All You Need to Know About Attending College on a Budget
Disclaimer: Do not interpret this guide as the only way to do things. What works for other people might not work for you. Assess your individual situation and do what you think is best for you.
First things first (rest in peace Uncle Phil) â€"
This guide is catered towards people in their late teens who are either about to graduate high school or are graduated from high school already. That being said, you should decide what kind of person you are and what you want out of life as soon as possible. This is what will define what path you should take. It is very common for people to not know what they want to do in life, and that’s okay. But if you at least have a vague idea of what kind of lifestyle you want, you will save yourself a lot of headaches in your twenties. A straight line to your goal is more time efficient and cost effective than a curved line. Thus, more than anything else in this guide, I really encourage you to evaluate your ambitions and think about what matters to you most. For the rest of this guide, I will assume going to college is part of your plans toward your goals.
[b]Going to community college first, and then transfer.[/b]
First of all, you do NOT have to go directly to a 4 year university. Nobody is going to look down on you if you want to save two years worth of tuition by going to a community college first. Depending on your financial situation, this might even be the path you have to take.
Do some research for your state and find out what required courses you need to complete to transfer to a 4 year university for your junior and senior years. Get good grades in community college so that you will have all the doors open to you when you do transfer. A high GPA will allow you to have choices. If you are in the states with great public universities, aim for them. These states include California, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas.
[b] Going directly to a 4 year university.[/b]
If you are committed to going to a 4 year university directly out of high school, you probably have questions about public school vs. private school. My opinion is that public schools will never be a bad choice, while private schools may turn out to be bad investments. The rationale is that for top schools, where you went to undergrad is going to be comparable whether public or private. UC Berkeley is the same as HYPSM in terms of name recognition among graduate school admissions committees. If it’s a big name, it’s a big name. Conversely, for lower tier schools, if it’s a small name, it’s a small name. Do not spend more money on tuition for a small private when you might as well save money by attending a small name public. It makes no difference. One thing to point out is that the advantage of going to a top private is GPA inflation. They tend to give out a higher percentage of A’s compared to top publics. So, if your financial aid package from a private school ends up breaking even with your public school tuition, lean towards the private. Remember this if you plan on going to medical school or graduate school, but in the end, how hard you study will define your GPA, not the school you go to.
Please leave questions and I will answer them as informatively as possible.
Edit: I forgot to mention I went to a public undergrad
11 Comments • Newest first
@cuddymd: lol virtually every college is for profit... I can't think of a single college that isn't making a profit off its students/athletic teams' revenue/brand name
@xronellx: The AA is meaningless if you have a BS in mechanical engineering. Work hard, trust your abilities, and success will come your way! You are on the right track! Now just go for it
@nolen: You're right, never ever attend a for profit university like University of Phoenix or DeVry University!
It's also worth noting that 99% of the time your University's name does not matter but instead the connections and networking opportunities you make. You might want to go to a prestigious, out-of-state choice but you can get the exact same experience more often than not in-state.
I would also like to add that if you plan on going to graduate/medical school, more often than not it's always best to do undergrad in-state to minimize your debt ahead of time.
I think public vs private is a really good distinction to make because I feel like they're completely different.
Most private colleges are small and collective whereas public colleges are massive. Both types can have top elite schools though.
Don't go to a college that advertises in tv or billboards. They are bad like most advertisements :v
I went the community college route, LACC freshman currently. I have question about the AA degrees. Should I get it or not? Yes, I am planning to transfer to 4 year for a BS in Mechanical Engineer. Since I plan to transfer, should I have a back-up major for the 4-year transfer, looking at Cal Poly Pomona. I'm worried that I won't get into the major I am want, which is the prerequisites classes I am currently takiing.
don't attempt too many hours or else your financial aid is fugged
i screwed myself out of so much money and actually have to take loans
@fradddd: you're going to look down on someone because they're poor? please don't kick people while they're down, that says a lot about your own insecurities
"Nobody is going to look down on you..."
I beg to differ.
@lettucing: you are right! But i wanted to make a guide for people who consider going to college a part of their life goals.
and remember you DON'T have to go to college