateschool
outof
state
school

Attendan Applyfor
Start
online
Internships working/
school
Discontinue
schooling

Cost

Location

Program
Availability

StyleofClass 4
(on
campus/online)

Total:

14

14

13

10

14

15

Takeabreak,
SaveMoney,
Thenattend
school

14

Appendix3:Group3MemberParticipationPoints

JoshuaBrand
11:Oneoftwomotivatingleadertypemembers
LydiaEarl
11:Oneoftwomotivatingleadertypemembers
AaronGlines
8:Missedmeeting#1,butstillcontributedwellinfurther
meetings/assignments.
JacobLund
10:Attendedallmeetingsandcontributedasestablishingintheteam
contract.
McKenzieWinkel
10:Attendedallmeetingsandcontributedasestablishinginthe
teamcontract.