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

[agnes!]

Be forewarned about Belmont...the tuition is about $33,000 a year. If you add in the room & board there's an additional $13,000 (I think...) and I understand that they can be capricious about what scholarships/aid they hand out.

agnes!

 

[agnes!]

Oh, if anyone's kid is interested in music business/recording industry type degrees, they should check out MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University). And if your home-state is a member of the Academic Common Market and your state-schools don't have that major?, it's an even better deal...you only have to pay in-state tuition to go there.

agnes!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Another website I check often is www.studentsreview.com

Gives you an idea of how the students attending a school feels about it. Interesting reviews and comments!

Thank you, I forgot about this website!

 

[golfgal]

Be forewarned about Belmont...the tuition is about $33,000 a year. If you add in the room & board there's an additional $13,000 (I think...) and I understand that they can be capricious about what scholarships/aid they hand out.

agnes!

That is a pretty typical cost for a private school.

 

[linnylu]

My DD is currently working on her master's in Forensic Psychology. Her undergrad degree was a double major in criminal justice and philosophy.

Do you mind sharing where she went for her undergrad and grad?
We looked on collegeboard and we found schools that have an undergrad degree in forensic psych. My ds is convinced that he'll have to go to medical school. I have no clue where he got this information and if it is true. How can we find out if certain schools are well known for this degree?

 

[clarabelle]

There is a book called "The book of Majors" that has majors listed -what jobs you do with them and what schools offer those programs.
You can get it on Amazon

 

[agnes!]

Be forewarned about Belmont...the tuition is about $33,000 a year. If you add in the room & board there's an additional $13,000 (I think...) and I understand that they can be capricious about what scholarships/aid they hand out.

agnes!

That is a pretty typical cost for a private school.

I'm sure that you and others probably know that $40,000+ is a common price for a year at a private college/university but for those folks just starting out on this paying-for-college/choosing-a-college journey they probably don't know the particulars (especially because, in my opinion?, schools usually like to hide the bottom line costs of attending).
And even though it wasn't DD's first-choice, MTSU is a viable and well-thought-of alternative for prospective music-business students (especially in the Academic common Market) without the attendant private-school sticker-shock.

Everyone needs to check out the various reciprocal(in-state) tuition programs that their child might be eligible for.

agnes!

 

[Robinrs]

DS 16 is interested in Forensic Psychology. I have no clue how he even heard of it. Are there any schools known for this program? Anyone have any experience in the field?

Wow, I love anything forensics!! I watch too many forensic shows (my son thinks I'm insane) including one that no longer runs about two teams of forensic students study the same crime scene and compete for who finds the perpetrator.

Since CSI debuted it's become a big thing. I don't care much for the scripted shows because they somewhat glamorize the job but love the true shows on ID or TruTv that give you an insight on the science.

 

[disney junky]

Grove City College in western PA operates on a different model. Their sticker price is the price almost everyone pays. For a small private college, it's quite reasonable. They accept no federal aid. They never build without having the money in hand. You can reduce your costs with a President's Scholarship which isn't a lot, but is based on your score on a particular test they give. My kids went there. You receive a laptop and printer as a freshman which is yours to keep when you graduate. Current costs are $20,200 a year. That's tuition, room and board. Student body was around 2400 when the kids went there. Pretty competitive to get into. Challenging academically once you are there.

 

[j's m]

Grove City College in western PA operates on a different model. Their sticker price is the price almost everyone pays. For a small private college, it's quite reasonable. They accept no federal aid. They never build without having the money in hand. You can reduce your costs with a President's Scholarship which isn't a lot, but is based on your score on a particular test they give. My kids went there. You receive a laptop and printer as a freshman which is yours to keep when you graduate. Current costs are $20,200 a year. That's tuition, room and board. Student body was around 2400 when the kids went there. Pretty competitive to get into. Challenging academically once you are there.

This looks really good, I can't believe how cheap it is and they offer merit scholarships. This is one to keep on our radar, but it's 5 1/2 hours away, farther away than I wanted.

 

[golfgal]

Grove City College in western PA operates on a different model. Their sticker price is the price almost everyone pays. For a small private college, it's quite reasonable. They accept no federal aid. They never build without having the money in hand. You can reduce your costs with a President's Scholarship which isn't a lot, but is based on your score on a particular test they give. My kids went there. You receive a laptop and printer as a freshman which is yours to keep when you graduate. Current costs are $20,200 a year. That's tuition, room and board. Student body was around 2400 when the kids went there. Pretty competitive to get into. Challenging academically once you are there.

