...College...

[blaknoize]

EDIT: UPDATED 6-14-2008


Well Admin and the rest of the IA team. I'm enrolled in ITT Tech in Columbus, OH. Thanks for all the info u guys provided. Even the admissions specialist liked what u guys said on here and laughed a lil.

So thanks for all ur help, its much appreciated.

On to the future...

[redrumracer]

get the hope scholarship. if your not eligible yet for it then take 30 semester hours then apply for it. unfortunately you dont qualify for the hope grant because that is only for certificate programs and not 4 year programs. also dont be scared of debt, it is going to happen, it is how you handle that debt, that makes a difference.

[4dmin]

honestly where you graduate from only matters in a few careers... if you want to be a professor, work for a competitive firm/financial institution, get into a good grad school etc... as long as you have that piece of paper thats all that matters. sh!t look at the drop outs like Bill Gates.

if you will make enough to afford to payback the school debt then it is worth it. if you spend 100k on school to make 50k a year that is dumb

[Lucky DAWG]

honestly where you graduate from only matters in a few careers... if you want to be a professor, work for a competitive firm/financial institution, get into a good grad school etc... as long as you have that piece of paper thats all that matters. sh!t look at the drop outs like Bill Gates.

if you will make enough to afford to payback the school debt then it is worth it. if you spend 100k on school to make 50k a year that is dumb

one in a billion.

[Lucky DAWG]

Since I seem to ALWAYS be confused and scared of debt I must ask this community a question(s). This thread may be updated for a short time as well so keep up with me if ud like to assist a random person out.

My main question is simply this; does it necessarily which University/College you graduate from? Has anyone on here graduated from a "no namer" meaning a school that is young or is a local influence (like Perimeter, or my hometown Shawnee) I'm asking cuz I'm trying to graduate with as little debt as possible. UNLESS it just doesnt matter cuz its unavoidable.

I'm asking those who are a lil older 26+ that are in their careers. Because I am very shaky on this and am actually really scared of debt. So please post and lmk a lil somethin bout this. My school doesnt offer what I need and I'm lookin for answers.

Thats all and thanks for reading this.

heres the difference between no name tech and University of State School / Big name private school.

The majority of what you are learning at the University of Georgia compared to say Permiter is going to be the same stuff, the difference to be quite blunt is that most people at the smarter school admit kids who are more driven and have teachers who are more qualified and better facilities.

Even so you are not learning much more at UGA.

heres the zinger though... through fraternities, alumni groups, SGA, or whatever you may be into... WHO YOU KNOW is a huge factor in what kind of job you are getting.

No better example can i think of is the University of Texas, it is a top 20 MBA, Med, and Law grad programs and the alumni there stick together, graduating there guarantees you a good job all over that state. Same goes for Vanderbilt, you are pretty much in anywhere in the South. To be honest i really doubt there is a good alumni connection from perimiter, i'm not trying to be a ****.

So in short... go for the big school man and get involved on campus. You would be surprised how much sharing connections and experiences with someone can give you that one foot in the door you need to start your career.

like the other guy said, school is the best investment you can make, its your education. Hunker down and try for HOPE if you want to stay in state, if you focus and do well then you should have no problem using the knowledge you attained to easily get out of that debt in tops 5 years.

[4dmin]

heres the difference between no name tech and University of State School / Big name private school.

The majority of what you are learning at the University of Georgia compared to say Permiter is going to be the same stuff, the difference to be quite blunt is that most people at the smarter school admit kids who are more driven and have teachers who are more qualified and better facilities.

Even so you are not learning much more at UGA.

heres the zinger though... through fraternities, alumni groups, SGA, or whatever you may be into... WHO YOU KNOW is a huge factor in what kind of job you are getting.

No better example can i think of is the University of Texas, it is a top 20 MBA, Med, and Law grad programs and the alumni there stick together, graduating there guarantees you a good job all over that state. Same goes for Vanderbilt, you are pretty much in anywhere in the South. To be honest i really doubt there is a good alumni connection from perimiter, i'm not trying to be a ****.

