Why Does Choice Matter?

Abstract

This study focused on the course and school preference of select high school students, SY 2007-2008 and SY 2018-2019 and answered the following questions: What are the schools and courses preferred by the select high school students from the two batches under study? What are the possible reasons for choosing the school/s and the course/s? What are the factors affecting their decisions? What is the status of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) in terms of the level of preference/choice of the respondents from the two batches?; and What is the status of the DLSMHSI in terms of its marketing /positioning / branding? This study involved 1,186 high school students from SY 2017-2018 and 954 senior high school students from SY 2018-2019. Data collected were treated using frequency count; relative frequency or percentage; and ranking. The study reveals that the High school students are indeed sure enough of the school and the course to take on the whole, their choice of course to pursue depends on its perceived applicability to their chosen career, on the other hand, their choice of school where to complete college education depends on who makes the decision in the family, academic program presentations provided by schools, the features, general image and record of a higher education institution. Finally, DLSMHSI is an institution acceptable to the respondents in terms of pursuing health sciences-related courses.