College Advice

[Bren]

I realize this isn't the best place to turn for advice but since we have a lot of older members, I figured I would ask. First of all, I wasn't a grade A student in HS. So, I didn't get any scholarships. I have also been trying to find my first job. Then comes the college part. I have my heart set on doing schooling for IT Networking with ITT Tech. Mom wants me to go to Pulaski Tech. The problem is, ITT is pricey. I've heard grants are good to go with but don't know where to start.

Insights and prayers are appreciated.

[Kait]

I would avoid ITT tech at all costs. Their degrees are overpriced and end up being basically worthless. They are like the Walmart of colleges. And you cannot transfer their credits. I don't know ANYONE who is happy with their degree from there and I personally know several people who had to go back to school (with already massive loans from ITT) to get a degree that was more viable on the job market.


I would definitely go to a public university or so e such like your mom is suggesting she has the right idea.

I would do some googling about ITT before you get your heart too set.

[jasonjannajerryjohn]

If ITT is overpriced and worthless it wouldn't be like Walmart. It'd be more like a big department store. Or things like makeup and perfume.

If ITT was like Walmart, it would have to feature a lot of people paid next to nothing and be extremely cheap. It would also have items that are very practical.

[The Top Crusader]

Yeah I don't know what Pulaski Tech is, but if its a localish community school I would go with that... they are generally dirt cheap even without scholarships (at least as far as college goes) and convenient, and you'll learn the same IT stuff there as anywhere.

I don't know anything about ITT either, though. My local college was boring but pretty good as far as the actual educationy stuff.

[church]

Yeah, if money is a problem I'd go with a community college. Get good grades there and you may be able to get a scholarship at another universtity. Or just get a job with a degree from the community college.

Or

If you score high enough on standardized tests you may be able to get a good scholarship without having stellar grades. Check what the requirements are for the state schools in your area. Mine only required an ACT score for a full scholarship without regard to highschool GPA.

[EK]

ITT = scam.

The local community college is definitely the way to go, if you plan on getting your masters be sure to see if their credits transfer to whatever school you would want to go to after that, also, apply for federal aid if you don't have the money. Use student loans as a last resort, try to get scholarships and grants. The Pell grant is great if you don't have that much money. Make sure you fill out your FAFSA form at http://www.fafsa.gov for whatever semester you plan on enrolling, once you get that filled out, it will let you know what kind of financial aid you're eligible for. Community colleges and state universities also will usually offer underprivileged kids scholarships that help them attend school at little to no cost to them.

[church]

The other advantage of going to a bricks and mortar school is that you can get a job at the university to help offset the cost. You also can get to know your professors personally and they're a great help in picking programs and getting jobs later when you're getting ready to graduate.

[Bren]

Where's the best place to find out about grants?

[Kait]

Where's the best place to find out about grants?

Just do what EK mentioned above after you apply to the school of choice, and that will determine how much grant money you will be able to receive. If you just want information, google "Pell Grants".

[church]

Another good place to go looking is the school's financial aide office. Talk with the people there and they should be able to point you to the money and tell you how to get it.

[Sherlock]

What Top said. For-profit colleges are usually a waste of money when compared with reasonably-priced technical schools or community colleges that will give you the same education without inflating the costs. Remember: college in America is a consumer product, and choosing a college is no different than choosing a car; the admissions counselor is no different than a car dealer - they are there to sell you on the "brand." Just remember when you talk to these college people that the Porsche and the Toyota both have 4 wheels and will get you to work just as effectively.

To add to what church said above - yes, talk to the Financial Aid people, but take what they say with a grain of salt. Many schools get kickbacks when they sign you up for a student loan, so the FA counselors are NOT unbiased neutral parties! A lot of potential students fall into the trap thinking that the FA counselor is on your side. NO. The counselor works for the school and it is in their interest to get you to sign up for as much "financial aid" as possible. Remember this when you talk to them.

Finally, - from personal experience - if you are going into IT, companies looking to hire you are only going to ask whether you have a degree in a technical field and whether you have the specific technical skill(s) they are looking for. I've never seen an applicant turned down for a IT job because they didn't go to a brand-name college. The fact that you are (presumably) a US citizen is going to be a huge selling point anyhow, and you'll find that the demand right now in certain parts of the IT world is really high. So be confident! Your skills will sell you, not the college you went to or what is on your diploma.

