# What to do after high school?



## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

Hey guys. After high school I plan on attending college, but I am unsure where to go. I want to major in either video game programming or computer science. Some options I am considering right now are the University of Utah, Champlain University in Vermont, or the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The University of Utah has a really good video game program (ranked #1 in the nation in some polls) and I would obviously be able to snowboard a lot and at awesome places. The only thing I'm unsure of would be being so far from home and the cost. Utah is an 18 hour drive and I've never been more than a couple hours from home. I would have to leave all of my friends and family and I wouldn't know anyone, but it's always been my dream to live there and snowboard. Champlain in Vermont also has a good video game program (I believe ranked #8) and there would also be pretty good snowboarding there, although not as good as Utah. It is about as expensive as the University of Utah. This would be nice though because Vermont is a lot closer to home than Utah (only 9 hour drive). I'm considering the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown because it has a decent computer science program and is only 1 hour from my house. I would also be able to go there at almost no cost between academic scholarships, cross country and track scholarships, and a big discount because my step mother works through the Pittsburgh Medical Center. I would be able to pretty much keep living how I am now and my friends and family would always be close by, but snowboarding isn't too good here. Seven Springs resort is kinda close, but other than that there isn't really anything. I'm really unsure what to do and I need to figure out soon. Basically it comes down to either following my dream or doing the more realistic thing. Thanks for any opinions and sorry for all the rambling! Cheers!


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

Before I post my response, for people who couldn't read his block of text, here's his post with some spacing thrown into it:

Hey guys. After high school I plan on attending college, but I am unsure where to go. I want to major in either video game programming or computer science. Some options I am considering right now are the University of Utah, Champlain University in Vermont, or the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. 

The University of Utah has a really good video game program (ranked #1 in the nation in some polls) and I would obviously be able to snowboard a lot and at awesome places. The only thing I'm unsure of would be being so far from home and the cost. Utah is an 18 hour drive and I've never been more than a couple hours from home.

I would have to leave all of my friends and family and I wouldn't know anyone, but it's always been my dream to live there and snowboard. Champlain in Vermont also has a good video game program (I believe ranked #8) and there would also be pretty good snowboarding there, although not as good as Utah. It is about as expensive as the University of Utah. This would be nice though because Vermont is a lot closer to home than Utah (only 9 hour drive).

I'm considering the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown because it has a decent computer science program and is only 1 hour from my house. I would also be able to go there at almost no cost between academic scholarships, cross country and track scholarships, and a big discount because my step mother works through the Pittsburgh Medical Center.

I would be able to pretty much keep living how I am now and my friends and family would always be close by, but snowboarding isn't too good here. Seven Springs resort is kinda close, but other than that there isn't really anything.

I'm really unsure what to do and I need to figure out soon. Basically it comes down to either following my dream or doing the more realistic thing. Thanks for any opinions and sorry for all the rambling! Cheers!


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

Thanks for the spacing Jed! My bad haha.


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

Firstly, I'd say throw out the whole 'far from home' part. I know it's uncomfortable and kind of scary that you'll have to make new friends again and live in a strange new place, but it's a good kind of scared.

It's a life experience and you don't want to go through life relying on being an hour away from family at all times. You have to experience the world without the safety net of family being next door and college is a good time to start. Making new friends in college is easy anyhow, since almost everyone is in the same boat of not knowing many people.

Travel and experiencing life outside of your home town bubble is good for you.

Honestly I think your decision comes down to 2 things:

1) How much do you want to have snowboarding as part of your weekly life.

2) How able are you to absorb the added cost if you do pick one of the snow friendly universities.

At the end of the day no one can answer that for you except you, especially when it comes to the financial side of things.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

The best thing I ever did was move more than a day's drive away from where I grew up. No regrets at all. If U of U has one of the best programs for what you are interested in doing, go for it. Time to get away from the next and see how you do on your own. You can always move home at anytime if it's not working. I suspect it will though. 

Vermont wouldn't suck either. Not nearly the quality of snowboarding, but closer to the teet if you must. The most important thing is the quality of program you are entering.

If you do go out of state, plan on becoming a resident. Get your driver's license swapped over asap, and do whatever else is required for residency. Get your tuition costs down as soon as possible. I am sure U of U is cheaper for Utah residents. Not sure on Champlain.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Yup...gota stop suckin home tit and find a fresh new one. Perhaps another uni is UW in Seattle, they have CS/EE, gamers and reasonable hills near by.


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## destroy (Dec 16, 2012)

Be sure that's what you want to do as well. Some people do fine, but others have serious problems working on computers and video games all day. Wrists and hands turn sore and limp with carpal tunnel. One of my buddies in band is an IT guy and he's fine... but my cousin was making games for a while and did the modeling and some animation on a game that won game of the year from pretty much every publication a few years ago. Ended up having to quit 'cuz the money wasn't that good to do a stressful job that wrecks you.

Hm. Sounds kinda like my line of work too...


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## Lagomorphic (Jan 9, 2013)

Don't worry about not knowing anyone at college. Everyone else will be in the same situation, and it is soooo easy to make friends in college. Everyone is looking to make new friends because they don't know anyone else either. And there are a ton of groups, clubs, misc social situations that make it easy too.

And yes, there will be a lot of kids from that state there, but they won't know anyone either. Or they'll know a handful of people but might not be friends with them. Only one person from my high school went to my in-state college in my year. And I went to a big high school. And she was a . . . not friendly person . . . so I wasn't interested in hanging out with her.


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

You'll make friends that will become as important as family in college. Live in dorms and meet people. Your family will always be there. Opportunities come and go. If you have the opportunity to go to the best school and live in Utah, do it if you can manage it. School loans are a part of life, it's not a bad thing to have some debt after finishing school. In my opinion, powder is worth it!


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

I've got two points to add on this:

1) I didn't cut the umbilical cord until I was 30 and moved 3500 km from home (prior to that I lived within 100 km of where I was born). Since moving I've made more friends and had more fun than probably the 10 years before moving. Also, having something you love close by (like snowboarding) is a good stress reliever when exams, work, life, family, etc. stress you out. It's a better outlet than many other options.

2) Whatever you do, do the university/college thing young. I didn't go back until I was 25 and by then I had missed all the *ahem* experiences I wish I had when I was younger. Probably explains my fascination with cheerleaders to this day. :blink:

Good luck man! I wish more people actually planned for the future a bit. :thumbsup:


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## areveruz (Jul 10, 2012)

I almost went to Champlain. It's a beautiful campus, small class sizes so the education is decent, but it ain't cheap. It's literally a stone's throw away from the University of Vermont and downtown Burlington. It's a great atmosphere and you'd probably have a lot of fun. I know that they have rail jams on campus and the campus is set up on a massive hill leading downtown that's fun to fuck around on and it overlooks the lake. 

