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Free Talk Live => General => Topic started by: Pizzly on October 20, 2010, 12:41:38 PM

Title: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: Pizzly on October 20, 2010, 12:41:38 PM
Jeez. I got a $650 bill waiting thats due Nov 5, I gotta find the money for next semesters tuition by early December, I may have to take one of my math courses this summer since the two math courses I need are at the same time, I gotta find the money for room and board next year since I'm moving up to main campus, and finding scholarships is a bitch since I don't realy do clubs or sports.

I can now fully understand how recent estimates show that over 85% of recent graduates are moving back in with their parents. I still have 5 semesters to go, but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: libertylover on October 20, 2010, 01:38:56 PM
Jeez. I got a $650 bill waiting thats due Nov 5, I gotta find the money for next semesters tuition by early December, I may have to take one of my math courses this summer since the two math courses I need are at the same time, I gotta find the money for room and board next year since I'm moving up to main campus, and finding scholarships is a bitch since I don't realy do clubs or sports.

I can now fully understand how recent estimates show that over 85% of recent graduates are moving back in with their parents. I still have 5 semesters to go, but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.

Have you done a scholarship search?  Some helpful hints http://www.ehow.com/how_11607_find-about-obscure.html (http://www.ehow.com/how_11607_find-about-obscure.html)

Back in the day the collage library had a scholarship book will all the wacky weird scholarships.  I applied for several and won several.  The funniest one was the Susan B. Anthony Women in Business scholarship which was for $100.  I took my friends out to eat on that one.  Don't over depend on the internet many of the little scholarships are from old school people who are listed in the book but not on line.  And many of them don't get applicants because you kids today seem allergic to reference books preferring the internet.   I also won a Cato institute essay scholarship but that was back when I still remembered grammar rules and how to spell.


Free money for college
Laurie Blum.
Author:      Blum, Laurie.
Published:    New York : Facts on File, c1999.
Edition:     5th ed.
Description:     xii, 225 p. ; 24 cm.
Format:     Book

This isn't to say that the internet is useless.  Another trick is to list everything about yourself.  Heritage, home town, college name, parents occupations, degree you are seeking, political leanings ie. free market, anti-war, conservative, libertarian etc., even stuff like hobbies.  Then do a search using a personal quality plus the word scholarship or college scholarship.  It might be the only way to find that VFW scholarship for children of retired military.   Or some scholarship trust set up for only natives of the place you were born.   Another good thing is to learn the art of spin if you only marginally qualify for a scholarship puff yourself up and flatter the organization.  It is possible yours will be the only applicant and just by applying you win by default. 

Now some reality your dead line for coming up with the money is much shorter than any scholarship committee has ever moved in all the history of time.  Anything you apply for now you will be lucky if you score the money for summer or next fall.  If you are in a large enough city go to a temp agency and look for part-time casual work.  If you are out in the boonies you just might have to ask your parents or sell some stuff.  Another idea is to put up a craigslist ad telling people you are will to do chores to raise money for school.  Look in the service area of craigslist and contact some of those vendors and see if they can use some part time casual employee to rake leaves or what not to raise money for school.   And what you don't raise you can borrow from parents or relatives. 
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: davann on October 20, 2010, 02:46:49 PM
but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.

It is extremely unlikely college will ever be worth it if you go deeply into debt to pay for it. Take some time and do the research on the hype of college. It ain't all that it is cracked up to be.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: BonerJoe on October 20, 2010, 06:14:13 PM
but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.

It is extremely unlikely college will ever be worth it if you go deeply into debt to pay for it. Take some time and do the research on the hype of college. It ain't all that it is cracked up to be.

I wouldn't go to college these days unless it involved some type of engineering. Mining, biotechnology, electronics, etc.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: slayerboy on October 20, 2010, 11:44:51 PM
From a 5-time college dropout.....fuck college
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: anarchir on October 20, 2010, 11:54:12 PM
I went to college for about a year and a half, dropped out with about 3 grand in government loans to pay off. Yeah... not worth it.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: YixilTesiphon on October 21, 2010, 08:57:58 AM
but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.

It is extremely unlikely college will ever be worth it if you go deeply into debt to pay for it. Take some time and do the research on the hype of college. It ain't all that it is cracked up to be.

I wouldn't go to college these days unless it involved some type of engineering. Mining, biotechnology, electronics, etc.

All entry level jobs right now seem to require a bachelor's plus three years of experience (???), thus putting them out of reach of new graduates, so yeah.

I got lots of offers with my engineering degree, but then they ran out of work for me to do and I went to grad school instead, so take that as you will.

Again, though, my PhD is in a natural science, so it's not like I'm spending time philosophizing about Kafka.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: davann on October 21, 2010, 11:33:34 AM
but I'm already saddled with HEAVY debt.

It is extremely unlikely college will ever be worth it if you go deeply into debt to pay for it. Take some time and do the research on the hype of college. It ain't all that it is cracked up to be.

I wouldn't go to college these days unless it involved some type of engineering. Mining, biotechnology, electronics, etc.

All entry level jobs right now seem to require a bachelor's plus three years of experience (???), thus putting them out of reach of new graduates, so yeah.

I got lots of offers with my engineering degree, but then they ran out of work for me to do and I went to grad school instead, so take that as you will.

Again, though, my PhD is in a natural science, so it's not like I'm spending time philosophizing about Kafka.

Engineering seems a good route to go. Seems many engineering students get offers for apprenticeship which can which can start counting as those years of experience needed. Many companies will put their wish list in the job requirements description. Those requirements are flexible some times, something to keep in mind when career hunting for those that did not know this.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: Pizzly on October 21, 2010, 12:13:04 PM
I knew I should of just done gotten the nuclear engineering technology associates degree from the local community college instead of doing psu for the 4 year degree. I don't think I'm going to be able to pay for all this shit.

that's it, I think agricultural engineering beat out nuclear as my intended major. It was always my second choice, but the courses match my schedule better and there's a shitload more scholarship/employment opportunities. It's crazy the difference in scholarships.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: mikehz on October 21, 2010, 03:05:05 PM
It all depends on what you're taking. If you are majoring in "Underwater BB Stacking" then just expect to have trouble getting employment. If, however, you're pursuing a degree in Nursing or some other high-demand field, then you will be instantly employed in a high-paying profession even before graduation.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: BonerJoe on October 21, 2010, 06:01:21 PM
If, however, you're pursuing a degree in Nursing or some other high-demand field, then you will be instantly employed in a high-paying profession even before graduation.

They won't hire nurses without on the job training, I know that.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith) on October 21, 2010, 10:36:39 PM
If, however, you're pursuing a degree in Nursing or some other high-demand field, then you will be instantly employed in a high-paying profession even before graduation.

They won't hire nurses without on the job training, I know that.
On the job training is typically part of getting the license in any state.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: anarchir on October 21, 2010, 10:41:05 PM
If, however, you're pursuing a degree in Nursing or some other high-demand field, then you will be instantly employed in a high-paying profession even before graduation.

They won't hire nurses without on the job training, I know that.
On the job training is typically part of getting the license in any state.

You cannot even enter into nursing school anymore (at least in my state) without being a CNA first.  Most nurses get offers before they leave school but they have been working for awhile anyway.
Title: Re: Quick little rant about college.
Post by: Pizzly on November 02, 2010, 11:47:25 PM
And of course the day I want to go to sleep early I need to stay up so I can schedule my courses early. And these darn chairs are way to small for my fatness.