Hope that helps! Save yer pennies, be smart! Make the school work for you, don't end up working for the bank.

[NB: Sorry about being so wordy, but I wish someone had told me these things before I went to college, so I'm just passing this on in hopes you and others here can benefit from the information I did not have. Unfortunately, at 17, my family encouraged me to transfer to an expensive private Christian college after community college. As of 2005, I've paid off $38,000 of that debt, but it's not gone yet. No education is worth that kind of money.]

[American Eagle]

A few months ago I had planned to go to a local for-profit college (Baker College) and that would've been a big mistake for me. The price was literally twice as much as community college. There was this guy at my church who counselled me against going to the for-profit college, and I'm glad I eventually listened.

Bren, you can do it. Look into Pulaski Tech; that appears to be a good, affordable school. If you don't like Pulaski, try to find another place where you can stay at home while enrolled in school. I recommend calling the college and setting up an appointment with a financial aid or student advisor. For me personally, just talking to someone who had answers to my questions was very helpful.

[Kait]

I just want to reiterate again..DON'T GO TO A FOR-PROFIT.

You can get an education that is JUST as decent for a fraction of the price! Take it from me. I went to my local community college, received my A.A. this last year and was able to transfer to a good four-year that I am starting on Monday.

Sorry. I am just super passionate about keeping people from being scammed by these schools that just end up screwing students over.

[The Top Crusader]

ITT = scam.

DeVry is where its at!

What Top said.

Forever and always.

But yeah in the IT field college is going to help, no doubt, but that is easily the kind of field where community college is great in. I mean no one cares if their IT guy went to HARVARD or something, its not like other fancy pants degrees like being a medical doctor or professor where just the diploma saying some snooty place is important.

ALSO... if you are into IT, see if you can get any kind of job dealing with computers at all... even if it isn't direct IT work. I was the "internet coach" at the library I still work at for like 8 years, and I didn't TECHNICALLY need to know much about computers, but just having that on my resume was good even though I wasn't doing direct IT work. So having that on my resume, as well as knowing the dude I was replacing and him putting in a good word for me, got me in doing official IT work at a local university before I even had any degree or anything at all... it was all pretty basic stuff, but still IT work. Then having THAT on my resume got me in at a local private school... then two years after being laid off as an internet coach at the library my old boss called me back and was like "hey you've been doing actually IT work the last few years, right?" and he hired me as his IT assistant dude. Which is why I am sitting in front of a computer typing this to you now and also have a Avengers Alliance on Facebook open in another tab, and am getting paid for it. And in the middle of all that I got an Associates degree that isn't even IT related, lol (although I took some related classes for credits along the way).

Also don't be afraid to look into certification instead of an Associates if you really struggle with some classes... that is basically as good in the IT field, and you'll ONLY have to focus on IT stuff and not have to worry about things like English, Math, History, Science, etc. Plus I think vocational schools are geared that way as well... so you could really give IT a shot and your full attention and not have to worry beyond that.

Or you could be like me and when you are one math credit away from graduating and you really hate math, talk to the dean about it and they might be like "Oh okay well you seem like a cool dude, I'll just wave this credit and let you graduate."

[Donna Blackbeard]

From experience, I feel like Community College is the way to go. It is wayyy cheaper in the long-run. Of course, there may be more expenses in things like meals or transportation, but it is the way I find is the easiest. I am going to a community college in the fall and they seem way more organized than the Bible Institute I went to last year. And this way, I know I am getting training in something that right after graduation, the school will place me somewhere that is a good paying job.

As for grants and things, get in contact with the office of wherever you are going. There may be some type of payment plan or something they can do to help you.

Also, ask for work around whatever campus you are going to be at. Sometimes that cuts the costs of tuition and whatever else you need to pay for with money.

[church]

Stay away from unsubsidized loans as much as possible. Subsidized are better, but avoid any loans you can. Grants, scholarships, and any kind of work you can do for the school will help. Look at the school jobs carefully though. Sometimes they're great deals, sometimes the school is exploiting the students.

One thing you should look at if you can get a lot of scholarships is whether the school will pay you back any overage you get from scholarships. Some schools won't. Some will pay you whatever tuition doesn't take out of your scholarships.

And most importantly, while grades are one of the best ways to get scholarships, there are lots out there that don't have anything to do with grades. I got several full scholarships that had nothing to do with my grades.