So in short... go for the big school man and get involved on campus. You would be surprised how much sharing connections and experiences with someone can give you that one foot in the door you need to start your career.

like the other guy said, school is the best investment you can make, its your education. Hunker down and try for HOPE if you want to stay in state, if you focus and do well then you should have no problem using the knowledge you attained to easily get out of that debt in tops 5 years.

two great points... ^ the company i work for 40% of the staff have a masters degree and i make more money the all of them so fancy degrees don't always mean a good job. (not that money is everything, but it does make people happy)

2nd you do need to weigh your education on what your degree can get you. you need to be able to make more then your school loans a year. just you give you and idea 100k in school loans will run you 1000+ a month for 10-25k years

[Lucky DAWG]

two great points... ^ the company i work for 40% of the staff have a masters degree and i make more money the all of them so fancy degrees don't always mean a good job. (not that money is everything, but it does make people happy)

2nd you do need to weigh your education on what your degree can get you. you need to be able to make more then your school loans a year. just you give you and idea 100k in school loans will run you 1000+ a month for 10-25k years

yea exactly, having a fancy degree always helps. But to be honest the rich kid who was in the top tier frat on campus is going to make more money then you even if he was drunk every single night throughout school and learned nothing, simply because dad's got the connections.

Its a dog eat dog world, and you're gonna have to kiss some ass and make some freind's along the way and internationalize your learning experience, you can't do it on your own anymore.

Also think about what you want to do...

if you just want to do undergrad, then go for the best school you can possibly get into with a great reputation.

if you are going to grad school then cut back the expenses and go to a somewhat reputable state school, you're undergrad degree won't mean **** when you get out of grad school. Luckily and somewhat unluckily due to college rankings, grad schools will pick the kid from KSU with a 4.0 over the kid at Duke who got a 3.5 because they want to look better.

just research man but always going for the better college is the best option, don't let the debt control you or scare you.

[4dmin]

yea exactly, having a fancy degree always helps. But to be honest the rich kid who was in the top tier frat on campus is going to make more money then you even if he was drunk every single night throughout school and learned nothing, simply because dad's got the connections.

Its a dog eat dog world, and you're gonna have to kiss some ass and make some freind's along the way and internationalize your learning experience, you can't do it on your own anymore.

Also think about what you want to do...

if you just want to do undergrad, then go for the best school you can possibly get into with a great reputation.

if you are going to grad school then cut back the expenses and go to a somewhat reputable state school, you're undergrad degree won't mean **** when you get out of grad school. Luckily and somewhat unluckily due to college rankings, grad schools will pick the kid from KSU with a 4.0 over the kid at Duke who got a 3.5 because they want to look better.

just research man but always going for the better college is the best option, don't let the debt control you or scare you.

that is not 100% true, b/c your cheap undergrad may not have given you the education to even get into a top grad school (many grad programs require some sort of exam + good grades) - plus top schools do have to think about their testing scores and completion rates.

[Lucky DAWG]

that is not 100% true, b/c your cheap undergrad may not have given you the education to even get into a top grad school (many grad programs require some sort of exam + good grades) - plus top schools do have to think about their testing scores and completion rates.

but how you do on the LSAT or any other grad school admission test is not directly linked to your undergrad schooling, in the case of the LSAT it is mostly a logic test.

My point is that they want higher gpa's over a good looking undergrad name.

3.9 average GPA admission shows up in the US News Rankings, showing that 40% of kids in the grad school came from Duke, Vandy, Dartmouth, and UCLA does not. see what i'm saying.

[Kyle]

a good degree is definitely a plus and is extremely helpful for getting a career right out of college. just go search for % of student with jobs after going to ____ university, then what the average salary is.

it matters less and less eventually but right out of school it def. makes a difference.

scholarships are extreeeemely helpful. I gave it no effort and am getting over 2k a year not including the hope.

[Lucky DAWG]

a good degree is definitely a plus and is extremely helpful for getting a career right out of college. just go search for % of student with jobs after going to ____ university, then what the average salary is.

it matters less and less eventually but right out of school it def. makes a difference.

scholarships are extreeeemely helpful. I gave it no effort and am getting over 2k a year not including the hope.

there are people out there wanting to throw money at you for scholarships.

