Yet Another College Thread

[Cosmic Fury]

Hey guys! I figured it'd be nice to create a semi-not-so-pointless thread here in the Supporter Hangout, this time about college!

So, who here goes to college? Who here plans to go? I'm honestly curious to see who goes here, so that we can talk about our experiences, give semi-sagely advice, and shoot six different kinds of BS while doing so!

So, now's the time to spill your guts right now, or else!

 

[smocks]

hello! I'm a current high school student who has her eyes set on UC Berkeley aka "Cal". With how competitive Berkeley is, I have pretty good pointers on how to kinda make your application stand out since I'm trying to make my college application stand out haha.

now going back to study for my ap exams :')

 

[Cay]

high school student here. no clue where im going or what ill major in but probably something stem related as im really good at math. idk where though. maybe university of washington or something

 

[Tsutarja]

high school student here. no clue where im going or what ill major in but probably something stem related as im really good at math. idk where though. maybe university of washington or something

If you're not sure about the path you want to go down, but still want to go to college and earn a degree, you could always check to see if your college/university offers a general studies degree. Once you do decide and you're already in, it never really hurts to change your major at all, either!

 

[Cosmic Fury]

Indeed. I just concluded my Bachelor's program in the Liberal Arts, and I simply ended up having a concentration in Business Mangement/Administration studies. If you decide to choose a specialization further down the road than most, don't sweat it out! Most graduate programs care less about you having a specific degree, than the very fact that you'll have one from a regionally accredited institution -- unless of course the Master's is specifically built on a strong background of prior knowledge and/or experience (and those number relatively few).

Even if you end up with a Bachelor's Degree without a specific major or focus, so long as you've got a proven academic background in subjects that matter the most to you, it won't be that much of an issue for you to take that knowledge to a graduate setting.

As for myself, I'm about to go back to school this fall for a one-year MBA program at Hult International Business School. I'll be attending their London campus this fall, but after that's over I'm undecided on what to do next. Since I'm a Navy vet with most of my GI Bill funding still intact (30 months of benefits left) I'll be more than capable of taking that to yet another program after I graduate.

From there, I suppose that the sky's the limit!

 

[Alakazam17]

I attended university part-time in a Computer Science program, and I only need about a year's worth of credits left before I get my degree. The toughest thing for me is deciding on a major due to how many interests I have. Sometimes I wonder if I should have majored in Mathematics instead.

 

[Corrin]

I'm a graduate myself, twice. I have degrees in liberal arts and administration. They're kind of opposites but the administration program involved some graphic design which I liked.

 

[Taemin]

Oh, interesting!

I went for a year, but stopped because I didn't have a clear goal or motivation.

Currently I want to go back in and get a teaching degree to use either in his country, or go abroad and teach English in Japan through the exchange program they have.

Also playing with the idea of doing beauty school instead of normal college, but I keep hesitating because while I like that kinda of thing, it's more of a dead end. Or it seems like it.

 

[Palamon]

Didn't go to college, and never plan to. I know I'll drop out, so I decided to just not waste anyone's time or money.

 

[Cosmic Fury]

Oh, interesting!

I went for a year, but stopped because I didn't have a clear goal or motivation.

Currently I want to go back in and get a teaching degree to use either in his country, or go abroad and teach English in Japan through the exchange program they have.

Also playing with the idea of doing beauty school instead of normal college, but I keep hesitating because while I like that kinda of thing, it's more of a dead end. Or it seems like it.

If you pair up beauty school certificates with college programs in business administration, you'll be able to take things to the next level with relative ease.

I've found out that almost every college program can be tailored to be related to another you pick up after it. I could finish my MBA and then go for a Master's (or even a doctorate) in something that would otherwise seem entirely different. Many college professors as well as corporate executives have done just that, and they're all more than happy with their educational decision to mix things up for themselves.

 

[Tsutarja]

By the way, I feel like it'd be worth mentioning that I am ~2 weeks away from earning my AS degree in Information Technology.

 

[Taemin]

If you pair up beauty school certificates with college programs in business administration, you'll be able to take things to the next level with relative ease.

I've found out that almost every college program can be tailored to be related to another you pick up after it. I could finish my MBA and then go for a Master's (or even a doctorate) in something that would otherwise seem entirely different. Many college professors as well as corporate executives have done just that, and they're all more than happy with their educational decision to mix things up for themselves.