But with that being said, I would say education comes first before snowboarding. So be realistic about your decision when it comes to finances. You'll get a good education at all of those schools, but it's going to be hard for this generation to find jobs after college; so how much debt do you really want to rack up? I ended up at a state school instead of MIT for that reason, and I only sort of regret it. Just my two cents.


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

these days the 'teat' is global, you can still get all the benefits ($$$) without seeing them every day, lol

once you leave PA (i'm from pittsburgh) you find out what a cultural backwater it is...go West young man, spead your wings


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## yimingration (Sep 30, 2009)

areveruz said:


> ... I ended up at a state school instead of MIT for that reason, and I only sort of regret it. Just my two cents.


You passed up MIT for a state school?!!! are we talking about THE MIT? whoa.. I would have gone to MIT in a heart beat. 

what made you do that? :icon_scratch:


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

Leave home and go away for school. I don't know how much snowboarding you will do in college because I was just out getting drunk and studying.


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## Unkept Porpoise (Aug 15, 2013)

If you have the money go for it but school is very expensive when you're not at home. Snowboarding is an expense you might not be able to spare as much as you might like. Just remember gear/lift ticket cost on top of rent, tuition, vehicle costs, phone, and food may be put on the back burner. I know it is for me but I'm coasting and saving till I make the big bucks out of university, then I'm going to get a brand new full setup


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## Trey T (Oct 12, 2011)

If you like programming, enter computer engineering instead of computer science. You're a lot more valuable with a computer engineering degree than computer science. I believe most school with four-year program computer engineering shares similar curriculum as electrical engineering.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

Yup, moving away really makes you grow as a person. I moved from Maine to Tacoma, Washington for almost 5 years after college. Saw my family and friends maybe 2 to 4 days every year. No thanksgiving, just a few days at winter break (and the rest snowboarding...). It can be rough at first, but as long as you don't sit in your dorm room and play video games all day... you will make new friends and have a good time.

FWIW I went snowboarding about 4 days a month in college during the winter. I had a hectic schedule as a molecular bio major. If I had been an economics or business major, I would have only had class on tusedays and thursdays...


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Move...
do whatever...
just know....
snowboarding = being a happy dirtbag...
like 90% of most of us...
doing a thing that less than 1% of the population gets to do...
at least until it all melts...

then switch to surfing, sailing, diving


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

Hey thanks for all the great responses guys. It seems like the general consensus is that it will be fine to move far away from home, which was my main concern. University of Utah would be $40,000 a year for out of state, so if I could get in state tuition after the first year I could drop that to about half. I really want to follow my dream and snowboarding is a huge part of it. Feel free to continue posting your opinions though! Thanks!


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

lareaper said:


> Hey thanks for all the great responses guys. It seems like the general consensus is that it will be fine to move far away from home, which was my main concern. University of Utah would be $40,000 a year for out of state, so if I could get in state tuition after the first year I could drop that to about half. I really want to follow my dream and snowboarding is a huge part of it. Feel free to continue posting your opinions though! Thanks!



Don't want to be a rain on your parade but being a student at the state university does not equal being a resident of that state. If your primary place of residence is out of state you won't get in-state tuition either after one year or ten. If you're declared as dependent on your parents' tax forms and have no income it's not happening. In other words - get job, move off campus, file your own tax forms and then, after you lived a full year in the state you will have a chance. 

Also noticed your enthusiasm about scholarships. Have you already been offered said scholarships or you're just hoping you'll get them? The scholarship well has pretty much dried up in the past years of economic turmoil. Unless you're a valedictorian star athlete with an average 4.0 GPA and working on cure for cancer in your spare time the scholarships are few and far between. 

My kid graduated with 3.9 GPA, got accepted to Cornell. Right now she's doing her freshman year at our state U because she got no scholarship to speak of (she was sure she would, so big disappointment there) and wants to do a couple of years at state to save as much as possible before she transfers out. So, consider your financial options carefully.


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## BigAL (Feb 19, 2013)

I made it out of high school last year and I left Uni after one semester. Snowboarding is all I wanted to do, I had a full scholarship to one of the top science schools in the nation. But it's not for everyone. Just be smart and do what you love.


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## mhaas (Nov 25, 2007)

Im pretty sure U of U has goofy rules regarding residency. My friend moved here, and was living and working, paying taxes and all that fun stuff for over 2 years before he decided to go to grad school at the U and he still didn't qualify for in state tuition.


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## amakki12 (Aug 5, 2013)

I don't know if it has been said before, but students who live on campus (not an hour or two away from home) tend to have higher grades and success rates in college. I don't know if it's true, but out of all honesty living away really allows you to mature and understand life isn't a walk in the park. Even simple things will seem odd to you at first, like feeding yourself (Ramen doesn't count). If I were you an important thing I would look for, other than ranking, is the student to faculty ratio. I've been in classes with 800 students and wow does it blow. Also make sure the school has a pretty decent student life. You're gonna need to occupy yourself and keep sane through a balance between having fun and studying. Hope your choice offers you the greatest college experience you can ask for. Good luck.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Here's my Utah suggestion... $40,000 a year :blink: Dump U of U and wait to go your 2nd year. Apply for Weber State University in Ogden, UT 35-40 minutes north there's buses to and from both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain resort. Get your gen eds for something like $15,000 a year out of state tuition.. I know I was surprised when I discovered how CHEAP the college here is. Get your residency and transfer over to U of U when you're able to begin the courses for your gaming career. 

You'll be earning the same credits for a quarter of the price and trust me when I say the mountains here are DOPE! Moved here myself from NH, the snow and terrain there's just no comparison, and like everyone else said, moving to a new place far from home is a good kind of scary the experience alone I wouldn't change for the world and the great thing is there isn't a limit to how many times you can move away to new place.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Your life span might have a little to do with that.. 

Pretty solid advice about how to work the education system in Utah. 

2 years to establish residency? Lame.


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

Man, those are some crazy costs.

The whole education system needs to collapse already and be replaced by a system not so bloated with ridiculous costs and more real world, on the job type training that doesn't beat the creativity out of you.

It's criminal how much debt some students go into just to pay for college.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

My wife and I both have CS degrees, she is in the industry I am not. That said, it is a ton of homework. If you truly apply yourself I'm not entirely sure how much free time you will have to ride other than maybe once a week on weekends. 
Your 1st 2 years maybe more since its all liberal arts BS anyway for teachers that can't make it in the real world.

Also do you have an idea of the burn out rate of game programmers? I dont' just wondering. This industry seems like it would be a burn & turn them one, again no data to back it up.

I agree with many to experience the world. Your 1st step is to make a very informed choice of where to go and the costs associated with that university. You will make a lot of new friends in college, life long ones so don't let that deter you. 

I am currently doing this with my oldest son and he is seeing what money buys in a college. One of our state business schools is 5th in national ranking, we also have some very good private colleges at a greatly increased cost, more then double state tuition. So he is gathering all the facts/info he can so we can make a good choice.

good luck on your decision and goals sounds like you are off to a solid start and will do just fine with whichever path you choose to follow.


