Which School??

[avx]

Hey guys,
I've decided to stop procrastinating and get on with my education, and I have contacted several schools and ordered some information on their campuses and programs. They are all trade schools, because I have a number of friends in "real" colleges and most have been there for about 2 or 3 yrs, and they still have no idea what they are doing, and really all they do is party anyway, so Im going to avoid all that. I was wondering if any of you had any advice on what schools I should really look into applying at, such as ITT or Devry. Im not even really 100% sure on what field I want to go into just yet, but I want to be sure I go to school that is taken seriously in the real world, and not just some resume filler.

[Stuey]

Don't discount 4 year universities. If you want to goto graduate school for whatever reason, you're probably going to need that kind of a degree. A 4-year college IS a good way to figure out what you want to do because there is a lot of variety and you have the chance to try several of the fields. Some people flip flop a bit and end up stuck for a 5th year, but if it helps you figure out what you want to do, so be it.

If you're interested in computer type work, there are various computer science programs at almost every large school.

You might want to give a few broad examples of what you're interested in. Given that you haven't provided too many details, I'm only saying that you shouldn't automatically discount 4-year colleges.

[CaptTuna]

A complete list of liberal arts colleges. They will make you PC.

Albion College
Alma College
Amherst College
Bates College
Beloit College
Bowdoin College
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Connecticut College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Earlham College
Franklin and Marshall College
Gettysburg College
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Hope College
Kalamazoo College
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Lawrence University
Macalester College
Manhattan College
Middlebury College
Mills College
Mount Holyoke College
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pomona College
Reed College
Rhodes College
Sewanee - U of South
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. Lawrence University
St. Olaf College
Swarthmore College
Trinity College
Trinity University
Union College
Vassar College
Wabash College
Washington and Lee University
Washington College
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Wheaton College (IL)
Wheaton College (MA)
Whitman College
Whittier College
Williams College

[IronMentality]

Just so you know, unless you are a diehard religious conservative, Wheaton College in Illinois is probably not the best place to attend school. Otherwise, it'd be a great fit for you. (I know this b/c I live in the suburbs of Chicago and have a few aquintances that go there)

[jayb1234]

lol First time I ever heard Oberlin refered to as "PC".

[avx]

I think we kind of went off track here guys. Im not looking to be "PC", I dont want to attend at traditional college because from what I have seen, they are not for me. I just wanted to know if anyone could vouch for the credibility of any technical colleges they have attended, or of the ones that I have mentioned.

[mairving]

What kind of funding that you have for college can help determine which one that you go to. Most of the liberal arts ones mentioned cost small fortunes to attend. Wheaton's is around $40K a year.

[doctorgonzo]

I've heard bad things about ITT and DeVry. In fact, I have heard rather negative things about most tech schools. If you want to go that route, why not check out a state 2-year community or technical school?

[mairving]

Originally Posted by doctorgonzo I've heard bad things about ITT and DeVry. In fact, I have heard rather negative things about most tech schools. If you want to go that route, why not check out a state 2-year community or technical school?

Can't trust anyone that advertises during Jerry Springer, eh?

[David M]

You don't need to spend a fortune to go to a 4 year university. The quality of your education is not directly related to the cost and employers know this. There are excellent "cheap" colleges and universities out there.

You open up a lot more opportunities with a 4 year BS science degree than one of those technical institutes or trade schools. I know right now you are thinking the latter but you might want to look at the quality of your education and future opportunities. For example, the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) system has excellent universities for much less than the private universities and the education is top notch. UC Berkeley is one of those universities. It is relatively easy to get a loan and scholarships to attend one of the UC or CSU colleges. A 4 year degree carries a lot more clout with an employer than a trade school certificate. What it shows is that you are a much more motivated and well rounded person than someone without a degree. Whether or not it is "fair" or completely accurate, those are the facts.

If it is your own money and not mom and dad's that you are spending...then trust me, you will not turn into a party animal like your friends. Your GPA does matter to a prospective employer. The party animals, if they graduated at all, ended up with 2.X GPA's and were offered the lowest paying, lousy jobs at graduation...if they were offered a job at all.

Go for the BS and not the BA degree....they generally pay better.

[flawedreality5]

Associates in whatever will only get you so far. That's why I got my associates in computer networking at a community college then transfered to a local university to go for my bachelors in computer science.

[Stuey]

That "complete" list of liberal arts colleges is VERY incomplete. It doesn't take into account all the different generic arts and science schools at universities. Where are all the public unis? The large private ones? The city colleges? You see what I mean.

Tuition at a city college or even a state college is pretty low in some states. By no means are we telling you that a traditional college is better for you. Without personally knowing you and not knowing how you came to this decision, I just don't think you should automatically limit yourself from traditional schools. You should definitely give it some serious thought because 20 years from now, or even 10 years, you may realize you want more, but it'll be too late.

My 3rd year, I had this roommate that was 32 years old. He had worked in construction for a while and some other fields but had decided to go back to school. He eventually had to leave because he couldn't get back into the student frame of mind. He didn't do well in a class and got frustrated at the opportunity cost of studying and not working. From out conversations I know that he desperately wanted to earn his degree, but it proved to be too difficult for him at that point.

Technical schools are perfect for some people but not for others. If you're certain, which exact fields are you interested in? That might bring a few less off-topic responses.


David M and Flawedreality make excellent points. Additionally, most students don't choose their major for 1-2 years and some take even longer. A lot of people I know changed their majors at least once. If you go in with an empty mind, you'll probably do well.

[flawedreality5]

I took 2 and half years at community college because I would have had to take 5 courses a semester to graduate in the 2 years. I thought that was a bit too much because I had to work too to pay car insurance and such. This is my first semester at the 4 year university but since some of my classes didn't transfer over or the ones that were required for my associates there, don't count towards my bachelors here. I'm going to be here for probably another 3 years. I'm not worried about it, I'm taking my time and getting good grades which what you should do. If you go to school in state, you should get a tuition discount.

[doctorgonzo]

Also, keep in mind that a four-year degree offers more flexibility. I'm currently a network administrator but I have a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota. I'm seriously considering law school, or (less likely) a Master's degree in the field of Information Security; both are possible given my B.A. Lots of jobs have that little "B.A. or B.S. required" at the end of the job requirements, too.