College Suggestions

<p>Alright, well here's the rundown. I have been looking for a 4 year college to transfer to. I am currently in my second semester at a community college in C.T, and I plan on attending for at least another semester if not I will complete the full 2 years. My Councilor has just retired, and my school doesn't really offer many resources for information on a broad look at Colleges, it really only caters information to in state schools. So, I've been searching on the web and still am having a hard time finding useful information. Maybe, Im stuck with not really knowing where or what I should be trying to look for. So I will tell you as much info as I can about me, in hopes that I might receive an accurate and helpful response.</p>

<p>About me, Well Im 22 years old, and as I said before this is my second semester at Community College. For a little academic history, I will say that I did the bare minimum to get by in High School. Honesty, I never cared for it, and never saw myself wanting to attend college in the future. Actually, I was a fairly deviant child, and felt that I didn't need a piece of paper(degree) to say I could do something, to go out and do it. After I graduated H.S (barely) I worked managing a deli for some time, saved my money and then put myself through a vocational college out in Ohio for Audio Engineering/ Video Production. It was a short program, where I learned skills to work in an area that I've always been interested in, entertainment. So, I found a job back home and for the past 2 years I've been struggling to work my way up in the entertainment industry. </p>

<p>Now, it wasn't until last summer that I had decided I really wanted to go back to school. You see, for a long time I had a lot of mixed feelings about College, and the factor that I hated and still hate most is how the U.S turns College into a business first and foremost. College is absurdly expensive and they force you to have to look at college as solely an occupational advancing tool. Where College should be a place to go and learn whatever you are interested in and better yourself, but because of the expense people are forced to decide before they even attend of "which kind of job can their studies get them". ( I don't want to start a huge argument and I feel I am digressing from my point, so I will rap this rant up) But this makes people focus on strictly the practical focus of education rather than the focus of going to actually learn and grow.</p>

<p>So, after reading that last paragraph you may ask why I decided to go back. Well their are a lot of reasons. One of the biggest, was realizing that I am still young and I need to be enjoying my youth to the fullest, Im to young to be working a full time job. Another reason,is that My Father has been unemployed the past 2 years which means were broke, AKA, I get to go to school for free. Financial aid actually pays for me to g to school, which takes a huge weight off my conscious and allows me to focus on strictly whatever I want to learn and find interesting. There are quite a few other reasons, though I don't need to post them, Ultimately when I weighed my options there were more reasons to attend than not to, So here I am, In College and loving it.</p>

<p>What Am I into: Well I am currently taking general studies, getting my math and science courses out of the way. I am currently taking, Astronomy, Intermediate Algebra, U.S History II, and my 2 favorites English Lit and Comp., and Philosophy. Unlike my efforts in H.S, I actually care to be here and I apply myself, I have more or less straight A's. I made the Deans list last semester. Out of everything I've taken my main interests and what I excel and love to learn most are English and Philosophy. This is what I will probably be looking to major and minor in at a 4-year college. My school is holding a transfer fair next week, yet they are all in state schools. My main interests in really only 1 or 2, being SCSU(southern C.T state UNiversity) and WCSU(western C.T). </p>

<p>So my main question is what colleges out of state, and if anyone has useful info, on in state would benefit me best for attending a 4-year college mostly focused in English and Philosophy. Huge factors for me are financial aid, and hopefully a hefty amount of scholarship friendly schools. I am poor and the cheaper the more attractive, I know it is more expensive to go out of state. But you only live once and I would love to be able to spend some time somewhere else in the country again. This is all I can really write for now, but hopefully everyone can give me some useful info. Feel free to ask any questions if I left some stuff out, I know I kind of wrote a lot, maybe more than necessary but I just wanted you to know the most about where I am coming from, so you can give the best advice. thanks for reading, and responding.</p>

<p>-Christopher</p>

<p>The length of you post is long, but it’s ok. All of us (or most at least) CC’ers needed to spill our hearts at some point.
But anyways, it would be more helpful if you tell us what kind of schools you’re looking for in terms of size, location, programs, etc. If you give us some stats (GPA, etc), that would help too in suggesting schools.</p>

<p>UConn-Storrs would probably be a good alternative financially. Also look at UNC, Richmond, and UVA which typically meet all of your financial need. They all have good academic programs as well.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Oh yeah, forgot to mention my GPA. Well, I have a 3.8 and Im on the deans list, hope to keep it there. </p>

<p>As for what Im looking for in a school, I would say size wise probably something medium sized to large, although I don’t really have much of a preference. </p>

<p>For Location, If I am going to stay in the New England area I would prefer C.T or N.Y. However I have gone to school out in O.H and loved it, I would like to get the chance to go to school if I can afford it in another part of the country again, Im very much into the whole traveling experience. </p>

<p>Programs, like I said I am most interested in English (composition,creative writing, and Literature) and Philosophy. So as long as there is a good foundation of both then that would attract me. Somewhere with a good foundation of Philosophy and English teachers especially.</p>

<p>I want to go somewhere that is fairly balanced, by that I mean somewhere where there is a decent abundance of quality social life, as in people their aren’t all total academic nuts and actually value having a social life, but not to the extreme where no one cares about school and all the classes are total b.s where I don’t have to apply myself to succeed. </p>

<p>I hope this gives a little more detail of what Im looking for. And thanks for reading my spilled heart story, hope it wasn’t overkill,ha. thanks.</p>

<p>From a purely academic perspective, leaving finances out of the picture, Trinity College,University of Connecticut, Bard, NYU, Fordham, Oberlin, Ohio State, University of Miami-Ohio, the University of Ohio, the University of Cincinnati, or Kenyon College might all be good options for you. They’re where you want to be geographically and could help you follow your interests.</p>

<p>NYU has terrible financial aid.</p>

<p>I know I said I went to school out in O.H and liked it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where I want to go. Geographically Im really open to anything, well as long as there’s some human life, like preferably close to a small-med- or just awesome city. When I went to school in O.H it was down near Chillicothe, and I don’t think I’d want to attend a 4 year college in a setting that isolated from everything. It was out in the country and I liked it, culture shocking a bit but it was a great experience. However every weekend, I’d travel around, mostly head up to Columbus, which is one of my favorite small cities I’ve been to. </p>

<p>Trinity is incredibly unaffordable for me and not really what Im looking for as is UCONN. Out of all schools in this state Im mostly interested in SCSU. Thanks for the suggestions and I’ll check them out, but really Im open to just about anything in terms of geography, The guidelines Im most concerned about is what I stated in my last post. Thanks again all.</p>