College hunting GASP!!!

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 1:03 am

Anyone in the same boat now as i am? Haveing to search for colleges is kinda scary, especially when you have NO idea of how to go about it. Anyone have some good friendly advice i could use?

Funny thing is i'm still a junior, and i've got to start early where i want to apply.....
I've also got this problem with the guidance councellors in my school. I've practically got to pull teeth to get answers and assistance out of them.

They're not much help...

weems · Post by **weems** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 3:29 am

College...HAH! I am a junior as well, and I am not even considering college as an option.

I have had my fill of school.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 1:24 pm

http://www.princetonreview.com

Best site out there for looking for a college.

Dunadan · Post by **Dunadan** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:03 pm

Well my college hunting is over, and i'll be in college next year so i can't help ya out too much. That princeton site is really good though.

Aceas · Post by **Aceas** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:38 pm

It all depends on what you want to do.

I know what college i'm going to because they specialize in what i want to major in. If you're not sure, perhaps a community college would be best. Take 2 years there then transfer to a major university when you decide what you want to do.

Btw: Junior also

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 8:14 pm

I had considered that also, but i don't have the patience for my community college, nor would i want to hang aroung my parents like a leech.
OK, to be more specific, if i'm lucky, i'll be accepted at the Air Force Academy, but my back-up plan is to do ROTC at a college in my state.
I'll probably major in Aeronautical Engineering.
I suppose i'll need to earn a scholarship.
That site is helpful!

Nellwyn · Post by **Nellwyn** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 7:46 am

Just a little advice on colleges:

1. If the field you are entering requires certification after graduation, check the statistics out to see how the majors are fairing with the state tests at your universtity. If nobody is passing that test at your univeristy, question why. For example, my field requires certification. There is nearly a 90% fail rate on the state test.

Hook up with a school that shows kids passing the tests.

2. Some assume that Private colleges are far more expensive than state colleges. *cough* This is true. But most private colleges offer more scholarships/grants etc...and state universities don't - which in turn requires you to obtain a loan resulting in you paying more in the end. Private colleges have far more funding to throw around than state universities do.

3. Find out every detail you can about your major:

A. What demand is there for that field? In other words, are you getting into a field that is quite competitive? If so, you may find it hard to find a job - so stay on top.

B. What's the average salary for someone who is new in the field and is it going to be enough to cover your expenses of finally living on your own? Don't forget having to pay the loans back as well. hah

C. Does it require state certification? If so, guess what? Just cause you have a degree doesn't mean you can use it yet. Find out the statistics on that test. There are surprisingly a lot of fields nowadays that require some type of certification. Not to mention, how much it costs everytime you have to take it. Depending on the field, state tests can cost as high as 200 dollars to take each time.

D. Is the field in which you are entering being dominated by another field? For example: Those who studied to be lawyers are taking the paralegal jobs by 72% simply because lawyers are finding it hard to establish themselves. So those who went to school to become a paralegal are finding that they have to relocate to another state just to find a job. There was an article on this in Newsweek a while back on this if you need to research it.

3. How many of the professors at the college you want to attend hold Master's Degrees or higher? This is important. You are paying for an education, get your money's worth! Many jobs look at what university you go to - not just how well you did personally. If the institution holds a record of somesort - whether bad or good, that reflects on YOU.

4. This is going to sound stupid - but make sure your college is ACCREDITED. Meaning, the classes you are taking and the degree you recieve is worthy enough to get a job. I know someone who didn't know they were going to a non-accredited community college. He now holds a degree that isn't worth zilch. Although MOST colleges/universities are accredited, varify it.

Just a little advice. Everything, of course, will appear overwhelming, but I would say out of all the things I could advise you on - you definately need to check these pointers out because they are often the debate of most discussions.

