Austin Porter is presently in Grade 12 at his high school. He is considering which university he wants to apply to in order to gain an undergraduate degree in engineering. Austin's decision making process included a number of activities. Review Austin's activities and classify them as one of the six steps in the decision making process.

NOTE: not all steps in the decision making process HAVE a related activity - and some have more than one related activity. Consider this when you are answering the question.

Steps: 1. Recognize and define the problem. 2. Identify alternatives as possible solutions to the problem. 3. Identify the costs and benefits associated with each feasible alternative. 4. Total the relevant costs and benefits for each alternative. 5. Assess qualitative factors. 6. Select the alternative with the greatest overall benefit.

Options: 

a) Austin's brother has a number of good friends at UofT and they encouraged him to attend that university - they said they would be happy to give them all their notes and tests so that he would be ahead of the game!

b) Austin compared costs of the 5 schools he obtained information on. He totalled the balance in his chequing and savings accounts, estimated the earnings from his part-time job, and asked his parents whether or not they would be able to help him out.

c) Austin's guidance counselor agreed that a university with a national reputation would make job hunting easier. However, she reminded Austin that students who attend smaller universities often report a better program that is more student-focused.

d) Austin wrote to 5 of the universities to obtain information on their engineering departments, tuition, room & board costs, the likelihood of being accepted, and so on. e) A friendly teacher at high school ran into him at the cafe. She listended to his thinking and reminded him that a degree from any university would get him into a good graduate program as long as his marks were steller. She advised him to consider a university with both an undergraduate and master's program so that he would have that option available to him should he decide to continue his education rather then rushing out and getting work right after his undergraduate degree.

f) Austin's high-school sweetheart had a long heart-to-heart talk with him about their future - specifically, that there might be no future if he left town.

g) Austin surfed the web to check out the sites of a number of uniersities with engineering programs.

h) Austin dream job is to obtain an engineering job in USA on the West Coast. Working for a large company on the coast has been an important dream of his for a long time.

i) Austin talked to the sister of his best friend. She had returned home for the long weekend and told Austin about her university, Ryerson U. She told Austin of the fun and opportunities available there but she encouraged Austin to check out the possibilities elsewhere too.

j) Austin applied to 4 of the university programs and received acceptances from 3 of them. In addition, in two of the three universities he was offered financial aid.

k) Austin made his decision.