That.. is true! However I'm in a pickle, as I have to work full time to pay rent and take care of a family member. So I have to kind of pick either beauty school or college, at this point, and only do either one part time. the s t r u u g l e. but we'll all figure something out!

 

[blue]

I'll be starting Uni in September to study Biological Sciences if I achieve all my target grades (which seems impossible rn).

 

[Lunar]

I'm going to University in September SOMEONE HELP

 

[Arsenic]

This is my first full year out of any schooling in a few weeks.

I have nothing positive to say about College, other than that no one lies when they say you have more freedom.

I went for IT at a community college.

My teacher was a cu- ...dummy. He taught us nothing but how great his business that provided internet to local businesses in the 80s was. The rest of the staff was never very helpful either. The food was high school quality, lucky for me I commuted there. Classes were 9am-7pm but I only had them 3 days a week.

And for all this dissapointment in the education system of this country I have to pay off a 10k bill, as it's 10k a year roughly. Not only that, since I dropped out I have to pay off another 1.5k.

Lesson learned. American college is a useless shitshow. I'm in debt with no more usable knowledge then when I started. In fact I feel like I wasted my time immensely. If I could take back signing up for college I would. 200%.

Go learn skills in the field kids, or go abroad where they actually care about education and not just getting your money. Especially if its IT as a degree is useless now-a-days anyways. You need certificates that you can take online.

I might try to go abroad for school this year for business or something. As much as I enjoy doing IT stuff, I have a very sour taste in my mouth from that schooling.

 

[Leviathan]

Yaaaaaassss. Software Development grad hopeful here. All I've left to do is find out what my exams results are in June, and also pass work placement which I'm on until the end of August. After that, I'm hoping to beef my grad up to a Bachelor Degree next year, and then try and do a post-grad after that.

After working away at this for four years now, I just want a piece of paper to my name, haha.

 

[Cosmic Fury]

Here's my two cents on college:

1. Unless you're not planning on going to grad school, your actual college doesn't matter much unless it's specifically a "name brand" institution. That being said, take every single shortcut you possibly can. I did just that and completed my degree in a mere eight months at a regionally accredited institution.

2. Brick-and-mortar colleges, while they have their perks, are no longer a requirement for a good job post-graduation. If you don't have time to commute, find a distance learning program at a reputable college and move from there. Admissions is easier, and you don't have to commute.

3. As our good friend Arsenic pointed out, community colleges usually aren't the hot stuff they're cracked up to be. The only reason you should even think about attending community college is for cheap, easy-to-obtain credits to apply at a four-year university. Even for that stuff, take shortcuts in the form of college-level exams like CLEP and DSST so that you're not trapped in limbo there, doing otherwise dull coursework. The less pointless work, the better!

4. Certificates are life! These things can be obtained simply by testing for them, many of them over the internet! No coursework necessary. Just take the test, get the cert and BAM! you've got another great line item on your resume.

5. Exams, exams, EXAMS! I mention these once again, because THIS is how I completed my degree in only eight months. It's far-fetched, but I've got all the proof if you'd like to PM me about that. The two main college-level exams accepted by higher educational institutions (including universities) are CLEP (offered by the College Board) and DSST (formerly only for military, until 2015). Both may be taken in any testing center and promptly reported for free credits on the cheap to the college of your choice... so long as they honor said credits.

Do your research, and take as many shortcuts as you can! It'll look good on your records, and also give you bragging rights when you finish your stuff earlier than those who don't take advantage of what they're able to then and there.

 

[Aslan]

I'm also a high school student at the moment! I'm thinking of studying either psychology or paleontology when I go to university but I'll probably change my mind before then. I honestly haven't given it a lot of thought yet.

 

[Tsutarja]

Question for y'all college students!

How do you guys fare with procrastination? I have a presentation due Monday night online that's not even anywhere complete, and I won't have anytime to work on it tomorrow. >_> Oops.

 

[Cosmic Fury]

One could almost say that I'm the king of procrastination. Most of the papers on my final course I literally turned in about thirty minutes before they were due.

Either way, leave enough time for you to get comfortable with your stuff. Just hack away five minutes at a time, and it won't feel nearly as boring while you're working on it. s