I got in state for South Carolina, some other random thing, and then can apply for them through fraternity and honor society fraternity.

also if you have an ethnic (non caucasian) background, there seriously something out there for everyone. I forget what the website was, but there was something i joined back in senior year of highschool that found scholarships i could register for.

There was like ten that showed up that writing a good essay pretty much got you $1,000 from each one if they liked what you wrote about. If you are 26 and working / independent from your parents then that is an even bigger incentive for them to give you scholarships.

[Echonova]

LOL, I dropped out of college because I ran out of money, and I'll bet I make more than both ya'll whining bishes combined (with the exception of Paul's balling as$ wife now that she's out of school). Can an education make a difference... Yes. Is it who you know... Yes. Can it be neither and just good 'ole fashioned hard work and reputation... Hell f*ck yea.

[4dmin]

LOL, I dropped out of college because I ran out of money, and I'll bet I make more than both ya'll whining bishes combined (with the exception of Paul's balling as$ wife now that she's out of school). Can an education make a difference... Yes. Is it who you know... Yes. Can it be neither and just good 'ole fashioned hard work and reputation... Hell f*ck yea.

lol - i still awaiting the first phone call

"can i speak w/ dr. firestine..." - caller

"ya let me get my wife " - me

lol... no she is a prime example of what college is good for; as i previously stated unless you can afford to pay for those large school loans education isn't worth sh!t. but there are tons of jobs that no school + hardwork can make you great money; retail manager 40-250k, truck driver 40-150k, etc

[quickdodge®]

truck driver 40-150k,

Heheh. I have a college education and here I sit. As of the beginning of May, I am at the 40K mark. Later, QD.

[quickdodge®]

Since I seem to ALWAYS be confused and scared of debt I must ask this community a question(s). This thread may be updated for a short time as well so keep up with me if ud like to assist a random person out.

My main question is simply this; does it necessarily which University/College you graduate from? Has anyone on here graduated from a "no namer" meaning a school that is young or is a local influence (like Perimeter, or my hometown Shawnee) I'm asking cuz I'm trying to graduate with as little debt as possible. UNLESS it just doesnt matter cuz its unavoidable.

I'm asking those who are a lil older 26+ that are in their careers. Because I am very shaky on this and am actually really scared of debt. So please post and lmk a lil somethin bout this. My school doesnt offer what I need and I'm lookin for answers.

Thats all and thanks for reading this.

Why post this shiit in two different sections. It's not that important. Later, QD.

[blaknoize]

It's not that important. Later, QD.

It is to me and thats why.

[blaknoize]

Wow. QD as u should of read and I KNOW u read, that I posted it in 2 sections for traffic. U kno WL'ers only Whore around in there most of the time and SOME have great answers to some of my questions.

Thanks to all who made this thread fire for some reason. I mentioned GPC to compare it to my current school Shawnee State University, the confusing part is that the school I attend IS a STATE UNIVERSITY, but it only has local influence, or so it seems to me. Seeing as if anyone researchs Portsmouth, OH and the "metro" they will find NOTHING.

I'm shooting for Ohio State for reasons I cant quite understand (Ohioian, LOLZ) But yes, I've had that concept of anticipating the payback. Roughly my education (if I were to continue it up there in OH would cost me NOTHING, but the fact that I would need a loan each month to stay afloat would run me about 22-24K after 4 years.) Only downside is that that school doesnt offer the education I want, the major I'm shooting for is Computer Information Systems, not Computer Engineering. GOD the math!!!

But anyway, thats what I'm talkin bout and I'll try to run it with as lil overhead as possible, so i can get out of my Honda (though I love em for economy) I want to be able to OWN a house and such and not struggle like I am now.

THanks to all, as well as ur 2cent QD

[blaknoize]

Well seeing as u guys understand lots of things. I am independent student, I'm 22 and I went to 1 single semester at SSU. I'm wantin to go too a tech school, whether it be ITT or DeVry for at least a certification in CIS/T. After that my plans are to run through O State as a graduate (if at all possible and if necessary.) Otherwise I would just simply go to ITT and call it a day, but I want to LIVE, like admin

But thanks for the information. I want to be a cheap ass cuz chasin money to make money is gettin on my nerves and I'm in the way of myself. But... come next fall I'll force myself into college and just do it. I cant be make no 20K a year forever.

