A "is this a good college" thread for all college searchers...

[MUFFYCAT]

While I agree with the idea about the experience of being away from home being so valuable, I also see the value of going to community college for the first 2 years. Around here the CC credits seem to transfer with no problem to the SUNYs as well as to the private schools. I know a few kids who wanted to go to private schools, but could not afford it. They therefore started at the CC and then transferred into the private schools their junior year. It worked out well.

I've also seen kids who weren't such good students in HS and sho would therefore have difficulty getting into a 4year school, start with community college and absolutely thrive!

What Pixie said!

Like others have said, it's good to think about it now..take the most challenging classes you can, and get the best grades you can. Also make sure you take three or four years of the the main academic subjects. For some reason I think NJ only requires two years of a foreign language, for example, but most colleges seemed to want three.Good luck!!

Most definetly take language in H.S. for college credit. Our school encourages it from middle school. I know a few kids who are taking it in college now and are sorry they didn't do it earlier because it's alot tougher.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Thanks Allison and Muffy. I'd be thrilled if she could go directly into Rutgers without a stop at CC, but I guess time will tell. Also, she's taking Spanish now. Had it in grammar school, but they didn't learn much. Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled with the level of the class this year either, but she's going to stick with Spanish for at least 2 years. She thinks she'd also like to take French instead of Spanish Junior and Senior year, so I think she'll do at last 3 years of a language, maybe four.

Thank you all for your insight. And my apologies to the other posters/OP. Didn't mean to takeover your thread.

 

[Robinrs]

Thanks Allison and Muffy. I'd be thrilled if she could go directly into Rutgers without a stop at CC, but I guess time will tell. Also, she's taking Spanish now. Had it in grammar school, but they didn't learn much. Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled with the level of the class this year either, but she's going to stick with Spanish for at least 2 years. She thinks she'd also like to take French instead of Spanish Junior and Senior year, so I think she'll do at last 3 years of a language, maybe four.

Thank you all for your insight. And my apologies to the other posters/OP. Didn't mean to takeover your thread.

And thank YOU for being one of the nicest posters on the thread. No apologies at all!

 

[PrincessKsMom]

 

[MrsPete]

Nice.

Thanks for your parenting advice.

Anytime.

By the way, I married a guy who -- straight out of high school -- was absolutely a "classic underachiever". Working in a warehouse for two years (for peanuts) convinced him of the value of an education, and when he started college he was serious and was ready for it.

His father did him a favor by guiding him towards that road.

 

[MrsPete]

I also not a fan of going to CC route for good students. First, at least around here, most CC credits do not transfer like people think they do and you have just wasted 2 years. Second, living ON CAMPUS is a HUGE part of going to college and I hate to see anyone miss out on that.

While I don't disagree entirely, and I don't intend to steer my girls towards community colleges, they absolutely have their place. For the student who'd have to choose between debt and community college -- I'd lean towards community college. For the student who doesn't quite have the self-discipline to monitor his own studies completely -- I'd lean towards community college.

For some students, they are the right fit.

 

[Green Tea]

For the student who doesn't quite have the self-discipline to monitor his own studies completely -- I'd lean towards community college.

I would take the complete opposite position. For an unmotivated student, they will likely continue the same path at a community college and ultimately not graduate. For a super motivated student who sees this as a start, they are likely to embrace the first 2 years; seeing it as part of the journey to a transfer and a bachelors degree.

 

[LisaR]

I would take the complete opposite position. For an unmotivated student, they will likely continue the same path at a community college and ultimately not graduate. For a super motivated student who sees this as a start, they are likely to embrace the first 2 years; seeing it as part of the journey to a transfer and a bachelors degree.

This is my DD. She is highly motivated. She wants her AA by the time she graduates high school (dual enrollment) and she is well on her way with 37 credit hours at the end of this semester. She is certain she wants at least a master's and she doesn't want to take a break between her undergrad and graduate degree. Following this track will put her there in a quicker time-frame. She took it upon herself to figure all of this out and set her sights on what she wanted. She would have easily been able to get into a university so it wasn't something she had to do. Community college has done nothing but keep her motivate and I am very thankful that we have that option.

On the other hand, I have a very smart but very unmotivated son. I will not allow him to go to community college or a university on my dime unless he gets his act together. He is only 13 so there is plenty of time for that. I am just saying that he won't waste my money if he is still unmotivated when it comes time for college. I don't see how a community college could motivate someone that isn't motivated. I think the best thing for an unmotivated person is to flip burgers or do manual labor. That has been known to motivate a few people I know.

 

[j's m]

Today's college mail was a new one. Franklin College in Switzerland. You can get a BA degree that is accredited in the US and in Switzerland.

I think that's past our 2, 4 or even 8 hour driving distance!

 

[Robinrs]

Today's college mail was a new one. Franklin College in Switzerland. You can get a BA degree that is accredited in the US and in Switzerland.

I think that's past our 2, 4 or even 8 hour driving distance!

Wow! Great excuse to visit, though!

I actually throw away all the too far mail, and for my son 100 miles is TOO far. We're trying to keep him close, don't know how it'll work out but we're working on it.

 

[j's m]

Wow! Great excuse to visit, though!

I actually throw away all the too far mail, and for my son 100 miles is TOO far. We're trying to keep him close, don't know how it'll work out but we're working on it.

I called my DH and told him about it and said about visiting. He still turned it down. He's the 1-2 hour max. If the merit aid is good enough, I can increase the distance accordingly.

