Criteria/criterion

Setting criteria is an important part of making any decision or judgment. This is especially so in the "real world." I can think of two examples where criteria was an important part of the decision making process in my own life.

The first was shortly after my daughter was born prematurely. I had a very important decision to make concerning who her primary care physician would be. I realize that this is an important one for all parents (whether children are born prematurely or not), but it is especially important where children who may have early complications due to premature birth are concerned. The main criteria I based my decision on was the doctor's experience in dealing with premature babies and some of the complications they (the babies) had (For example, lung problems among premature babies are common.). I did get a recommendation from the hospital for a doctor, but before I decided to choose that doctor, I made some inquiries to ensure that my daughter would be well taken care of by him as well as inquiries about his overall experience in the field. It was not until I was satisfied with the results that I decided he would be her doctor.

The second example of a time when criterion was very important in my decision making process is one that I am sure everyone reading this blog can relate to - choosing a college. Criterion that I used for this were 1.) Did the college have an online program that fit my major? 2.) What types of degrees were offered (Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, etc)? I was looking for a college that offered a Bachelor's degree. 3.) Could the college of my choice accommodate my disability if need be? I chose BGSU because it met all of these criterion. If it had not, I would have continued searching until I found a college that could better suit my needs.