College

[BarrSnacks]

Since some of the people that post here are getting to the point where they have to decide what they want to do after high school - I thought I would create a thread on college.

Boring? ehh whatever.

We can just talk about where we plan to go or what we plan to study.

And I'm just the person to start this thread (I say sarcastically) - because I don't know where I want to go or what I want to do.

Oh well. I will post some options for me later.

[ie]

I am one quarter away from graduating college with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Technology, Tech Support, along with two AA degrees. And I'll get this before I even turn 22.

Best thing to do is take general classes at a community college, get a Direct Transfer Agreement degree (which is essentially an AA degree), and transfer to a four year college. Costs less, don't have to deal with weeder classes or calculus, tuition is less and while you don't get the full, pratboy pissant college experience, you save a couple thousand dollars so you can buy a better education.

[captainofbeef]

I pretty much have to be a lawyer, its kind of a family tradition. So, I'll go to a four year college and then law school for three years. I'm looking at Cornell, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Boston College, and Villanova right now...

[ie]

Feb 25, 2008 8:41:08 GMT -5 captainofbeef said:

I pretty much have to be a lawyer, its kind of a family tradition. So, I'll go to a four year college and then law school for three years. I'm looking at Cornell, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Boston College, and Villanova right now...

Except for the arranged part, not too bad. The two law classes were among the most interesting classes I've ever taken, and might have floated in that direction if I were no good at computers or writing. So, good luck.

[dontdigonswine]

I think I've pretty much decided on a college, and I'm waiting for it to decide on me. I just got back from Winston-Salem, NC a few weeks ago, and I decided that North Carolina School of the Arts is the place for me. I think I did well at the interview and I'm just waiting to hear back from them.

Feb 25, 2008 8:41:08 GMT -5 captainofbeef said:

I pretty much have to be a lawyer, its kind of a family tradition. So, I'll go to a four year college and then law school for three years. I'm looking at Cornell, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Boston College, and Villanova right now...

If you end up going to Wake, I know that it's only about 5-10 minutes away from NCSA.

[BarrSnacks]

Feb 25, 2008 8:41:08 GMT -5 captainofbeef said:

I pretty much have to be a lawyer, its kind of a family tradition.

Is that what you would like to do? I mean, will you still like it even though it is something you "have" to do?

Just wondering...

As for me, I'm thinking architecture, engineering, or writing of some sort. Its just hard for me to find something that motivates me.

[captainofbeef]

Don't get me wrong, I want to be a lawyer. It is definitely the right profession for me. I just don't really have a choice.

[captainofbeef]

Feb 25, 2008 16:32:03 GMT -5 dontdigonswine said:

Feb 25, 2008 8:41:08 GMT -5 captainofbeef said:

I pretty much have to be a lawyer, its kind of a family tradition. So, I'll go to a four year college and then law school for three years. I'm looking at Cornell, Wake Forest, Georgetown, Boston College, and Villanova right now...

If you end up going to Wake, I know that it's only about 5-10 minutes away from NCSA.

Yea, the schools are really close. I think there are 10 colleges within 10 miles of one another in that area.

[BarrSnacks]

Feb 25, 2008 18:00:14 GMT -5 captainofbeef said:

Don't get me wrong, I want to be a lawyer. It is definitely the right profession for me. I just don't really have a choice.

Ok, good. Its just the way you worded it made it seem like you weren't that happy about it. It is good you are, though.

[ie]

We never really get a choice in careers. Sure, to some degree you do, but the choice between lots of money and not a lot of money can really cause some people to decide "hmm... maybe I don't want to get a degree where I will ask "Would you like fries with that?" every day..."

[BarrSnacks]

^^ That is what makes me so unsure about college. I'm afraid I will be persuaded by money instead of what I really want. I don't really feel like I care much about money, but if I am unsure or undecided, money might pick for me.

[ie]

Feb 25, 2008 19:02:22 GMT -5 BarrSnacks said:

^^ That is what makes me so unsure about college. I'm afraid I will be persuaded by money instead of what I really want. I don't really feel like I care much about money, but if I am unsure or undecided, money might pick for me.