Switzerland, they'd have to pay for all of us to travel and give a full ride.

 

[kacaju]

Thanks Allison and Muffy. I'd be thrilled if she could go directly into Rutgers without a stop at CC, but I guess time will tell. Also, she's taking Spanish now. Had it in grammar school, but they didn't learn much. Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled with the level of the class this year either, but she's going to stick with Spanish for at least 2 years. She thinks she'd also like to take French instead of Spanish Junior and Senior year, so I think she'll do at last 3 years of a language, maybe four.

Thank you all for your insight. And my apologies to the other posters/OP. Didn't mean to takeover your thread.

my dd just got back from visiting Rutgers. We live close by so she went over there ths afternoon and met a friends sister who goes there (lives on campus)
She LOVED it. She was at Busch, the friend took her on the buses, they went intro New Brunswick to buy a book,ate at the dining hall. DD was not really interested in Rutgers, but now she likes the idea so much more!!
She felt Rutgers was too big and she was worried about taking classes on different campuses, but now after being on the bus and driving around she is not as afraid of it.

 

[KarenB]

Anyone know about York College in PA or College of St. Rose in Albany?
We're also on a budget so the SUNY schools may be the way to go if my DD doesn't receive enough merit awards.

My older DD goes to SUNY Cortland and loves it. Seems to be pretty good.

I don't know if you got any replies about York College as I just opened this thread and can't take the time right now to go through all the pages BUT my DS was accepted to York College a few years ago. He toured it, liked it, and could get a pretty good financial package. Then DH and DS went back to it on their own and explored around the area. They did not feel at all comfortable stepping a block off campus.....that made the decision easy to decline the acceptance. This was 3 years ago and things may have changed since then.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

my dd just got back from visiting Rutgers. We live close by so she went over there ths afternoon and met a friends sister who goes there (lives on campus)
She LOVED it. She was at Busch, the friend took her on the buses, they went intro New Brunswick to buy a book,ate at the dining hall. DD was not really interested in Rutgers, but now she likes the idea so much more!!
She felt Rutgers was too big and she was worried about taking classes on different campuses, but now after being on the bus and driving around she is not as afraid of it.

Thank you for sharing her experience with me. I'm so glad she found another potential option.

 

[golfgal]

Today's college mail was a new one. Franklin College in Switzerland. You can get a BA degree that is accredited in the US and in Switzerland.

I think that's past our 2, 4 or even 8 hour driving distance!

It's only an 8 hour flight though

 

[Schmeck]

Please...everyone posting to this thread should read this.

The link quoted isn't worth the time it takes to read it - the writer talks about the single mother's income and FAFSA, then talks about the father paying part too, etc. make up my mind, either you hve a single mother, or two parents, you can't have both, unless you are trying to cheat the system. Glad FAFSA didn't fall for it, BTW.

 

[j's m]

It's only an 8 hour flight though

US Airways to Zurich 8 hrs and 15 minutes, but the return flight is 9 hours and 10 minutes.

But the price for 3 tickets in June when schools gets out: $ 4203

 

[j's m]

my dd just got back from visiting Rutgers. We live close by so she went over there ths afternoon and met a friends sister who goes there (lives on campus)
She LOVED it. She was at Busch, the friend took her on the buses, they went intro New Brunswick to buy a book,ate at the dining hall. DD was not really interested in Rutgers, but now she likes the idea so much more!!
She felt Rutgers was too big and she was worried about taking classes on different campuses, but now after being on the bus and driving around she is not as afraid of it.

Can you explain this since we haven't been there yet. How big is the campus and they go by bus to get to class? And what different campuses? Thanks.

 

[Robinrs]

The link quoted isn't worth the time it takes to read it - the writer talks about the single mother's income and FAFSA, then talks about the father paying part too, etc. make up my mind, either you hve a single mother, or two parents, you can't have both, unless you are trying to cheat the system. Glad FAFSA didn't fall for it, BTW.

I'm not sure what you're saying but the following explains parental information on the FAFSA.

From the Finaid.org website:

Completing the FAFSA

If your parents are separated or divorced, the custodial parent is responsible for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The custodial parent for federal student aid purposes is the parent with whom you lived the most during the past 12 months. (The twelve month period is the twelve month period ending on the FAFSA application date, not the previous calendar year.) Note that this is not necessarily the same as the parent who has legal custody. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, the parent who provided you with the most financial support during the past twelve months should fill out the FAFSA. Financial aid applications can be somewhat confusing because there are several different criteria applied for different kinds of parenthood:

The parent with whom the child lived the most during the past 12 months (the 12 months ending on the FAFSA application date).
The parent who provided more financial support to the child during the past 12 months.
The parent who provided the most financial support to the child during the most recent calendar year for which either parent provided more support to the child.
The parent who provided more than half the child's support (and will continue to do so).
The parent who has legal custody.
The parent who claimed the child as a dependent on their tax return.
The parent with the greater income.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I don't know if you got any replies about York College as I just opened this thread and can't take the time right now to go through all the pages BUT my DS was accepted to York College a few years ago. He toured it, liked it, and could get a pretty good financial package. Then DH and DS went back to it on their own and explored around the area. They did not feel at all comfortable stepping a block off campus.....that made the decision easy to decline the acceptance. This was 3 years ago and things may have changed since then.

Thanks for your input Karen. I did read about that a little bit. My DD is a junior so we' re just starting to visit the schools. We're scheduled to go to their open house next week.