College

[Lujei]

So, I've been needing some advice. This week is College Application week at my school, and I'm trying to decide wether or not to go to college at all. I mean, I REALLY don't want to be paying off a stupid student loan for the rest of my life...especially if it's for a school that didn't really do anything for me. I have an idea about what i want to do, but still not completely sure. I don't know ANYTHING about college and things outside of my sanctuary (my room)...it's all new to me. I feel kind of helpless and dumb for not knowing these things already, like all my other friends...but what can i say? No one taught me these things exactly.

To be honest, I'm very afraid. I know I'm the only one, but this is unknown territory that could change the course of my future. I don't know what to do. I might just be worried too much, but I want to be as happy and worry free as possible in the future. I mean...what's the point in all this hard work and studying when you're just gonna keep working at a minimum wage job?

Sorry if this depressed anyone, but I really need some advice from people on my own level.

 

[King Dorado]

look at it as an opportunity to live in (the equivalent of) a city comprised of 10,000 to 50,000 other kids your own age for four to seven years... that's an opportunity that doesnt always come around...

 

[Mariah]

I went to college for two weeks and it was super ****ty. I think you should go to a community college first.

 

[Mega_Cabbage]

To be honest, I'm very afraid. I know I'm the only one, but this is unknown territory that could change the course of my future. I don't know what to do. I might just be worried too much, but I want to be as happy and worry free as possible in the future. I mean...what's the point in all this hard work and studying when you're just gonna keep working at a minimum wage job?

I'm pretty sure you're not the only one on the planet with college troubles. I would suggest talking with your guidance counselor for college planning.

You don't have to leave the comfort of your room if you go to a local college and/or take online classes. You don't even have to pay if you get enough scholarships and grants to pay for the bills.

If you want to keep working for minimum wage though, then go ahead and skimp college.

 

[TarzanGirl]

That's why I joined the military right out of high school. It was a good decision for me and I got my degree while I was in and got the GI bill too.

 

[radioloves]

I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to go into college. You will have a higher level education that will help you later on when you need it, and it is like a safe guard of having some sort of education that can back you up. Plus more education can never hurt and comes in handy whenever, if you are young right now best time is to finish education now, you will be working for the rest of your life anyways, why not take the time to enjoy your years of not working yet, no rush. I believe that school loans can be payed off no matter it will be payed off, just takes time ect..and I'm not trying to force you into anything just a piece of my mind that maybe could help you on deciding :] thxvmuch

 

[Kinoko]

The smartest thing you can do financially is, if you want a four-year degree, spend your first two years in community college and then transfer to a bigger school for your last two years if you would like to. It will save you a TON of money, or you could just not transfer at all and save a ton more money. You don't even have to have any student loans at all. I'm in my third year of college and I don't have any loans, but I also have not attended any expensive universities and I qualify for FAFSA as well as a few scholarships. My career path (I'm an early childhood educator) doesn't pay exceptionally well, so it would make zero sense for me to go to a high-end school if I would never be able to pay it off.
Do you have any idea what you would like to do for a career yet? I think you should take the plunge and visit a few schools to look around, and apply if you like them! You can even start off slow and take classes part-time at community college so you can get a feel for it. It won't hurt

 

[Trundle]

Well you need to figure out what you want to do first. If you don't know, simply do not apply.

 

[DarkDesertFox]

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but you need to be prepared for all of the stress that awaits you at college too.

• Scheduling Classes
- This is from my experience with scheduling classes. Basically, you need to look up each of your individual classes and find time slots that don't overlap your other classes. This is difficult because some classes have more available times than others. Furthermore, the students that are further in getting their college degree usually get first dibs so classes can fill up. At my college they tend to put holds on your account so you can't schedule classes until you see an advisor.

• Books
- College textbooks are expensive as hell. There's some cheap alternatives to books such as e-textbooks, used books, renting books, or your professor might let you buy an older edition. Nonetheless, they are still expensive. The worst part is sometimes you'll buy a book and your professor will hardly ever use it. You need to order them a couple weeks before your classes start because some professors start using them right away.

• Exams
- Exams are much more difficult than high school tests and you will need to study for each one. Furthermore, your professors don't share schedules so you can have multiple exams land on the same day or week.

• Essays
- You will have to write a good amount of essays in college longer than you're probably used to.

• Professors
- You can either get a good one or a bad one. I've mostly had good professors, but I've had a couple I didn't like. Some can show their political beliefs in your face and you can't really do anything about it.

 

[King Dorado]

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but you need to be prepared for all of the stress that awaits you at college too.

yeah but the real world is full of stress as well. don't let fear deter you from what you want to do.

 

[nerdatheart9490]

Completely normal fears and worries.

I was forced by my mother to go to college for business. Now she spends all her time complaining about student loans, even though she was the one who made me do this. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet. Now I'm about to graduate with a degree in marketing. I hate marketing. I hate business. And I hate Johnson & Wales University.

I would highly suggest not applying for a big-name school until you know what you want to do. You can go to community college to get your general education credits out of the way (math, english, etc.) and that will give you two years to decide what you really want to do. Community college tends to be really cheap (the one in my state is only $2,000 a year), so you can start college without breaking the bank. Then you can transfer the credits to whatever school you decide to get your degree at.

Good luck!