TVtropes, tell me where to go to college

Soooo, senior year is coming up fast but I still have no idea to go to college. Does anyone have any personal suggestions they'd like to tell me? I am willing to hear everything and anything.

What do you like doing? What majors are you considering? What's your financial situation? Where do you live? Are you on good terms with your parents?

One of the things I like best about the college I chose is that it's close to home so I can go home whenever I want. It also makings moving in and out of the dorms very convenient.

edited 10th May '11 7:26:30 AM by storyyeller

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Hmmm...

I want to get out of my state. (Tennessee) I think Atlanta is the closest I'll go. I have no intention of visiting home outside of break.

I'm on fine terms with my parents. They're willing to foot the whole billl.

I want to study economics and philosophy. They have that everywhere.

So, like I said, I'm pretty much open to anything.

Darn. In my case the choice was pretty obvious, but it looks like it will be a bit more difficult for you.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Yeah, hence why I have this thread.

Depending on your courseload senior year, I recommend applying to your local community college. You can take some of your undergraduate classes during your senior year (like my wife) or go straight into classes after graduating from high school (like I did) and save a lot of money by fulfilling your basic requirements (ie: math, english, humanities) for half the price and then transfer in to the university you want.

No matter what, DO NOT go to one of those "for profit" universities. Everything I've heard from people in HR positions is that those are worse than no education.

Are you trying to get out of Tennessee, or just away from your home? If the second, then look at other universities in the state - tuition as an in-state student is usually a small percentage less than out-of-state student. Also, as mentioned, it makes moving easier. :D

Beyond that, I can't give you much advice on how to choose your future education provider, but I can give plenty of advice on how to survive on your own.*

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

...you mean universities you have to pay for?

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!

I'm already going to communtiy college! I plan on taking an online course this summer and I'm taking more English courses there next year because I'm out of English classes to take at my high school.

I really want a "traditional" college experience, so I don't think community college is for me. And like I said, money isn't an issue.

I really want to get out of TN. I'm not a big fan of the University of Tennessee, so I don't really want to go there. The other schools tend to be suitcase schools, so I think that rules them out for me too.

Well if you want to be cynical, yeah all universities are for-profit. But some of them have the explicit aim of raising money for shareholders.

But Berea College is free. And so is Cooper Union!

edited 10th May '11 8:24:18 AM by chaosakita

No. I mean the stuff like University of Phoenix or ITT Technical College. The ones you see advertised on television. You have to pay for any college or university you attend; I mean the ones that exist specifically to make a profit off your attendance and pay out to shareholders.

edited 10th May '11 8:48:58 AM by BlueNinja0

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Indeed, those are a very specific type of college, and should be avoided. Plus they're mostly distance learning or minimal campus places, so it's not what the OP wants anyway.

Honestly though, the OP just wants a college with a social life. I'd suggest finding the interstates near you and looking for campuses along it that have a community.

Either that, or bypassing college for now, and trying something in the way of volunteering for a year.

Even though your parents are willing to foot the whole bill, it always is a good idea to apply for merit-based scholarships*

if you think you have any reasonable chance of getting them. Or even if you don't, because hey, who knows?

Money is always nice, of course; but even more than that, having won a scholarship would give a little edge to your CV when you later apply for jobs.

An education that you paid for is not as impressive as an education someone paid you for, after all...

So, if I were you, I'd make myself a list of very good colleges, and try to apply for scholarships in all of them. That's gonna take quite a lot of work. Then, with some luck and if you did your job well, one or two will offer you something cool; take it, and you won't have wasted your time.

edited 10th May '11 9:02:45 AM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

If you really want to get away from Tennessee, may I recommend applying to UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, or UNLV.

The middle two, admittedly, have a stronger focus on science majors than economics. All four are in major cities way the hell away from Tennessee, and have*

good "campus life" with numerous active clubs, fraternities/sororities, and good course load. I did two semesters at UNLV before I joined the Navy*

^{though I lived at home, not in the dorms}

and the campus is pretty cool and with good access to public bus routes. I have been on campus at UC Berkeley*

^{it's my mom's alma mater, and only two miles from my grandparent's house}

and it has a very cool campus and near 2-3 BART stations and multiple bus routes. UCLA and UC Davis are both supposed to be good universities, as I know people who graduated from them, but I have no personal experience with either campus. Biggest downside is that all of these are fairly liberal universities, so if you're of a conservative bent, be aware you'll be a minority.*

^{Or, if you do end up at Berkeley, an endangered species.}

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

I'd personally recommend the community college route. Theyre far cheaper, allow you to get gen eds done, figure out what you want to major in, and give you extra time to tour universoty campuses to find the right one for you.

