OT Starting The College Process

[Deleted member 1556]

Thanks @Eyes On The Prize ! I'm slowly wrotking it all out, but transfering seems like a really good option

 

[cheeeeer93]

I live right near Bentley, and it's a really nice campus! It's pretty pricey though- I think tuition alone is 36,000. I'm also struggling with the whole college process. I really have no idea what I want to do-which makes things a littl difficult lol. My dad works for the state (MA) so we get free tuition to state schools, so my parents are really pushing that. We (me and my brothers) have to pay for school, so I'm trying to weigh cheap vs. dream schools...

There's a lot of really good state schools depending on your major. What are you looking into for majors?

 

[soFIERCE08]

my parents sent me to a private college counselor. i met with her about 5 times during my junior year. basically, she asked me what type of school i wanted- big/small, urban/rural, rah rah/academic, preppy/laid back etc etc. then, she gave me two books- princeton review best 371 colleges and college prowler big book of colleges. also, she gave a list of about 50 schools to research. the list contained a variety of different schools- in state, out of state, big, small, liberal arts, rah rah sports teams. i researched all 50 schools by going through both of the books to get the different perspectives. and then, i came back to my counselor and told her my thoughts. we did this process about 4 times. and after tons and tons of research i realized that i wanted an urban, out of state, small/medium size school with plenty of research opportunities.

and then, in between all this research, i started visiting some schools around me to get a college campus feel. i looked at big state schools as well as small liberal arts ones. these visits really helped me choose a college.

so, after we had a list of schools i wanted to apply to, we started the applications together. i started my applications the june after junior year(so right now for you!). and, i met with her about twice a month to go over essays, brainstorm ideas, fill in applications, set up common app, etc. it's a ton of stuff, so it was incredibly helpful that she was there to take me through it all. and, it was nice, because meeting with her often meant i had deadlines to meet. if i hadn't done any work by the time i saw her again, i was in big trouble. she kept me on schedule, which was crucial in this process. so, november rolled around, i had all my apps done and i sent all 17 of them off on the november 1st!

best of luck to you! message me if you need anything!

 

[createmagic]

Don't rule out any state schools right away....depending on your possible major, they could be the best option, or, if not, then they're a great place to get prerequisites out of the way for much less $. I went to a state school for education, managed to get all tuition and fees paid, and only pd for four years of room and board. My total student loans were less than $20,000 (total! For four years!), and I pay under $200/month, very manageable even with a teacher's salary. I had looked into bigger, more exclusive, colleges, but in the end it came down to the fact that in my chosen profession no one really cares where the degree came from as long as you had a teaching license...so why spend more?

There are a billion options for colleges in MA, most of them pretty good. And be open to loans if need be....trust me when I say that a professional salary minus loans is a heck of a lot more money in your pocket than some job you take to just "get by" if you don't have a degree...and that's IF you can find one.

Good luck!

 

[Emily Jane]

I have my first visit tomorrow!

 

[soFIERCE08]

I have my first visit tomorrow!

enjoy it! and ask lots of questions!

 

[Emily Jane]

enjoy it! and ask lots of questions!

I don't know what to ask though! I'm trying to plan everything I want to go to and it's very confusing. According to their website they usually have about 10,000 people there per open day

 

[soFIERCE08]

I don't know what to ask though! I'm trying to plan everything I want to go to and it's very confusing. According to their website they usually have about 10,000 people there per open day

well, what's important to you in a college? do you care about the sports? how many activities are open to students? what do students do after college? are there opportunities for research and internships? the types of academics? whether or not the professors are helpful? what about dorming? is it easy for students to get around without a car? just some examples of things to get you thinking a bit.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

i have no idea what everyone else has said, because i'm too lazy to read through it. lol
but my personal advice:
the college process starts with your personal performance in school. please, please, please don't be that senior who decides,eh i'm graduating, why not take 5 study halls. or eh, they only really look at up to junior year, so if i haven't done well yet, why start now? false. colleges look at your transcript all the way up to your graduation. i had a kid i graduated with who got a pretty nice scholarship to a school, decided once he got in that he didn't care anymore, and actually ended up getting turned away from the university upon graduation because of his academic standing. trust me, you don't want that. I would suggest taking as many challenging classes as possible if your school offers them (AP, honors, college prep, etc) because it WILL prepare you for college. it will suck, but trust me when I say you'll be thankful later. my first year of college was a breeze thanks to all my AP classes. not just that, but if you score high enough on AP exams (that's the other thing, if you take AP classes, take the exams!) you can get exempt from classes. if it's possible to take some basic level college classes at your community college, i would also suggest that, because it will be helpful later on when you have class overload. just watch with that, because if you get too many credits, you end up going into your freshman year as a transfer student because you have too many credits to start as a freshman. so onto the fun part, figuring out where you want to go and what you want to do with your life. sounds scary right? dont worry, its not as bad as you think. First off, it is not true that you have to know what you want to do when you go to college, thats what undecided/exploratory is for. and want to know a secret? the average college kid changes their major three times before graduating. THREE TIMES. so i wouldnt stress that think about whats important to you in a school. since you dont know what you want to major in, think about the other things. distance from home. are you a big family person who doesnt like to be away for long and would like to easily come visit? or could you be halfway across the country and not have it make a difference? is flying to and from an option? are you ok with car rides? I am a very independent person. i've been doing alot on my own since I was about 14, so I said, eh, distance doesnt bother me. My original game plan was to go to kentucky, which is 8 hours from home. I am at a school 2 and a half hours from home, and that's good enough for me. its far enough that I have my own life and I can't get surprise visits, but its close enough for those weekends that I just want to get out of there and be away from my friends, roomates, school, etc. What kind of school are you looking at? Have you always dreamed of the big D1A schools, so big it's like its own city? (makes for some pretty kick butt football and basketball games!) or are you more of a small school kinda girl? With that you also have to think about location. are you a city girl? okay with the busy days full of lots of people, traffic, shops and businesses, etc? or do you prefer a more quiet, small town, maybe out in the country, where its mostly you and your fellow students that over run the town? also, big difference between private and public universities, something you definitely need to look into/compare. not to mention a big one, money. what is your price range? consider in state/out of state. those are just a few to think about and get you started. have you checked out www.collegeboard.com yet? that will help you out ALOT. and in the meantime, since it is summer, start looking into what you want to do, or get into a general direction. are you more a math and sciences kinda girl? or do you prefer your languages or the arts? that too can help you narrow down schools. I know, its stressful and alot to think about, but alot of us have been there done that and I know I'm more than willing to help. so hope this helps, but if you have anymore questions, just ask, or feel free to PM me! good luck!

 

[fine.fresh.FIERCE]

also another huge advice is when you get accepted into your school do the financial aid, scholarships, and everything that deals with money for college as early as possible! that is what is almost holding me back right now from going to the school of my dreams because we are doing everything late! pay everything and request your room as early as possible good luck! and everything that @ShoWStoppeR said above is completely true!

 

[cheeeeer93]

@ShoWStoppeR - that was awesome! THANK YOU! I actually already have some college credits now through a class at my highschool that works with a local community college. So I have a credit from Intro to Psych. Then senior year I hope to do the same thing and get english and economics/statistics credits. The classes are extremely cheap in comparison to a college course so my parents are completely on board with paying $100 for it now with books and everything provided haha.