Ruse
Light-hearted Elfling
Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?
Posts: 19
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Post by Ruse on Sept 26, 2004 2:29:20 GMT -5
You don't have to read this...I'm just blowing off steam and lamenting to high heaven about the horrible effects of consciousness.  It's late...and I have the sneaking suspicion PMS is creeping up on me. But I have to rant.  I just don't know what to do! I've been looking up college/university information. If you have a gun, please shoot me. I've been thinking about going to a local community college, right? The class I want is a "Certificate of Transfer" or something? I have no idea. It means I'll have to transfer I suppose if I want it to count for anything. University of Michigan...and any university I imagine..is expensive. A woman I talked to about college once laughed at my blanching at 10,000$ a year, saying, "Well, if kids can afford to buy a new car, they should be able to pay for schooling." Well, I'm sure most kids don't buy a new car every year for 4 years. 18,000$ with housing, books, tuition and personal expenses--a year. (11G, cause I'd prolly prefer to commute) My dad is a truck driver and my mom is too ill to work. I've certainly never had a job that paid anything even close to a tenth of that a year. I know there are grants and loans...but they'd have to cover like 98% of that figure, that's for sure...is that feasible? It just made me sick. I wanted to take Interior Design, but that's a transfer course...and these people on TrekBBS are saying, "Yeah...college is a second highschool...most people just go there to pick their grades up." Yadda yadda. And then there's the academic side. I know I'm not stupid or anything, but taking tests scare me, particularly with the hype entrance exams get. I'd love to think maybe it's just hard for certain people, they're exaggerating...but I somehow doubt it. I took a test at the community college that said I was college level English and Reading Comprehension, but my Math was pre-algebra.  Embarassing, I know. Math blows.  And what the heck does "a unique background" in the requirements for UofM mean? Well, I might as well lie on that field. And I can't get a teacher's recommendation because I homeschooled...looovely. Can anyone scrape together a living off an associate degree? I just feel sick...I don't know what to do. An alternative that'll give me an associate of arts would be "Telecommunications"...but can I actually build a life off of that without transfer? I've been a late bloomer. I know and accept that, not proudly, but I'm honest. Does that mean I have no hope? I want to do something with my life, something to make my existance worth the effort, but it seems I can't afford it or some test is going to tell me I'm not smart enough or I don't have some teacher's note or have a childhood full of dynamic experiences.  And I know I'm being whiney to all you strangers. (Except Deana and Karri, bless them!) But I can't help it. This information has really upset me...am I to settle for a mediocre life? I don't even have the body to become a stripper, else I'd be sooorely tempted even with the moral implactions, cause life is money and that's all there seems to be to it. Maybe I should write a cheesy romance novel and see if I can build a life off that.  Or maybe I should run off and join the bloody army. At least that's free and I feel smart enough to operate a gun. Anyway, if you made it this far, my apologies. I had to get this off my chest somewhere before letting it fester without release. |
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Post by Karri on Sept 26, 2004 8:24:59 GMT -5
Oi! I can empathize, Ruse. Advice doesn't tend to be particularly helpful in this sort of situation, but I'll toss some at you anyway. Government grants, you are correct, aren't going to pay for the whole thing, but a scholarship might. Apply for everything you can find, even if you don't think you are eligible. (Sometimes if no one else applies, you'll get it anyway.) Go ahead and take a class or two from the community college, even though they are transfer classes, especially if you aren't 100% sure about school. It will at least give you a better feel for what you are getting yourself into, and sometimes it can give you a foot-in-the-door in getting a entry-level job in the field, even without a degree. (If you do well in your interior design classes and get the certificate of transfer, it is something to put on your resume that might convince an employer to give you a chance.) Associate programs/tech degrees aren't a bad way to go. Four years degrees give you a terrific, well-rounded education, but do not always make you employable.  Two of my brother-in-laws have tech degrees and had jobs within a few months of graduating, which are paying them extremely well. So if there is a Certificate or Associates program that looks interesting to you, go for it. And lastly, a big hug! |
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Post by Gwenneth on Sept 26, 2004 12:15:52 GMT -5
I'm sorry to hear that you are having trouble with this. I just finished college and boy was it a pain in the butt with all the expenses. Not to mention if your parents make over a certain amount colleges expect you to be able to pay for them...YEAH RIGHT.
It is a shame that higher education is so much more expensive these days and it makes it increasingly difficult for middle class students to go. I know my student loans are in the 30,000 range. I went away for two years...then transfered and commuted for two years.
The state universities in NY aren't outrageously priced, which is good. But I know that a LOT of schools are. I got excepted to Gettysburg College...it's a private school I believe. $33,000 a YEAR. I was like...no way.
I took one "entrance" exam in college and it wasn't that bad at all. It was more of a "placement" exam that just determined where you would start out in Math. Since I had taken college Calc in high school...it wasn't too bad. DON'T worry about placement exams if you have them. I mean, they aren't going to throw you out because you did bad on them. They'll place you in remedial classes...no biggie.
Scared of exams is common. I hate them. (No longer take them! ) but they were always nerve wracking. I have to go to work now, but I leave you with this:
If you want to do Interior Design...don't stray from your desires. DO what you want to, every if it means you have to choose a different school. I didn't do that and ended up wasting 10,000 dollars because I transfered to a TOTALLY different major. (Naval architecture to journalism....)
Follow what you want to do and make it happen. I know you can do it, it will be difficult with all these WEIRD requirements, but you can do it.
If you need any advice, feel free to message me and let me know. I have been through the college woes and I'd be glad to talk with you about them. Or ask on here...