[tony]

I've seen both sides.. no degree make a lot of money blah blah. It really depends on the field, but I'll tell you this.. some companies do take a big preference with certain schools. My sisters and I were talking about this last night, Mercedes and Disney likes to pull students from University of Alabama, BMW.. Clemson, AT&T.. GA Tech and the list goes on and on. I think it has more to do with executives and their alma maters more than the big name school though.

I do know for a fact that AT&T/Bellsouth puts GA Tech grads on a fast track to accel within the company (the guy over our district just got out not too long ago) so as many have said it depends on the field. But also think about this, a lot of people are finishing up college or going back, so with the market so flooded SOMETHING will have to set you apart from the rest. Networking definitely helps as well.

[blaknoize]

^ This brings me to this assumption as noted above with the "University of Alabama, BMW.. Clemson, AT&T.. GA Tech" I wonder if colleges within a certain area are what I call "local influencers." Those being Colleges that more than likely generate Alumi that will be placed in a job because of their graduation location.

For example, at Shawnee State (SSU) 100% of the students that graduate from there that happen to be in the medical field, almost regardless of that major are placed immediately into work at one of the 4 major hospitals within the city or even within the State of Ohio. I kno 10 friends that I graduated from highschool with that ended up in the medical field, from R/N's to MD's. They ALL landed at job/career that netted between 40K to 160K in OHIO!!!

Maybe my school just isnt for me since there is nothing in the metro of my small town that has I.T.

[tony]

For example, at Shawnee State (SSU) 100% of the students that graduate from there that happen to be in the medical field, almost regardless of that major are placed immediately into work at one of the 4 major hospitals within the city or even within the State of Ohio. I kno 10 friends that I graduated from highschool with that ended up in the medical field, from R/N's to MD's. They ALL landed at job/career that netted between 40K to 160K in OHIO!!!

Maybe my school just isnt for me since there is nothing in the metro of my small town that has I.T.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Clemson is right there at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, Mercedes is right down the road from U.A, Tech.. right here with Bellsouth so the local influence with the big schools is HUGE.

[quickdodge®]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Clemson is right there at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, Mercedes is right down the road from U.A, Tech.. right here with Bellsouth so the local influence with the big schools is HUGE.

BMW plant is in Greer, SC. I pass it the place every day of the week. I don't know why i don't ever stop in though. Later, QD.

[blaknoize]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Clemson is right there at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, Mercedes is right down the road from U.A, Tech.. right here with Bellsouth so the local influence with the big schools is HUGE.

Hmm... I wonder what OSU would do for me. Since they are a well known State University. I dont want to go too DeVry due to the over done price. 63K a year for 2 fukin years of education or more. I kno I wont make that in any of the many fields in IT, even if I were to work with SQL software.

ITT tech... unless I magically make it into MIT, I'm leaning toward them.

So now its well known State University vs. Technical College.

[tony]

Hmm... I wonder what OSU would do for me. Since they are a well known State University. I dont want to go too DeVry due to the over done price. 63K a year for 2 fukin years of education or more. I kno I wont make that in any of the many fields in IT, even if I were to work with SQL software.

ITT tech... unless I magically make it into MIT, I'm leaning toward them.

So now its well known State University vs. Technical College.

Okay correct me if I'm wrong here cause I could be.. but I liken Devry to University of Phoenix or Strayer U. Nothing wrong with those schools but I know when I transferred from U of Phoenix to the State school here.. state school barely took their credits seriously. Plus the tuition at the state school was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy less. The one thing I can give to Devry or UoP is that they're convenient for adults who work full time.

[Lucky DAWG]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Clemson is right there at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, Mercedes is right down the road from U.A, Tech.. right here with Bellsouth so the local influence with the big schools is HUGE.