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## areveruz (Jul 10, 2012)

yimingration said:


> You passed up MIT for a state school?!!! are we talking about THE MIT? whoa.. I would have gone to MIT in a heart beat.
> 
> what made you do that? :icon_scratch:



Simply because of money. I really didn't want to graduate with approx. 100k in debt just for a bachelors. Maybe for graduate school or something. They usually work pretty hard to make it so it's affordable but we couldn't quite agree on a number. (I didn't get a lot of scholarships because I barely passed high school because I was lazy. I did near perfect on the SAT's and it helped knowing someone in admissions...")


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## destroy (Dec 16, 2012)

Jed said:


> Man, those are some crazy costs.
> 
> The whole education system needs to collapse already and be replaced by a system not so bloated with ridiculous costs and more real world, on the job type training that doesn't beat the creativity out of you.
> 
> It's criminal how much debt some students go into just to pay for college.


I think part of that is the fact that schools are still in the business of making money. It's everything from the way a campus like UBC develops their land to admitting so many out of country students so they can have their higher tuition costs and maintain their strict academic standards. Higher learning is a place of elitism and privledge in many cases, unfortunately. Just a part of the bigger picture at the end of the day.


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## NoOtherOptions (Nov 28, 2011)

Jed said:


> Man, those are some crazy costs.
> 
> The whole education system needs to collapse already and be replaced by a system not so bloated with ridiculous costs and more real world, on the job type training that doesn't beat the creativity out of you.
> 
> It's criminal how much debt some students go into just to pay for college.


Grad school has me on the hook for 6 figures. Granted I make make high 5 figures only a couple years out of grad school but still. Shit is nutty.


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

Sorry guys I haven't been on in a while to reply. Thanks for all the new responses! 



Noreaster said:


> Don't want to be a rain on your parade but being a student at the state university does not equal being a resident of that state. If your primary place of residence is out of state you won't get in-state tuition either after one year or ten. If you're declared as dependent on your parents' tax forms and have no income it's not happening. In other words - get job, move off campus, file your own tax forms and then, after you lived a full year in the state you will have a chance.
> 
> Also noticed your enthusiasm about scholarships. Have you already been offered said scholarships or you're just hoping you'll get them? The scholarship well has pretty much dried up in the past years of economic turmoil. Unless you're a valedictorian star athlete with an average 4.0 GPA and working on cure for cancer in your spare time the scholarships are few and far between.


Yeah I figured it would be more than just being a student for residency, thanks for clearing that up though. And the scholarships have already been confirmed. I met with admissions and based on my grades and SAT scores I would receive about $4000 off a year. I also met with the track and cross country coaches and would receive $6000 a year to compete in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. Competing in these sports would pretty much take up all my free time though so I wouldn't be able to snowboard much.. which would suck haha. I would be able to basically go to college for $4000 a year though, which is very tempting. 



Karasene said:


> Here's my Utah suggestion... $40,000 a year :blink: Dump U of U and wait to go your 2nd year. Apply for Weber State University in Ogden, UT 35-40 minutes north there's buses to and from both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain resort. Get your gen eds for something like $15,000 a year out of state tuition.. I know I was surprised when I discovered how CHEAP the college here is. Get your residency and transfer over to U of U when you're able to begin the courses for your gaming career.
> 
> You'll be earning the same credits for a quarter of the price and trust me when I say the mountains here are DOPE! Moved here myself from NH, the snow and terrain there's just no comparison, and like everyone else said, moving to a new place far from home is a good kind of scary the experience alone I wouldn't change for the world and the great thing is there isn't a limit to how many times you can move away to new place.


I never thought of going somewhere cheaper and transferring! That's an awesome idea, thanks so much! 



slyder said:


> My wife and I both have CS degrees, she is in the industry I am not. That said, it is a ton of homework. If you truly apply yourself I'm not entirely sure how much free time you will have to ride other than maybe once a week on weekends.
> Your 1st 2 years maybe more since its all liberal arts BS anyway for teachers that can't make it in the real world.
> 
> Also do you have an idea of the burn out rate of game programmers? I dont' just wondering. This industry seems like it would be a burn & turn them one, again no data to back it up.
> ...


Glad to hear from some one with a CS degree. If I might ask, why aren't you in the industry? Game programmers work fairly steadily, it is the designers and artists that are more come and go from what I read. If I go to U of U and do their Game Programming program, I would actually graduate with a CS degree and have just have special training in game programming. This would be cool because I would be able to use my CS degree to get a lot more jobs than just in the game industry. 

Thanks for all the advice everyone!


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## Grego (Sep 29, 2013)

Karasene said:


> Here's my Utah suggestion... $40,000 a year :blink: Dump U of U and wait to go your 2nd year. Apply for Weber State University in Ogden, UT 35-40 minutes north there's buses to and from both Snowbasin and Powder Mountain resort. Get your gen eds for something like $15,000 a year out of state tuition.. I know I was surprised when I discovered how CHEAP the college here is. Get your residency and transfer over to U of U when you're able to begin the courses for your gaming career.
> 
> You'll be earning the same credits for a quarter of the price and trust me when I say the mountains here are DOPE! Moved here myself from NH, the snow and terrain there's just no comparison, and like everyone else said, moving to a new place far from home is a good kind of scary the experience alone I wouldn't change for the world and the great thing is there isn't a limit to how many times you can move away to new place.


This.

Get your G.E. done at a cheap community college and then transfer.

Your degree will still have the over priced school name on it and you'll save a butt load of money.


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## HughJayness (Nov 1, 2013)

I'm in the same situation. I'm naturally indecisive about every decision I make, so applying to schools right now is tough. I'd love to move out to a place like Oregon, Colorado, or Washington, more for the culture than the snowboarding.

As far as going to a community college goes, how much different is living off-campus at a community college for a year as opposed to an in-state university experience? (I have currently applied to UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse, both Wisconsin schools)

I'm not opposed to do something "crazy" like that, as I've been looking for loopholes to a cheap edumacation for the past two years.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

Did you know that athletic departments can make you sign a contract, if you are being "sponsored" for an athletic scholarship, which states that you will not participate in other sports (snowboarding included) due to the risk of injury.

If you are pursuing athletic scholarships, please check this stuff out. Had a friend who ran track in college and she had to seriously hide the fact she went snowboarding once. If they find out, they can revoke your scholarship.

Are you paying for college yourself, or are mom and pop subsidizing it? You may want to go to the best college, but you should also be realistic towards where the money is coming from and how much of it. Racking up massive loan debt is not a good idea, even if you think it's worth the degree.

CS sounds like a good degree for jobs, but even so the general job-market still sucks. I just graduated in Environmental Science which is a rapidly growing job field, and the job market still sucks. Lot's of opportunity for professionals with years of experience who are competitive - but new college grads not so much.