Nellwyn · Post by **Nellwyn** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 8:02 am

Aceas wrote: Take 2 years there then transfer to a major university when you decide what you want to do. Btw: Junior also

This is the most common misconception. Oh, believe me, I know what the school is telling you. I work at one

But if you take classes at a college and want to transfer to a quote 'major university,' the credits may not all transfer which in turn means you have to pay more money to retake the classes. It depends on many factors - how the major university rates, and what field you are. That's perhaps the only disadvantage about going to a convenient institution under 'undecided.' Most insitutions will deny credits you earned at one time or another. Another reason for denying may be based on the length of the class from which you obtained credit. If the community college at which you atteneded held quarter classes and you transfer to a semester insitution, I guarantee that most, if not all your quarter classes may be denied.

Make SURE that if you are going in as a 'undecided major' that you ask around at some of the major universities in the area about them accepting credits from the current institution at which you are studying. If not, you are stuck at the insitution you originally signed up at.

Nellwyn · Post by **Nellwyn** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 8:15 am

Sigh. Okay, almost done. Hehe.

#1 rule: =D If you have to PAY a fee to 1) obtain information about a scholarship/grant or 2) submit an application to get a scholarship/grant - DO NOT PAY. There is an alarming amt of scams going around on the interent concerning this. Schools/colleges are being notified daily about the scams going on. I read an article on a senior whose parents paid $200 which guaranteed their daughter at least one $1500 scholarship. The website asked for a credit card for the payment, and well long story made short - credit card was accepted, $200 lost, and no scholarship awarded.

There are WAY too many FREE scholarships and grants out there without having to pay to obtain information about it, or have to pay to submit an application. There are millions of untouched money each year because people fail to find it and request it.

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 3:14 am

Wow, thank you for all that, that really helps!

Nellwyn · Post by **Nellwyn** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:41 pm

Most welcome =P

Harax · Post by **Harax** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 5:46 am

Here are some things that I have learned in the couple years that I have been in college, and being that I am an RA(Resident Advisor) in the dorms I have seen a lot of Freshmen go through these such things.

+ If you want to graduate in 4 years, it will be hard to do if you transfer schools or change your major, especially if it is to a fairly unrelated field. So, you may want to make sure you have a firm understanding of the major that you are thinking about. Don't only look at the salary, but look at what types of things you will be doing. If you easily get bored doing repetitive things, you might not want to have a major that would cause that to happen. Also, with choosing your major, make sure that it is something that will continually interest you, and is not just something that you are good at or will make you lots of money even though you hate it (unless you want to try to "get rich quick").

+Make sure that you find a campus that fits you and that you can feel comfortable in. Granted, it is important that they should be a qualified institiution in your field, but make sure that the campus and the city is something that you can live in. You are not going to want to pick a university in a big city if you don't like a lot of commotion. On the other hand, if you pick a small city or even relatively small (100k pop.) university, it may be hard to find things to do in the city.

+Another resource for finding a good university are going to be to check with companies in the industry that you are interested in and find out what universities they tend to hire their new employees for and which ones have been most prepared for their industry.

In all, things will happen and things will change. If you don't make the perfect decision now, you'll just have to adapt. Granted it may cause you to be there for another year, but as a Junior in college, I wouldn't mind going to school for another year to avoid real life.

lingolas · Post by **lingolas** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:02 am

some words of advice from a 4th year bio major.

MAKE SURE YOU PICK A MAJOR THAT YOU LIKE!!!!

do what you are truely passionate about, not what your parents want or how much money you'll be making.

*btw, i'm going to apply to UC Berkeley and gonna try to pursue a 2nd degree in architecture... i'm never gonna make any money if all i do is go to school

*sigh

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 9:37 pm

I understand that i have to pick something i like, however, i'm going to college to do Air Force ROTC, and the major i picked to do is Aeronautical Enginnering. I figure if i know aerodynamics and aircraft design well, the better i'll be able to fly one. I hope to become an A-10 pilot, THE COOLEST PLANE IN THE WHOLE U.S. ARSENAL!!!! It sports a 7 barreled 30mm gattling gun in the nose so powerful it only takes 2 second of holding down the trigger to completely lay waste to a TANK! If fired long enough you could stop the plane in mid air with it too.

