The chart illustrates the reasons why students choose a specific college in the UK from 1987 to 2007. Overall, there were 5 reasons mentioned: quality of resources, suitable degree courses, close to parental home, quality teaching, and good sports and social activities.
The charts show recognizable similarities and differences between 1987 and 2007. To begin with the similarities, the reason “suitable degree courses” stayed at the top among the other reasons for both years, at 35% in 1987 and having a 2% increase in 2007, being 37%. Moreover, students also took into account “quality teaching” for both years, at 15% in 1987 and having a 2% rise in 2007, being 17%. The last similar trend witnessed by the students was for the reason “quality of resources”. In 1987, 21% of students held it as a reason to choose a college, and in 2007 it plummeted to 17%, meaning that students still highly recognized it as a factor to choose a university.
The differences were experienced as well among 2 factors for choosing a college. Firstly, the reason “close to parental home” sparked significantly by 12%, being 22%, which explains how home-college distance mattered more for students in 2007 than for students in 1987. Lastly, the reason “good sports and social activities” went down by 13%, suggesting that new students in the UK are less interested in social activities and sports than the ones in 1987.