Not only is it cheaper that way, but on the chance you do want an expensive college, you won't be burning through student loans like mad before you need them, and might be able to swing a few more scholarships.

Otherwise I'd recommend looking through schools everywhere for good bargains. Myself I'm transferring up to University of Central Missouri, which is as big as some of the other universities in missouri, but has a much lower cost for the quality of professors they generally have.

edited 10th May '11 9:03:58 AM by Midgetsnowman

^^ Naw man, Berkeley's got Haas Business School. I'm a science major myself so I'm not too clear on how to get into Haas but it's bullshit to say that Berkeley doesn't do economics.

MIT's not too shabby in econ/business either but I hear all majors have to take science courses as well, I dunno if you want to do that.

edited 10th May '11 10:38:23 AM by melloncollie

Aside from my mom (who went for language courses) everyone else I know went to Berkeley for science, and they have the big lab buildings and such. I bow to your superior expertise.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Somebody indecisive does not want to go to an A-list school like MIT. Or possibly even Berkeley. It's like trying to go out for the Olympics when you just want to play casually.

Another advantage to staying in Tennessee is the HOPE scholarship.

Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play

Emory? I didn't end up going there, but it's a quality institution.

edited 10th May '11 1:08:14 PM by Tsukubus

"I didn't steal it; I'm borrowing it until I die."

Seconding the scholarship suggestions that was there. There's a lot of websites that have lists of scholarships you can apply for. Every little bit of money helps, and (as mentioned above) it will look good when applying for jobs.

Fastweb is a good site for scholarships, and one that I used when I was still attending college. Scholarships.com is another good one.

edited 10th May '11 2:23:50 PM by Arctimon

Not going to college at the moment. Right now I'm waiting to ship out to basic training for the Army.

After my 4 years in the Army I might go to college, or if I like military life I'll stay in for 20 years and then retire.

Sinclair Community College has been kind to me so far. Granted I'm only two years in.

#IceBearForPresident

Just go to Clown College.

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys! Please keep them rolling in!

I've thought out some things that I'm looking for:

- having a "traditional" college experience (as in it's residential and half the people don't go home every Friday afternoon) - being away from my state (Tennessee) - smaller (less than 10,000 people - I don't want to feel like a number) - having an intellectual atmosphere (I'd prefer a school where people actually like to learn instead of just party all the time, although some partying is ok) - not having tons of people from my school attend there (I know that the schools are huge and I'll probably never see them, but it's just a preference)

Here are some things that aren't an issue:

- cost - location

@Carciofus: I'll look into that. Thanks!

@Blue Ninja 0: I heard the California schools are really good, but I'm also worried about the budget cuts. And all of those schools are pretty big. I'd rather not deal with that. But I'll look into all the schools you've listed. Thanks!

@Midgetsnowman: Like I said, money isn't an issue when my parents are footing the bill, so I'm not sure if I'd like to go to community college just for the cost, especially when I'd really like to get out of the state. Also, I've been told I'm eligible for a good scholarship at Auburn University, so I think even without my parents, cost isn't an issue in going to a regular university. But the idea of going there doesn't sound too appealing...

@melloncollie: I don't know if MIT is a suggestion you want to give to any other person.

@blueharp: I think it's more like saying someone playing casually can even get into the Olympics at the first place. I've heard how hard MIT admissions can be - my school valedictorian didn't even get in there. In fact, I've heard it's even harder than getting into Harvard.

@Tsukubus: I think that's a good idea! I've heard great things about it from my cousin, and the pictures the school has mailed me are really pretty. I'm just curious, where did you end up going?

@Arctimon: Thanks for the website links.

Well, if your preference is to get away from TN, then the West Coast would be about as far as you can get, and there are plenty of choices out there. The East Coast, the Midwest, they're a bit further away, but not as far.

Thanks. I'll look into some California schools.