It carries 18000 lbs of mixed ordinance, and can carry almost every single kind of bomb or missile, short of nuclear, imaginable. It's also the slowest plane, and a wide range of jokes exists about it like; "it takes bird strikes in the rear". It's also the ugliest, but it's still the sweetest sight for our GI's on the ground if they call for close air support. Ah well, its also the most redundant, it has been known to survive direct hits from SAM missiles and still made it back home. Try that you F-16 jockies!

Yes i understand that not all Air Force officers get to fly, and even less get to choose their aircraft, but a guy can dream can't he?

Anyhow, i love to fly, and i love enginnering, so i think this is the best major for me, even if i won't make much use of it if i'm a pilot, the information i learn may help me in the air some time.

I live in New York, and so i hope to go to either Clarkson or RPI. If i'm extreemly luck though, i'll make it to the Air Force Academy in Colorado. That would be neat. *hint for anyone with connections*

Deliomir · Post by **Deliomir** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 12:10 pm

in belgium (so where i live...) they are reforming the college and university system, to the bachelor master system... i was actually wondering if this is the same system as in the US...

I hope you can find a good college Gilgolad, I can imagine it is hard to find a decent college in such a big country...

Here I have no problem finding one... I'm 17 now and will be studying Geology next year at the university of Ghent...

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 5:48 pm

i've heard about ghent, a really high class institution right?

Tuler · Post by **Tuler** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:20 am

lingolas wrote:some words of advice from a 4th year bio major.

MAKE SURE YOU PICK A MAJOR THAT YOU LIKE!!!!

do what you are truely passionate about, not what your parents want or how much money you'll be making.

*btw, i'm going to apply to UC Berkeley and gonna try to pursue a 2nd degree in architecture... i'm never gonna make any money if all i do is go to school *sigh

Which is why I'm going to take political science at either Waterloo or the University of Toronto.

And Ling.... I'm in the same boat.... I'm gonna be soooooooooooo broke when I get out. lol

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 1:44 am

Come to that point where i have to start visiting colleges, now how the heck am i gonna get there if both my parents work and are to busy to take me?
*ponders*
A bus? maybe, but that'd cost money i dont have.....or would put me in the red a ways, and that may be all for naught.

Vogar Eol · Post by **Vogar Eol** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:00 am

Join some branch of the military.

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:25 am

If you read the rest of this topic, you would already know that.
However, i will not just enlist to get free college benefits, i'm going to do ROTC, and get thrown in as a 2nd luitenant, its worth it in the long run, thats why i'm not talking to any recruiters, because they'll only try to convince me otherwise.

Vogar Eol · Post by **Vogar Eol** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 5:23 am

I said Military, not Air Force. I read your posts.

If you do insist on becoming an Air-head atleast go to Emory Riddle.

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:10 am

Military means anything, Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force.

And excuse me for likeing the Air Force, if you ever need air cover, don't come crying to me.

Why do they get ripped on by everyone else anyways, its not like they're complete sissies or something, sheesh, they're just smart enough to want to fly above the action instead of getting their arse blown off by some nut with an AK.

Tuler · Post by **Tuler** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:13 am

You're excused...... I guess..... for now.

Vogar Eol · Post by **Vogar Eol** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:20 pm

Why do they get ripped on?

1. When was the last time you heard about a tank accidently taking out a A-10?

2. They can do PT on bikes instead of running.

3. They are used to being treated too good:

A group of Army grunts is training in a swamp, one says to his buddy "Man this sucks!". The next day, a group of Marines heads through the same swamp, one says to his buddy "Boy this sucks, isn't it great?". The day after that, a group of rangers pass through the same swamp, "This doesn't suck enough, lets crawl on our bellies!". And the day after that Special Forces come through and say "There has got to be a way to make this suck more. Lets rig lots and lots of traps!" and they make it suck worse.

Meanwhile two Airforce Airmen are back in their barracks. As one comes back with some beer, he says to the other "Cables out, man this sucks!"

Gilgolad · Post by **Gilgolad** » Fri Apr 22, 2005 7:58 pm

Going on a college trip on sunday. weeeeeeeeee
Somewhere in New Hampshire