It's sad, but a B.S doesn't count for too much these days. That being said, college is an awesome experience and ultimately a degree is still worth it, particularly if you aren't becoming a financial slave for it.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Grego said:


> This.
> 
> Get your G.E. done at a cheap community college and then transfer.
> 
> Your degree will still have the over priced school name on it and you'll save a butt load of money.


Yeah Weber is a state university tho not a community college.. I have no idea what difference it really makes.. but it might help with residency. In state tuition is I believe $8,000 a year? My boyfriends sister goes and we were talking about cost the other day. 3 friends of mine all came here from NH to get medical degrees (they have a really great program) because of how cheap it is and how close the mountains are.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

HoboMaster said:


> Did you know that athletic departments can make you sign a contract, if you are being "sponsored" for an athletic scholarship, which states that you will not participate in other sports (snowboarding included) due to the risk of injury.
> 
> If you are pursuing athletic scholarships, please check this stuff out. Had a friend who ran track in college and she had to seriously hide the fact she went snowboarding once. If they find out, they can revoke your scholarship.
> 
> ...


Lots of truth. You pretty much need a masters and experience for easier access to good paying jobs...unless you do skilled trade. However a skilled trade and a degree is perhaps one of the best. The thing is that relative to the general population...since the 70's there are less % folks that are getting degrees and graduate degrees. Thus a degree has more potential...the issue is choosing a degree that makes sense for earning potential. That being said, there are some 2 year trade programs that will easily out do short-term and medium-term earning potential of many 4yr and some graduate degrees.

So in short, have a plan, make contacts and devleop relationships...the degree just gets you a membership card...but its who you know in the club that gets you the job.


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## Grego (Sep 29, 2013)

Karasene said:


> Yeah Weber is a state university tho not a community college.. I have no idea what difference it really makes.. but it might help with residency. In state tuition is I believe $8,000 a year? My boyfriends sister goes and we were talking about cost the other day. 3 friends of mine all came here from NH to get medical degrees (they have a really great program) because of how cheap it is and how close the mountains are.


I know Weber State, never attended but spent 3 years at Hill AFB in the mid 80's.

He should do his G.E. at HIS local community college in his state so he gets the residency break. After that, do whatever floats his boat. I'd be inclined to stay in state, and anything else to keep the cost down.


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

HoboMaster said:


> Did you know that athletic departments can make you sign a contract, if you are being "sponsored" for an athletic scholarship, which states that you will not participate in other sports (snowboarding included) due to the risk of injury.
> 
> If you are pursuing athletic scholarships, please check this stuff out. Had a friend who ran track in college and she had to seriously hide the fact she went snowboarding once. If they find out, they can revoke your scholarship.
> 
> ...


Oh wow I didn't realize that I would have to sign a contract. I most likely wasn't planning on running though because I don't particularly enjoy it haha. My parents plan to help me out with cost as much as they can, but the majority will be my own debt. With the job market how it is would I be better off skipping out on college and teaching myself how to code? I don't want to go to college for 4 years and build up a huge amount of debt only to not be able to get a job.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

lareaper said:


> Oh wow I didn't realize that I would have to sign a contract. I most likely wasn't planning on running though because I don't particularly enjoy it haha. My parents plan to help me out with cost as much as they can, but the majority will be my own debt. With the job market how it is would I be better off skipping out on college and teaching myself how to code? I don't want to go to college for 4 years and build up a huge amount of debt only to not be able to get a job.


Any monkey can push a button....

but knowing which button to push...is one thing

and knowing why that button should be pushed... is another thing

and understanding the implications and the sythesis of pushing the button...and telling the first monkey push the button...

and then there is the monkey that states...pay me, and I will charge you for each time you call me to tell the monkeys push the special button...ccasion14:


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Grego said:


> I know Weber State, never attended but spent 3 years at Hill AFB in the mid 80's.
> 
> He should do his G.E. at HIS local community college in his state so he gets the residency break. After that, do whatever floats his boat. I'd be inclined to stay in state, and anything else to keep the cost down.


okay if he knows the #1 program is out of state and cost $40,000 a year for out of state students.. then why would it make sense to go to HIS community college when he could get the same classes in the state of his top school for cheap and attempt a shot at residency? In the long run your plan is way more expensive.


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## Grego (Sep 29, 2013)

Karasene said:


> okay if he knows the #1 program is out of state and cost $40,000 a year for out of state students.. then why would it make sense to go to HIS community college when he could get the same classes in the state of his top school for cheap and attempt a shot at residency? In the long run your plan is way more expensive.


You're saying the #1 school for his program, out of his home state will be cheaper than his local community college?

I was only talking about G.E. courses... that = General Education.

In state tuition at a community college hardly comes close to $40K. 

My plan is simple. I'll type slower this time ...

Get your General Education DONE at the local community college, average tuition for residents is $4000/year. 

After that, go nutz, do whatever you need to get the degree you want at the college you want.

Follow?

Good.

Carry on.


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Any monkey can push a button....
> 
> but knowing which button to push...is one thing
> 
> ...


I feel like this has some meaning to it but I feel like I am completely missing the point :laugh:



Grego said:


> You're saying the #1 school for his program, out of his home state will be cheaper than his local community college?
> 
> I was only talking about G.E. courses... that = General Education.
> 
> ...


I think that what he is saying is go to a cheaper college in Utah for my G.E.'s , then go to University of Utah once I have gotten residency.

So it would be like: $15,000 + $20,000 + $20,000 + $20,000 = $75,000

Versus: $4,000 + $40,000 + $20,000 + $20,000 = $84,000


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

lareaper said:


> Oh wow I didn't realize that I would have to sign a contract. I most likely wasn't planning on running though because I don't particularly enjoy it haha. My parents plan to help me out with cost as much as they can, but the majority will be my own debt. With the job market how it is would I be better off skipping out on college and teaching myself how to code? I don't want to go to college for 4 years and build up a huge amount of debt only to not be able to get a job.


I definitely wouldn't skip out on college. Even if you don't end up seriously pursuing the field of study you originally went for or the job market ends up sucking, the experience itself is worth some potential debt. You gain a lot of important life skills and outlooks which will help you throughout your life.

Even though a B.S isn't nearly as valued as it was 20 years ago, it will still make you much more competitive than your high-school grad contemporaries. Honestly these days, people without college degrees are somewhat doomed to being stuck in the service and retail industry, unless they have big ideas and strong entrepreneurship.

College is also, arguably, a really fun experience. You get to meet new and diverse people, of which most of them are actually motivated to do something of importance in their life. Try and discuss new thing which you may never had access to or knowledge of previously. It will push you out of your comfort zone, and you will grow significantly as a person. At least I know I did.

All this being said, what you want to do is look at it like a Cost-Benefit Analysis problem. College is totally worth it, but not if you become a slave to debt afterward. Set a debt-ceiling that you're willing to take on post-graduation. This could be 10k, 20k, 30K. Think about the lowest salary you would expect to get paid after graduating, and with that salary, how long it would take you to pay accrued loans off. If it seems like you'd be paying those loans off for a long time, you may want to pick a cheaper school.

