Was Poe's choice of a raven as the force that would push the student to despair a wise one? Was it a better choice, for instance, than another person would have been?

The narrator is already feeling forlorn. He is depressed. The Raven, in his black "attire," brings a sense of despair. His final comment, over and over again is Nevermore. This choice of the Raven simply reinforces what the narrator is already feeling.