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Post by Joee on Sept 26, 2004 12:30:13 GMT -5
Hmm, I don't know much about entrance exams because they don't have them here, but I'm sure that you would get in even if you didn't get a top grade. You see older people going back to school all of the time and they've probably forgotten half the stuff they learned in high school, yet they still get in.
My real advice for you is to do what you like. If you want to go for Interior Design then go for it. Getting a degree in something you want is so much easier than getting one in something that bores you. For example, I like History and was taking a bunch of history courses and my mother didn't think I should be a history teacher becasue she thought I would be good at economics. She kept pursisting that I take economics then finally last semester I took a course just to appease her and see if I would like it. Well, long story short, I had many good naps during that class and only passed because the course that I had chosen at random (Contemporary World Economics) turned out to be a history of economics course! So my point is, I could barely get through doing something I didn't like and there was no way that I could ever major in economics.
Regarding the finances, you just have to do what Karri said. Apply for every scholarship you can and hope for the best. If you are having financial troubles then going to a college before transfering to university can really save you money.
Well, I've rambled enough here, hope everything works out for you. ;D
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Ruse
Light-hearted Elfling
Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?
Posts: 19
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Post by Ruse on Sept 26, 2004 12:44:25 GMT -5
Thanks guys. This has me so upset I could bawl. These prices are outrageous...8000$ for room and board my butt. Everything I want to do in this community college seems to scream, "Transfer! Transfer!" I've been over so many thoughts in the past few hours, ranging from "Maybe it's possible..." to "Cosmetology looks good...and doable." I just...I want to do something good, you know? I come from a family of people that didn't really go to college...(my uncle by marriage did...but he had rich grandparents). I'm going to be 24 in 4 months...I really feel the pressure to do something with my life. I don't want to build my life around waiting on some guy to marry me, have kids and start the same family cycle over again. This works for some people, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. But I don't want to live from paycheck to paycheck just to turn out another kid just like me that's gonna have to fight tooth and nail for a mediocre life. Maybe I expect too much, given my "unique" background. Maybe I'll just do what you guys are suggesting...take the interior design courses even if I don't have the promise of transfer. It does say in this book it prepares for entry level positions. and I'll at least have the ability to say, hey...I made an effort. Maybe I can even make enough in that to go on to a transfer. And apply for scholarships like that's my career in itself. I really think it's something I would love. Thanks...I'm sorry for my freakout.  I guess I just need to stop putting so much pressure on myself. You guys are awesome for even responding. *hugs everyone*  Thanks for your stories, too...it's helpful to hear. My parents are insisting on me being soooo good at computers, I even took an A+ certification course. *GAG* I'll end up smacking a lot of innocent people if I get into that. So yeah...I understand not getting into something I'll be bored with. That's why I've changed my mind from nursing. While nursing would be the easier, smarter and less expensive choice, I just have to go and be difficult. |
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Post by Nilmandra on Sept 26, 2004 14:55:06 GMT -5
I am just about to start the college visits scene with my niece and sister-in-law. I am a firm believer that everyone should have some sort of skill to support themselves, women as well as men. Many women will not marry or will choose to work during part or all of their marriage. Where that skill is obtained is a matter of what the skill is. There are vocational schools, colleges, apprentice programs and so on. My siblings and I are varied - two with advanced college degrees, two with vocational school degrees and one with neither. All have good jobs and make decent money. College degrees are not for everyone - nor do I think someone should go thousands of dollars in debt to get a degre that has no employment value. Some degrees make a person nearly instantly employable - almost anything in health care, for example, is needed. As far as approach, talk to people, think hard about what kind of work you want to do, and then figure out what kind of training you need to do that. After that, apply for any and every kind of aid available. Every institution you visit, ask about graduation rates and/or placement rates. How many of their graduates get hired? What kind of salaries do they make? A great example of this is veterinary technicians. Vet techs can go to vocational school and spend 10-20K getting their training. Someone else might get hired by a clinic and get trained on the job. The difference in pay is usually minimal, but for advancement at a large animal hospital you might need the program certificate. Going 20K in debt to make $9 an hour hardly seems like a good idea to me I do know a young woman who runs her own beauty shop. She bought her first house way before me |
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Ruse
Light-hearted Elfling
Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?
Posts: 19
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Post by Ruse on Sept 26, 2004 15:00:40 GMT -5
Thanks, Nil. I suppose there are tons of things I could be doing. Jobs afterwards is one thing that has me concerned with going into Telecommunications and more definitely with the Theatre classes that are tempting me. I'm guessing there isn't some gigantic need for interior design. But I want to do something that lets me be creative. Someone on another board suggested even if I get certain skills in one degree, I could do like a specialized journalism with it, which is also a thought. I like writing and I adore design, from interiors to graphics. I think where I would be happiest is in design...I could spend hours and hours designing Sims homes, then abandoning them to design another. |
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Post by Nilmandra on Sept 26, 2004 15:15:54 GMT -5
Thanks, Nil. I suppose there are tons of things I could be doing. Jobs afterwards is one thing that has me concerned with going into Telecommunications and more definitely with the Theatre classes that are tempting me. I'm guessing there isn't some gigantic need for interior design. It might be good to find an interior designer and talk to them - about their training, how they gained experience and maybe even see if you could work with one on a project or two for free to get a feel for it. Remember that you can take classes for fun, too! A lot of people start out in community college taking their 'generals' - seeing what they like, what they don't and talking to people to figure out what they can do with what they do like. Some things might become a hobby and something else your work or profession. There are college completion programs too - once you have that two years in, you can often complete your degree in a number of areas in a weekend/evening program. Lots of possibilities. Good to ask yourself these questions before you get yourself deep in debt, too. |
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I guess I just need to stop putting so much pressure on myself. You guys are awesome for even responding. *hugs everyone* 
Thanks for your stories, too...it's helpful to hear.