I know that C.S and Engineering is different, but I don't think you have to have the degree from the uber-fancy-expensive school to make it. I graduated from a very inexpensive school that is decently ranked, but nowhere near the top of the chart. I didn't have anyone helping me with expenses, so it was the logical choice. Right now I'm working with a few other recent college grads, all of which went to expensive as fuck private schools - Cornell, Purdue. They're also 2+ years older than I am. If you work hard in school, build professional relationships and do internships, I really don't think it matters what school you go to as much.

I also advocate taking a few semesters at a community college and then transferring to a 4-year. I did 3 semesters before I transferred and saved a lot of money. Just make sure the credits will transfer to your desired institution, and the classes you take work with the 4-year schedule of the degree you want.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

Yes Lareaper you got it. I think Greg didn't read my whole post earlier. Now that that's done, good luck man with whatever you decide! 

Out of state tuition is $12,481 no room and board 
Costs & Deadlines

Hell I'd say if you needed it, use our address for mail.. and just swing by and grab it.


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## Grego (Sep 29, 2013)

Karasene said:


> Yes Lareaper you got it. I think Greg didn't read my whole post earlier. Now that that's done, good luck man with whatever you decide!
> 
> Out of state tuition is $12,481 no room and board
> Costs & Deadlines
> ...


I did. I swear I did. I just obviously didn't understand it.

My ONLY point is use the community college route for general ed... don't pay the University prices for that stuff. 

I think you covered that though.


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## 131441 (Oct 4, 2012)

Some school make it difficult to get in after two years of general studies. They want their students "trained" in how to study and work from their freshman year and on. So do some checking to admission rates for Juniors before planning to do the GE residency thing. 

Me, I wasnt ready for college after school. So I did 4 years in the Corps. Traveled the world. And let Uncle Sammy pay for my degree. 

And I dont come from money but was able to use all my military money and use students loans and didnt have to work for the 5 yrs I went to school. Trust me, its nice to have income and go to school vs. work and go to school if that makes since.

I have some student loans, but on govt. payback schedules (very very low each month) married a hot younger co-ed and had experience plus a degree. Just another angle.


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## mixie (Mar 29, 2011)

HoboMaster said:


> I definitely wouldn't skip out on college. Even if you don't end up seriously pursuing the field of study you originally went for or the job market ends up sucking, the experience itself is worth some potential debt. You gain a lot of important life skills and outlooks which will help you throughout your life.



100% disagree. 


College is huge opportunity cost. Unless you're going to be a doctor, lawyer or scientist you're there's nothing you can't teach yourself or learn thru apprenticeship or internship. 

That's four years you're not making money, getting into debt etc. 

open a business....if you must get into debt try to make the money work for you and have some sort of money making asset to back it up. 

Buy a fucking laundromat or rental property, maybe a small storage unit business. You'll do a lot better with that then any sort of degree. 

I started my first business at 19 instead of going to college. Best decision I ever made.


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## AIRider (Dec 25, 2010)

Don't waste your time in school, start a business, something you're passionate about and spend the next 5 years developing it. All the money you'd otherwise spend on education, use it towards your idea. 

At the end, if it doesn't work out, one of these loans you'll be able to bankrupt on, the other one you won't. 

Advice coming from an university alumni.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

It totally depends on your degree and how you want to use it. Yeah, if you go to college with no idea what you want to do, it really is not the best use of your time or money. The OP knows what he wants, and he should go to school to get it.

From an NPR article not too long ago... When it is worth it to go to college










There is a follow-up article, but they include grad school so it really is not the same. All it says is that psych and med prep majors only make money if they go to grad school. If you want to go to 4 years of school and don't wanna have to spend more money on grad school, computer science is a great option.

If this kid wanted to start a bakery... I would have something different to say. But he want's to design video games.

I also agree with others that you can save a HUGE amount of money by taking gen ed. courses at local schools. Like 50 or 60 grand huge.

Check residency requirements for your schools as well. Here at U Penn for grad school students, you never "gain" residency at the school, even if the state sees you as a resident. If you started with out of state tuition, you have that all the way through school.


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## Toomeyct (Apr 4, 2012)

BigmountainVMD said:


> It totally depends on your degree and how you want to use it. Yeah, if you go to college with no idea what you want to do, it really is not the best use of your time or money. The OP knows what he wants, and he should go to school to get it.
> 
> From an NPR article not too long ago... When it is worth it to go to college


Does anyone see a trend in that highest earnings graph? I wonder which major we aren't graduating enough people in?


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

mixie said:


> 100% disagree.
> 
> College is huge opportunity cost. Unless you're going to be a doctor, lawyer or scientist you're there's nothing you can't teach yourself or learn thru apprenticeship or internship.
> 
> ...





AIRider said:


> Don't waste your time in school, start a business, something you're passionate about and spend the next 5 years developing it. All the money you'd otherwise spend on education, use it towards your idea.
> 
> *At the end, if it doesn't work out, one of these loans you'll be able to bankrupt on*, the other one you won't.
> 
> Advice coming from an university alumni.


That right there is simply fucking stupid. "I'll just take this risk, then if I fuck up, I'll let everyone else pay for it."

Fuck that. People should get some knowledge before just throwing money at something and expecting others to pay for it if they can't handle it. That shit wouldn't be happening if more business owners had some general business and finance education (maybe from college?) so they know how to make their money work for them. I'm not even talking about a 40,000/year education, which is a huge opportunity cost, I agree with that. Community college can teach someone how to use a spreadsheet and quickbooks so they don't screw up their bank loans and run in to credit card debt. Walking away from 4 years of college with 2 years of community college general education classes for 10 grand and another 2 years at a good institution for another 40 to 60 G is the best investment you can make in your future, ASSUMING the knowledge you gain is directly related to your chosen career path. Yes, you can be an electrician or plumber or contractor or HVAC and once you get all your mastery certifications, you can make some bank, and you don't need college. Other things do not work as well that way and it is not limited to medicine and lawyering.

How can a high school graduate start a programming business in this day and age unless he is a prodigy? I think that school is one of the best things that the OP can do if he wants a career in computer science/engineering. There are some things that you really need college for... some things you just don't.


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## EastCoastChris (Feb 24, 2013)

lareaper said:


> I'm considering the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown because it has a decent computer science program and is only 1 hour from my house. I would also be able to go there at almost no cost between academic scholarships, cross country and track scholarships, and a big discount because my step mother works through the Pittsburgh Medical Center. I would be able to pretty much keep living how I am now and my friends and family would always be close by, but snowboarding isn't too good here. Seven Springs resort is kinda close, but other than that there isn't really anything.


Out of state tuition even for a public school is going to put you $75-$80k in debt when you graduate. Snowboarding is awesome, but if you have a $250/mo student loan bill when you get out of undergrad you'll be do way less boarding in your early 20s. If you have the opportunity to get a degree without paying for it - that should be consideration number 1.