Clemson is the gayest school ever created.
do not speak of it in any form of a positive light

[blaknoize]

Well I intend to just be a full college student for as long as I can. Then worry bout that. Cuz some debt isnt as bad as ALOTTA debt and if I can avoid as much as possible I'll be straight. Only problem I see with DeVry is the fact that neither the State of New York nor Alberta (Canada) take their education seriously. I mean... DeVry isnt even known as a University in either of those locations.

I liken to DeVry as well, though it doesnt bother me that they dont count it. But I would likely live in NY after graduation I wonder if they would look down on me.

[StraightSix]

I am currently at Clemson, and I can tell you that both BMW and Michelin have pumped a pretty fair amount of money into the school. Our career center is named after Michelin and Clemson's ICAR facility was very strongly influenced by BMW. In fact, BMW's influence is why we don't have a wind tunnel at ICAR, BMW didn't want one there because there is one at the plant in Greer.

I'm sure there are other companies in this area that pull from Clemson students that I don't know about. I'm a Mechanical Engineering student, so I really only hear about jobs on in engineering.

When I decided to go back to school for this engineering degree, I only applied to schools that I knew had a pretty decent academic reputation.

[4dmin]

honestly if you are going to school for CIS i would highly suggest just going to a community college get your 2-4 year degree as well as find a course line of certs to take A+, Net+, MCP, CISCO, MSCE, etc... also make sure you take a wide variety of both programming/networking classes; even if it is to learn the fundamentals of languages/concepts... it is very important to be well rounded in this industry it could open up many doors for you when looking for a job.

i just interviewed for an IT Manager position that was both networking/development position. Most of the positions i've held have utilized both skill sets. You will find many privately owned companies will look for well rounded canidates b/c they don't normally have the funding Fortune 500 companies do where they just have to fill seats with people that have one strong skill set.

[blaknoize]

honestly if you are going to school for CIS i would highly suggest just going to a community college get your 2-4 year degree as well as find a course line of certs to take A+, Net+, MCP, CISCO, MSCE, etc... also make sure you take a wide variety of both programming/networking classes; even if it is to learn the fundamentals of languages/concepts... it is very important to be well rounded in this industry it could open up many doors for you when looking for a job

I just read about this on Monster lastnight. I would prefer to be a well rounded candidate. Cuz I do like to learn. But I'ma print this out and keep it handy. Thanks once again.

[Ruiner]

EDIT: I see I need to add this.
I'm in the Information Technology field.


Since I seem to ALWAYS be confused and scared of debt I must ask this community a question(s). This thread may be updated for a short time as well so keep up with me if ud like to assist a random person out.

My main question is simply this; does it necessarily which University/College you graduate from? Has anyone on here graduated from a "no namer" meaning a school that is young or is a local influence (like Perimeter, or my hometown Shawnee) I'm asking cuz I'm trying to graduate with as little debt as possible. UNLESS it just doesnt matter cuz its unavoidable.

I'm asking those who are a lil older 26+ that are in their careers. Because I am very shaky on this and am actually really scared of debt. So please post and lmk a lil somethin bout this. My school doesnt offer what I need and I'm lookin for answers.

Thats all and thanks for reading this.

I'll try to help you out.

A. I went to the University of Georgia (I don't like small schools and I firmly believe in the *college experience* of sorts) and graduated in '99, so I'm well into my career.

B. Debt is going to happen. My fiancee took 8 or 9 years to get her bachelor's degree ($45,000 total in debt). She is now working on her Masters in Education and will be another $20-25k in debt after that is done (Figure $70,000 total). Oh well, we'll just pay it off.

Debt is going to happen. Just wait til you sing your life away for a $300,000 house or a $40,000 car (both not untypical in today's day and age).

[blaknoize]

^Yea I had to think of that. I mean... I used to complain of the fact that it would cost me at the least 15K to graduate on a 2K loan every semester. Then... when I get to wantin to buy a new Civic or somethin, I just ignored it. IDK why I do that kinda stuff. So yea, those are different to me I suppose. Physical things are more appealing to me. But now I can see, thanks to all of u, that I'm stopping my own self from movin up the income brackets.

[blaknoize]

Bump

[blaknoize]

Man fuk a bump