FUUUUU @ College -.-

[PandoraShock]

This is currently how I feel after my first year of college. My Loans have run out, I can't get new ones, I can't put my College on hold until I can afford the 200-500$ payments -.- This is utter bullshit. I've gone to college for a year now, and... Haven't learned One single thing important or that I didn't already know. And this is bullshit for my 30,760 Tuition... For a private technical college. (The only good tech college) In my state. It's sad when my friends who live on their campus and still go to school pay less than my entire tuition. And theirs isn't even a locked in tuition like mine! >< They will not be paying as much as me for another 2-6 Years! (based on the governments plans that is) So wtf man, why does college have to be so expensive just to give me a piece of paper to tell me that I know what I already knew.

So What should I do?
I can't afford the 118-266 $ monthly payments, and wont be able to for at least 2-3 months, I can't afford the 200-600 $ fee for my books (which are custom books from the school so I cant find them online). And if I take a "break" its not a break its me "dropping out" until I can't afford to get back in because my tuition is going to be around 30,000 when I come back that with my current credit hours taken off ><!

Let me know I really need some help. I'm thinking about leaving this stupid school, and going to another for the hell of it, like a major change I guess. Btw worst part about this scenario, is that I have the lowest cost Major in the school -.-.


Thanks for any help
Luke Clark (azrith001)

 

[united washcloth express]

Get a job, and what at the custom books and $30,760 for one year tuition.

First of all:

Where are you going where tuition is that damn high for a single year and what degree are you going for?

Second of all:

If you cannot get a job and reasonably afford your education and are maxed out on loans, you're boned breh. Maybe look for a different path and cut your losses. College isn't for everyone and it definitely is not the only way contrary to what schools have taught students growing up.

 

[coyotecraft]

I got by just borrowing books from the people I know in class. Half the time we didn't even use the books. One book we were asked to buy because the instructor wrote it. Never mentioned the book during the course. Another time, on the first day of class they tell us we wouldn't use the book and the bookstore only buys back so many copies.

Transfer to a cheaper college. If you're switching from a quarter system to a semester system, and all your course credits transfer you could effectively cut a year off your time in college. That's what happened to me, graduated in 3 instead of 4. I also lived with my parents instead of the dorms. Sometime colleges pay your living expensive if your GPA is high enough or offer scholarship money for being on the Dean list. So keeping your grades up is worth it.

 

[Venetia]

technical colleges and art colleges are a waste of money. employers are just as likely--if not MORE likely--to hire you if you have a regular community/uni degree.

in fact, i know a few employers who REFUSE to hire ANYONE from ITT Tech, namely. b/c on average, they never seem as well-trained or like they are actually interested in the field as people with a generic comp sci or even a stupid liberal arts degree (a lot of people get into tech colleges just b/c they saw an ad on TV or b/c they couldn't figure out what else to do with their lives, and they heard computers are "the future").

seriously just go to community college, do well, and then go to uni. trust me, i DID the art school route (which is essentially the same). it costs ridiculous sums of money for >>no reason<<

i wish there were a PSA or something that went around that told kids in high school that :/

 

[Venetia]

don't get me wrong-- there are some VOCATIONAL schools that are actually necessary to get a job. chefs are more likely to be hired if they went to culinary school. aeronautical mechanics are more likely to be hired from aero-mechanics schools. but if your major in a college is something broad like "computer programming", or even SOME niche things, like "game design", you will be better off just getting a uni degree. 100% serious here.

plus if you start going to community college right away, you can defer paying back all your loans until 6mo after you stop going to school entirely.
(it's recommended that you start paying them back ASAP, but if you literally cannot afford it, i'm saying that you CAN defer them)

the shitty part is that it is very possible that most--or all--of your credits earned will not transfer. tech schools use non-standard classes & curriculum that often do not carry over into other schools.
luckily you only have a year under your belt there, and it won't be a HUGE kick in the ass to re-take some of it. but you may be able to get some credits to count in community college by passing their placement tests.

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

1. Change to a different (cheaper) school.
2. Get a job.
3. Value if it's really worth it.

 

[dadevvtsvre]

If you're paying more than $30 000 a year in tuition you're being ripped off big time. School in Canada is cheaper so my perspective is a bit different, but I know that even by American standards that's ridiculously high. Your college doesn't deserve your money.

Like others have said, you need to figure out what you want to do and what you NEED in order to do that. Anything else is extraneous and doesn't need to be paid for.

If you don't know what you want to do and what's absolutely necessary for you to do that, it might be a good idea to take a break from school and figure things out. My dad wasted three years in teacher's college before he decided he wanted to be a nurse. Happens all the time, but it doesn't have to.

 

[GameBoy]

Thank God for free education in my country. You can even earn some money if you have good grades or you can get social stipend (I don't know if this is a good word) if your familly is rather poor. You can earn form 200 to 1000 PLN, where in Poland minimal salary is actually ~1300 PLN, so with little money from familly/job you can easily rent a room or if you live near uni you can even save some cash.

There are also paid private schools, but most of them are just utter bullshit and if you want get serious job you must finish one of the public uni.

 

[PandoraShock]

@GameBoy Lol, Poland sounds cool :P

@Venetia:
I love you, thank you so much for the helpful info I've decided to follow your words of wisdom.(my current major is web development) but most of it I taught myself. So thank you so much :heart:

@Juan: I'll use this as a check list lol.

@Dood: I know right, 30+ grand for stupid the educational system in America is screwed up.

@Coyote: Thanks for the helpful bit:

Transfer to a cheaper college. If you're switching from a quarter system to a semester system, and all your course credits transfer you could effectively cut a year off your time in college. That's what happened to me, graduated in 3 instead of 4. I also lived with my parents instead of the dorms. Sometime colleges pay your living expensive if your GPA is high enough or offer scholarship money for being on the Dean list. So keeping your grades up is worth it.

So thank you very much everyone for the help Whenever you get a chance please could you lock this topic <3 also Ily you all very much :D and this forum!