I wonder why they don't accept federal aid?

This looks really good, I can't believe how cheap it is and they offer merit scholarships. This is one to keep on our radar, but it's 5 1/2 hours away, farther away than I wanted.

That is a tough distance, depending on where exactly they are located. If there is a large enough airport nearby it isn't a big deal but if not, it's hard to do a day trip at that distance. DS is 4 hours away and that is about as far as I would go for a daytrip (even then it's tough). If there were a larger airport in his town we would have him fly. Going from Minneapolis to Chicago-for example-is about 8 hours driving but only 45 minute flight and you can usually find round trip flights for about $50. We pointed this out to DD when she was looking at a school in Omaha-she though it was too far away but we told her it would actually be "closer" because she could fly vs drive.

 

[bimshire]

I did not read the whole thread so hopefully this site has not been mentioned yet.

Check out collegeconfidential.com for any and all questions about colleges. I think it is the best college discussion site on the web. I have two currently in college and the last one is a junior in HS.

 

[j's m]

That is a tough distance, depending on where exactly they are located. If there is a large enough airport nearby it isn't a big deal but if not, it's hard to do a day trip at that distance. DS is 4 hours away and that is about as far as I would go for a daytrip (even then it's tough). If there were a larger airport in his town we would have him fly. Going from Minneapolis to Chicago-for example-is about 8 hours driving but only 45 minute flight and you can usually find round trip flights for about $50. We pointed this out to DD when she was looking at a school in Omaha-she though it was too far away but we told her it would actually be "closer" because she could fly vs drive.

My 1st choice local university next town over, he can even live on campus. Best case about 2 hours away, max probably of 4. He is a spoiled only, and I really think he might miss us as much as I'll miss him. Crap, now I'm crying already.

 

[tar heel]

I'd never heard of Grove City College, so I googled it. It looks like they pulled out of accepting federal aid to avoid complying with Title 9. There was a Supreme Court case. It does not "allow" its students to accept federal aid of any kind.

 

[disney junky]

I wonder why they don't accept federal aid?



That is a tough distance, depending on where exactly they are located. If there is a large enough airport nearby it isn't a big deal but if not, it's hard to do a day trip at that distance. DS is 4 hours away and that is about as far as I would go for a daytrip (even then it's tough). If there were a larger airport in his town we would have him fly. Going from Minneapolis to Chicago-for example-is about 8 hours driving but only 45 minute flight and you can usually find round trip flights for about $50. We pointed this out to DD when she was looking at a school in Omaha-she though it was too far away but we told her it would actually be "closer" because she could fly vs drive.

It is near Pittsburgh. About 45 minutes north.

By not taking federal aid, they aren't subject to certain requirements which go along with accepting that aid. They actually operate quite efficiently.

 

[disney junky]

I'd never heard of Grove City College, so I googled it. It looks like they pulled out of accepting federal aid to avoid complying with Title 9. There was a Supreme Court case. It does not "allow" its students to accept federal aid of any kind.

That's it. Yet their opportunities for men's and women's athletics are pretty equal. Their student body is almost exactly 50/50 men to women.

 

[tar heel]

You know, you have to decide what's right for your child and your family, but I read some more about Grove City and concluded that it's pretty much the exact opposite of what we want for our sons.

 

[disney junky]

You know, you have to decide what's right for your child and your family, but I read some more about Grove City and concluded that it's pretty much the exact opposite of what we want for our sons.

It is very conservative. It's not a good fit for everyone.

 

[Robinrs]

I'd never heard of Grove City College, so I googled it. It looks like they pulled out of accepting federal aid to avoid complying with Title 9. There was a Supreme Court case. It does not "allow" its students to accept federal aid of any kind.

I googled it, too. Wow, that gave me the creeps.

 

[j's m]

You know, you have to decide what's right for your child and your family, but I read some more about Grove City and concluded that it's pretty much the exact opposite of what we want for our sons.

I looked at cost, I looked at financial aid merit scholarships, admitted GPA and SAT scores, looked at distance and all seemed fine. Looked a little more and you're right, it's also not a good fit for my son either. But wow, the price was right.

Even though my son is conservative as far as politics, he is not all about religion. We are having a hard time finding such a fit. Grove City College asks for religious references as well as teacher recommendation and requires students to attend 16 Chapel services each semester. My son would never agree to that.