Thus why I said at the beginning: "Best thing to do is take general classes at a community college, get a Direct Transfer Agreement degree (which is essentially an AA degree), and transfer to a four year college."

You'll spend two years taking a variety of required classes, with the occasional optional class, and by that time you'll have either taken a class that interested you enough to persue further, or you'll've found something you enjoy doing for a living.

Take me for instance. My first year in college was just taking classes through Running Start, Wiki it or where basically I'd take college classes to get high school credit. I had no idea what I wanted to do, besides get the hell out of high school.

Beginning of my second year, I took a computer hardware/software technicianing class because I was pretty decent at computers. This class not only got me my first job (where I stayed for almost three years), but also got me on my current career path. I didn't have to compromise my self, but it's a little difficult to get a great job in this field, and especially more, a stress-free job.

But this is life.

[Clark Nova]

that's exactly what my private 4-year college does, with about a third of required credits over the 4 years devoted to required courses (i.e. 1 math class, 2 lab sciences, a humanities course, a social sciences course, an art course, etc.), which i did most of in my first 2 years before i decided i wanted to focus on english.

[ie]

Feb 25, 2008 19:36:22 GMT -5 Clark Nova said:

that's exactly what my private 4-year college does, with about a third of required credits over the 4 years devoted to required courses (i.e. 1 math class, 2 lab sciences, a humanities course, a social sciences course, an art course, etc.), which i did most of in my first 2 years before i decided i wanted to focus on english.

That's a pretty standard way of doing it, though, to be honest.

You start out with general courses in mostly auditorium-style seating for your first two years (if you go to a community college, you get a degree from this, otherwise you don't and you pay more money, but you get to drink all day), where you have to take a little bit of everything to show that you have general competencies, but not enough to where if you're bad at English you'll fail the degree.

Then once you've taken all of those general classes, you spend your last two or so college years in "upper division" classes that concern your major. These have small class sizes, and you'll also be going through the track with some ten or twenty people, so you'll get to know these people pretty well. This applies to community college transfers as well as four year degrees. (I know a couple people that went to the University of Washington and they have the same thing here.)

[BarrSnacks]

I could always try doing something like that if I can't make a decision (thanks for the advice). I still have some time to figure it out, though.

[ie]

Feb 25, 2008 21:36:27 GMT -5 BarrSnacks said:

I could always try doing something like that if I can't make a decision (thanks for the advice). I still have some time to figure it out, though.

Well, I've been suggesting it since it is the best route to go. Community colleges aren't as bad as you might think, plus many of them have automatic transfers to other colleges, so you don't need to fill out as many applications. You're in the system, you have a GPA from an accountable school - I've never had to worry about my GPA and SAT score? I think you only need that if you're trying to get in to a four year college as a Freshmen - and you've spent about half the money. Life, therefore, is easier.

[sacrilegend]

I'm in my second-to-last year of high-school now. Here we go from January to December (ONE school year), not that backwards September crap you do.

I plan on taking two years as a "gap" before college. I want to work at some advertising agencies and maybe at a "Backpackers" lodge in Cape Town, for a while, and I want to go to India sometime in those two years, and get my driver's license.

After that, I want to go somewhere I can study Dramatic Arts, Journalism, Creative Advertising/Marketing, Corporate Psychology, do something in Art, whatever... If I ever find myself bored in my gap years I might even dabble at a course in Philosophy. Could only do me some good?

As you can see, I take life day by day.

[sacrilegend]

I'm also writing tests sometime this year for admission to Ivy League schools. Pshhhh, I dunno. It'd be cool but I highly doubt it.

[mixed]

My first attempt at university (uk college equivelant ) Didn't got that wel and I dropped out. I was satisfied with the decision and wholly beleve it was the right thing to do. Anyway, I'm going back in September to take creative writing and film studies combination. Before I was taking media studies and that bored my face off because it had other units like photography analysis in it which was very pointless to me. I have some vague type of career ambitions but nothing certain., When asked I just say I'd like to be some kind of journalist. Naturally I'll play it by ear