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## Toomeyct (Apr 4, 2012)

EastCoastChris said:


> Out of state tuition even for a public school is going to put you $75-$80k in debt when you graduate. Snowboarding is awesome, but if you have a $250/mo student loan bill when you get out of undergrad you'll be do way less boarding in your early 20s. If you have the opportunity to get a degree without paying for it - that should be consideration number 1.


Maybe things have changed since I graduated from undergrad (2007) but are these costs including financial aid at all? I don't understand how you would be 80k in debt from a public school if you are receiving financial aid. I went to a school where the tuition and room and board was 50k a year. With financial aid, I ended up owing 7k after 4 years. Are they not giving financial aid anymore?


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

lareaper said:


> Hey guys. After high school I plan on attending college, but I am unsure where to go. I want to major in either video game programming or computer science. Some options I am considering right now are the University of Utah, Champlain University in Vermont, or the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The University of Utah has a really good video game program (ranked #1 in the nation in some polls) and I would obviously be able to snowboard a lot and at awesome places. The only thing I'm unsure of would be being so far from home and the cost. Utah is an 18 hour drive and I've never been more than a couple hours from home. I would have to leave all of my friends and family and I wouldn't know anyone, but it's always been my dream to live there and snowboard. Champlain in Vermont also has a good video game program (I believe ranked #8) and there would also be pretty good snowboarding there, although not as good as Utah. It is about as expensive as the University of Utah. This would be nice though because Vermont is a lot closer to home than Utah (only 9 hour drive). I'm considering the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown because it has a decent computer science program and is only 1 hour from my house. I would also be able to go there at almost no cost between academic scholarships, cross country and track scholarships, and a big discount because my step mother works through the Pittsburgh Medical Center. I would be able to pretty much keep living how I am now and my friends and family would always be close by, but snowboarding isn't too good here. Seven Springs resort is kinda close, but other than that there isn't really anything. I'm really unsure what to do and I need to figure out soon. Basically it comes down to either following my dream or doing the more realistic thing. Thanks for any opinions and sorry for all the rambling! Cheers!


With the sky high costs of universities these days, you really need to balance cost vs. quality of education.

Quality of snowboarding should be a distant thought.

Focus on school, get a good career started, and then reap the benefits of the hard work in the classroom with the cool snowboarding trips.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Toomeyct said:


> Does anyone see a trend in that highest earnings graph? I wonder which major we aren't graduating enough people in?


:laugh::laugh::laugh:...somewhat true.

I'm that poor ahole that did graduate degree in counseling psychology...and yes the graphs are correct and pay is shiiitttty :yahoo: though because no one is going into psychology, my experience and my skill set is very unique and I have ton of job security...infact I get to turn down work every week for shitty pay. And nobody in their right mind would do counseling psychology...and I highly discourage it to anyone considering it. You would be much better off being a welder, plumber or diesel mechanic....and infact my middle kid just that...1.5 years of community college, absolutely no debt and makes 2-3 times the amount only working 6 months a year as a merchant mariner engineer working tugs....any way the little turd could easily take the winters off and ride a season anywhere in the world he wanted to. And my eldest is a cs/ee...abd (all but phd dissertation) has a been in to computers since he was a kid, had a job with stock options waiting for him for when he picked up his undergrad, worked 5 years, cashed out stocks, paid for a phd and bought a house and last year got headhunted for a computer systems administrator...they moved him and he put down a chunk of cash on a 2nd house.


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## mixie (Mar 29, 2011)

BigmountainVMD said:


> If this kid wanted to start a bakery... I would have something different to say. But he want's to design video games.



I have worked on games for EA and Blizzard and Capcom. Im tellin' you....you don't need to go to college to do so. Designer, programer or otherwise.

Being in the entertainment industry is a tough gig. And school is not the way in. Not unless you can go to USC and get in with the alumni.

With the money you would spend on college you can teach yourself to make iphone apps and do much better for yourself then you would being a corperate drone.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

mixie said:


> 100% disagree.
> 
> 
> College is huge opportunity cost. Unless you're going to be a doctor, lawyer or scientist you're there's nothing you can't teach yourself or learn thru apprenticeship or internship.
> ...


No offense, but you can't really comment on whether college is useful or not when you haven't had the experience. Yes, you can certainly get around it, it is by no means mandatory towards being successful. It does, however, give you a lot of important skills, most of them being non-major related, which will be highly useful throughout your life. It's also a major life-experience, as in those who go through it tend to be far more mature, realistic, and driven about life than those who don't. [Life Skills]: these are the benefits which no program or degree itself promises, but which nevertheless come with a college education and are worth obtaining.

I also realize too that an education is what you put into it. I know people who dicked around in college because their parents were paying for it, and they probably got little out of it. If you have the drive to learn, excel and succeed, you will undoubtedly get a lot back.

I am not advocating spending a ton of money for this experience though. I paid my entire way through college myself, didn't work while I was in school (Worked my ass off in the Summer), and came out with only 11K in debt. To me that 11K was easily worth it, and I'll have that amount paid off in a year from graduation date. The OP just needs to turn this into an equation which favors an education for a reasonable amount of $$$.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

mixie said:


> I have worked on games for EA and Blizzard and Capcom. Im tellin' you....you don't need to go to college to do so. Designer, programer or otherwise.
> 
> Being in the entertainment industry is a tough gig. And school is not the way in. Not unless you can go to USC and get in with the alumni.
> 
> With the money you would spend on college you can teach yourself to make iphone apps and do much better for yourself then you would being a corperate drone.


You are correct and I spoke too soon on video games. But when I see raw scientific data claiming a computer science major gets the median 3rd highest wage of any college graduate, I would be pretty skeptical of any other path being nearly as lucrative.


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

I think debating merits of higher education is quite frankly useless. It's quite the common knowledge that college grads make more than those without a degree. On average about a million more over a life time of earnings. Subtract your prospective costs of college from that number and decide for yourself if you need it. Money aside, entirely too many industries require a degree for an advancement, you can be a low-level professional with excellent self-taught skills but you won't be able to ascend through the ranks as quickly and easily as someone with a degree. Or at all. Would you be content putting yourself in such self-limiting position? 

As to starting your own business with no college education... There're only so many Jobses and Zuckerbergs. And for each guy who "made it" there're hundreds of thousands who did not. 

For someone who suggested an entrepreneurial way to an upstarter with the bankruptcy clause... Thanks for a good joke, I'm still chuckling. Have you tried applying for a business loan recently? Or finding investors? If not then do it, you can make us all laugh by coming back and telling us how far you got and how much you got slapped on the way.


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## EastCoastChris (Feb 24, 2013)

Not sure honestly. There's some formula for financial aid in the FAFSA. And I think it depends on the school too. Some schools give lots of aid. But the OP would probably need to come from financial circumstances where he qualifies for lots of "need based" aid. If you have two middle class working parents, nowadays you wont qualify for aid and their "expected contribution" will be something like 95%

The out of state tuition thing is a mega racket. Schools try to attract out of state students by marketing certain programs, basically because they can charge them double. There's very few undergrad programs that are so specialized you would need to pay out of state to be competitive in those fields. Now grad school I think is a different story. 

And while yes college is an opportunity cost, its VERY rarely going to be a net loss on the investment. Lots of data shows that. College grads earn more over a lifetime. And in this economic environment, starting a business is a tough go. Man if I had the opportunity to get nearly free "employee discount" tuition - I would JUMP on that. Particularly in the UP (MC) system. You will always have a hard science degree to fall back on. Realistically, a degree is just economic signaling. Academia doesn't really teach hard job skills. But it says to a potential employer you have enough intelligence and reliability to get through 4 years of papers and finals. One of the BEST things you can do in school is really plug in to your department's career services department. If you know what industry you want to be in, learn that industry's career ladder in and out, do the right internship progression - network, network, network while you are in school so you don't find yourself blindly sending resumes as a senior about to graduate. College is worth it if you know what to work, and what to skimp on. 




Toomeyct said:


> Maybe things have changed since I graduated from undergrad (2007) but are these costs including financial aid at all? I don't understand how you would be 80k in debt from a public school if you are receiving financial aid. I went to a school where the tuition and room and board was 50k a year. With financial aid, I ended up owing 7k after 4 years. Are they not giving financial aid anymore?


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## HughJayness (Nov 1, 2013)

HoboMaster said:


> Did you know that athletic departments can make you sign a contract, if you are being "sponsored" for an athletic scholarship, which states that you will not participate in other sports (snowboarding included) due to the risk of injury.
> 
> If you are pursuing athletic scholarships, please check this stuff out. Had a friend who ran track in college and she had to seriously hide the fact she went snowboarding once. If they find out, they can revoke your scholarship.
> 
> ...


Not trying to jack the thread, but I'm hoping to give multiple perspectives on the whole college+snowboarding idea. Good points, I'm looking to major in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering, which could easily change in 4 years' time. But no worries, the only sports I do are wake/snowboarding and dodgeball.

I don't know if I'm like OP or not, but I'm paying for my college entirely on my own. Any money/support I get from my parents is basically a gift.

Coincidentally, I wanted to major in ES or Env E. too, but I'd heard about the lack of jobs for grads.

Thanks for the insight


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

Toomeyct said:


> Maybe things have changed since I graduated from undergrad (2007) but are these costs including financial aid at all? I don't understand how you would be 80k in debt from a public school if you are receiving financial aid. I went to a school where the tuition and room and board was 50k a year. With financial aid, I ended up owing 7k after 4 years. Are they not giving financial aid anymore?


If you've tapped some hidden resources of FA please share. I have a kid who graduated HS with honors last year (AND got her EMT-B, AND volunteered at our local ambulance corps) who got $2500 worth of scholarship. I'm footing her bill now but she set sights for med school, there's no way I'm going to be able to help her through that so if anyone can point me in the direction of some financial relief I'd really appreciate it.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

Noreaster said:


> If you've tapped some hidden resources of FA please share. I have a kid who graduated HS with honors last year (AND got her EMT-B, AND volunteered at our local ambulance corps) who got $2500 worth of scholarship. I'm footing her bill now but she set sights for med school, there's no way I'm going to be able to help her through that so if anyone can point me in the direction of some financial relief I'd really appreciate it.


Does she not qualify for any Financial Aid? I think the maximum FASFA will give you is $5,500 per year in Pell Grant form right now, which is entirely on a "need" basis - as well as access to subsidized loans. If she is a dependent and you make decent money, they will seriously limit her access to FA.

Scholarships themselves are also often given on a "need" basis, which is evaluated by how much you make. Schools will take the info from the FASFA form she filled out and evaluate accordingly. If they think you can support her, they will give her less in scholarships, even if she is a good student. In retrospect $2,500 in scholarships isn't bad, maybe unless she's going to a really expensive school. Unfortunately, school just costs a ton these days, which is why despite scholarships and financial aid young people have so much scholastic debt.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

HughJayness said:


> Not trying to jack the thread, but I'm hoping to give multiple perspectives on the whole college+snowboarding idea. Good points, I'm looking to major in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering, which could easily change in 4 years' time. But no worries, the only sports I do are wake/snowboarding and dodgeball.
> 
> I don't know if I'm like OP or not, but I'm paying for my college entirely on my own. Any money/support I get from my parents is basically a gift.
> 
> ...


If you have passion and determination you can always find jobs, I wouldn't suggest going into a field just because there is a strong job market and potential for a high salary. I have lots of friends who did engineering simply because they wanted job security and to make a lot of money - but they weren't passionate about it and generally ended up hating the whole experience.

If you are really into engineering, then go for it. I began as a Computer Science major, and realized at the end of my Sophomore year it wasn't for me. I'm doing what I'm doing now because I enjoy the work and find it fulfilling/making a difference, not because I will likely ever make a lot of money.

Personal happiness > Money and possessions, or at least for me.


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

HoboMaster said:


> If she is a dependent and you make decent money, they will seriously limit her access to FA.


Apparently I make decent enough money for her not to qualify for FA *at all*. Initially she got $1200 in federal aid and then got audited. That's when we were told in no uncertain terms "too bad, people, you're screwed". That is basically when she scrapped fairly expensive private school for a state U. She wants to transfer eventually but I have no idea how I'm gonna pay for that.


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## EastCoastChris (Feb 24, 2013)

Isn't there a loan forgiveness program for people for rural healthcare workers? Like if you move to some crazy place where there is a shortage of health care workers and work in a clinic for 4 years you get your loans forgiven. You still have to take the loans though. And it can seriously mess up your career plans as rural clinic work isn't very respected by the profession.


Don't know how your daughter might feel about this, but maybe she should look into an Air Force ROTC program and an officer's commission after graduation. My brother took an Air Force commission and went into the TRICARE system. He got some really interesting field training at Landsthul in Germany and eventually became the head of technology acquisitions for TRICARE in the northeast (he basically does the specs for and sources things like case management software and robots that do heart surgery.) The military paid for his MPH and JD. I know that's not the same as the MD track, but in the Air Force (which has jurisdiction over all military healthcare systems) you can find a lot of really good opportunities for someone that isn't a silver spoon legacy kid at John Hopkins. 

My brother is now in the VA system, but a lot of healthcare systems have tried to recruit him for private sector admin work. But he wants to stay in the VA as he is close to 10 years into civilian govt work and he wants to max out his pension at 20. But after that he'll totally jump to the private sector. INSANE pay over there. 



HoboMaster said:


> Does she not qualify for any Financial Aid? I think the maximum FASFA will give you is $5,500 per year in Pell Grant form right now, which is entirely on a "need" basis - as well as access to subsidized loans. If she is a dependent and you make decent money, they will seriously limit her access to FA.
> 
> Scholarships themselves are also often given on a "need" basis, which is evaluated by how much you make. Schools will take the info from the FASFA form she filled out and evaluate accordingly. If they think you can support her, they will give her less in scholarships, even if she is a good student. In retrospect $2,500 in scholarships isn't bad, maybe unless she's going to a really expensive school. Unfortunately, school just costs a ton these days, which is why despite scholarships and financial aid young people have so much scholastic debt.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

Noreaster said:


> Apparently I make decent enough money for her not to qualify for FA *at all*. Initially she got $1200 in federal aid and then got audited. That's when we were told in no uncertain terms "too bad, people, you're screwed". That is basically when she scrapped fairly expensive private school for a state U. She wants to transfer eventually but I have no idea how I'm gonna pay for that.


I know it doesn't take a lot of money for them to reject FA, so that does really suck. I don't think it's easy to get/prove, but you could look up the possibility of having her file as an independent next semester/year. If she does that, she should get full consideration for FA. If you are struggling to support her as is, letting Uncle Sam foot part of her bill instead may be worth it. If she's gonna have to take out loans too, may as well get subsidized ones from the GOV at a low APR, which come with full FA Consideration.


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

EastCoastChris said:


> Isn't there a loan forgiveness program for people for rural healthcare workers? Like if you move to some crazy place where there is a shortage of health care workers and work in a clinic for 4 years you get your loans forgiven. You still have to take the loans though. And it can seriously mess up your career plans as rural clinic work isn't very respected by the profession.
> 
> 
> Don't know how your daughter might feel about this, but maybe she should look into an Air Force ROTC program and an officer's commission after graduation. My brother took an Air Force commission and went into the TRICARE system. He got some really interesting field training at Landsthul in Germany and eventually became the head of technology acquisitions for TRICARE in the northeast (he basically does the specs for and sources things like case management software and robots that do heart surgery.) The military paid for his MPH and JD. I know that's not the same as the MD track, but in the Air Force (which has jurisdiction over all military healthcare systems) you can find a lot of really good opportunities for someone that isn't a silver spoon legacy kid at John Hopkins.


I think she wants to go that good old MD route. Would be disqualified from joining anyway for medical issues. Have no idea about loan forgiveness though, I guess she's gonna have to decide what to do when she comes to that particular threshold. Right now all I want is to get her through undergrad and not go bankrupt in the process.


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

HoboMaster said:


> I know it doesn't take a lot of money for them to reject FA, so that does really suck. I don't think it's easy to get/prove, but you could look up the possibility of having her file as an independent next semester/year. If she does that, she should get full consideration for FA. If you are struggling to support her as is, letting Uncle Sam foot part of her bill instead may be worth it. If she's gonna have to take out loans too, may as well get subsidized ones from the GOV at a low APR, which come with full FA Consideration.


I'm only too happy to let her get her own debt and pay it off. Builds character as far as I'm concerned. BUT... she only qualified for a certain amount of subsidized loans. Very little amount. Which left us with First Bank of Momma's Pocketbook. I'm not exactly struggling. Yet. But I have a feeling darker days are a-comin' when she transfers out of state U, which she will have to if she wants a shot at med school.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

Noreaster said:


> I'm only too happy to let her get her own debt and pay it off. Builds character as far as I'm concerned. BUT... she only qualified for a certain amount of subsidized loans. Very little amount. Which left us with First Bank of Momma's Pocketbook. I'm not exactly struggling. Yet. But I have a feeling darker days are a-comin' when she transfers out of state U, which she will have to if she wants a shot at med school.


That's a tough situation, I don't think there is any cheap way out when it comes to medical school. Damn kids and their ambitions :wacko:


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

Noreaster said:


> If you've tapped some hidden resources of FA please share. I have a kid who graduated HS with honors last year (AND got her EMT-B, AND volunteered at our local ambulance corps) who got $2500 worth of scholarship. I'm footing her bill now but she set sights for med school, there's no way I'm going to be able to help her through that so if anyone can point me in the direction of some financial relief I'd really appreciate it.


For med school? Loans. Don't pay for that if you don't have the money. Especially if going to medical school, she can pay them back much faster than many other graduate level education. I'm taking out loans for all four years of veterinary school. It will total about 160 g when I graduate. The interest will jack the total up by the time I pay it off, but I think I can still handle paying it off in 10 years. That with a vet salary of 60 to 70 grand per year. Now med school? You will pay the same or less for school and will have double the salary. Probably will take 4 years for her to pay it off if she lives within her means.


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

BigmountainVMD said:


> For med school? Loans. Don't pay for that if you don't have the money. Especially if going to medical school, she can pay them back much faster than many other graduate level education. I'm taking out loans for all four years of veterinary school. It will total about 160 g when I graduate. The interest will jack the total up by the time I pay it off, but I think I can still handle paying it off in 10 years. That with a vet salary of 60 to 70 grand per year. Now med school? You will pay the same or less for school and will have double the salary. Probably will take 4 years for her to pay it off if she lives within her means.


Unfortunately, a lot of recent med school and dental school graduates, with their new-found wealth, will splurge on toys and expensive cars, while barely paying off their huge loans.

Every now and then, there is a graduate that lives extremely modestly the first couple of years (to pay off their student loans)... and maybe stash away some money to open that private practice they have been dreaming of.


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## Toomeyct (Apr 4, 2012)

Noreaster said:


> If you've tapped some hidden resources of FA please share. I have a kid who graduated HS with honors last year (AND got her EMT-B, AND volunteered at our local ambulance corps) who got $2500 worth of scholarship. I'm footing her bill now but she set sights for med school, there's no way I'm going to be able to help her through that so if anyone can point me in the direction of some financial relief I'd really appreciate it.


Maybe things are different now. My parents weren't poor, probably middle class I would say. Maybe it had a lot to do with the school I went to or something. I believe that my parents paid for some of it but I know they couldn't afford to pay for 50k a year. I believe that they may have paid like 5k a year and then the rest was taken out in loans that I am now paying. But even then thats 5k a year plus 2k a year in loans, so about 28k dollars paid after 4 years. Certainly not the 200k that it could have been with no aid, so we must have been getting something substantial.


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## lareaper (Aug 4, 2009)

mixie said:


> I have worked on games for EA and Blizzard and Capcom. Im tellin' you....you don't need to go to college to do so. Designer, programer or otherwise.
> 
> Being in the entertainment industry is a tough gig. And school is not the way in. Not unless you can go to USC and get in with the alumni.
> 
> With the money you would spend on college you can teach yourself to make iphone apps and do much better for yourself then you would being a corperate drone.


Yeah I heard a lot of people in the industry saying that you don't need a degree, but if I go to University of Utah though and do their game program I will graduate with a CS degree, which I would be able to apply to a large variety of careers. I would also have lots of classes focused on game-specific programming, which would help me in the gaming industry. I have very little experience coding and I feel like getting a CS degree will teach me a lot more than I could learn on my own.


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