<p>I am a rising senior class of 2014 and My parents want me to go to a community college and they want me to major into nursing but I want to major in biology but I also want to major in business and receive an MBA and I want to go on to medical school. Am willing to go into nursing but I don't want to go to a community college. I feel like in a small town like mine if you don't get out of here after high school you will never be out. My dream in life is to be SUPER successful and with a nice bank account. I also feel like community college is a waste of time for my senior year am working super hard and taking 4 Advance Placement classes and I see no point in working so hard if it results in community college. I need some advice I understand the money situation but I am aware that there is scholarship opportunities for me.</p>
<p>What are your grades, test scores, and ECs like?</p>
<p>Go to a state university for cheap. Get you bachelors degree quickly and get into a joint MD/MBA program.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the quality of your CC and what options they provide. I live in a place with many 4 year colleges and STEM students in the honors programs at the CC have access to summer research positions at these colleges and opportunities to present their work. There are monthly seminars at the CC with invited lecturers in the sciences and since the community colleges are small the students get to ask questions of the lecturer and take him/her to lunch. For STEM students who finish at the CC with a 3.5+ gpa, while completing honors requirements, there are excellent opportunities at local 4 years.</p>
<p>Also the CC provides SAT prep course to honors students so that they have good scores when they apply as transfer students. The chemistry and biology classes are small, the physics classes minute, and it is almost impossible to get into the nursing program, so you could very well meet the requirements for a scholarshipe to a 4 year college, but be unable to become a nurse without changing programs, and taking longer than 2 more years to get your degree.</p>
<p>I have aprettgood grade my GPA is a 4.00 weighted and my SAT scores were pretty bad but I plan to retake the test. A half of the thing you are talking about I have yet hear about it at my local CC</p>
<p>I want to go to state university but I also have a private school in mind but it doesn’t offer nursing</p>
<p>Juanie0923 -</p>
<p>You need to find out from your parents how much they are ready, willing, and able to pay for your education, and under what restrictions. It is possible that they will pay only for a CC education and only for a Nursing major. It also is possible that they are happy to pay what it would cost for you to attend the CC for two years, and you can attend wherever you want to provided that you can find scholarships that will make their contribution for your education come to no more than what two years at the CC would be. </p>
<p>Once you know what they are willing to pay, then you need to sit down with them and run the Net Price Calculators at the websites of the colleges and universities you are interested in. That way you will have a general notion as to whether or not those places will fit into your budget.</p>
<p>You also should spend some time in the Financial Aid Forum reading the various threads on merit-based aid and on need-based aid. That way you will have better criteria for determining what your options are.</p>
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<p>A friend’s wife has a Phd from an Ivy and she had major difficulties finding any kind of work for a year. She eventually took a research editing job (part-time). I’m not sure what she is doing now. Biology is a major that doesn’t give you a lot of opportunities with an undergraduate degree.</p>
<p>I think that you may just want to take it one step at a time on degrees. You haven’t mentioned how much money your parents are willing to contribute per year but it does not sound like a lot and it may be difficult to get other aid with your stats (in other threads). Our daughter went to community college for her Associates in Science degree. We can afford full-pay private but I thought that CC would be a better option for her as she didn’t know what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. She has three years of credits and has had the chance to explore many different areas. She’s looking for work right now and will just go for her BS if she doesn’t find work. A lot of students go to community college for a variety of reasons. Cost is a common reason. You have to be realistic about your financial situation and you capabilities.</p>
<p>As an aside, I have seen lots of job openings that line up perfectly with AS degrees in areas like medical technology, CNA, and other areas. The degree gives you mostly training that lines up with what employers are looking for. The majors may not have the career earning potential of other four-year majors and programs but they may get you into an actualy job more quickly without the burden of debt.</p>
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<p>Nursing will give you a lot of opportunities. There is significant demand for nurses in Boston and I’m sure that there is demand in other major cities too.</p>
<p>It is nice to have a goal in making a lot of money but that focus may be a little misguided. Money does not buy happiness though it can pay to get rid of things that make you less happy. You’re going to be working 40 hours a weeking doing something for the rest of your working life - it would be nice if it is something that you would like to do. There are lots of people with MBAs that are unemployed with school loans. A degree is no longer a guarantee of financial success - though it may get your foot in the door.</p>
<p>The quality of Advanced Placement courses in high-school varies widely. Many schools provide these courses so that they give the impression that they have difficult courses but they may be far from the equivalent of a college course. On-the-other-hand, some Advanced Placement courses can be far harder and more work than college courses.</p>
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<p>The attitude that employers want is that you will work hard regardless of the rewards or potential rewards. Working hard should be in your nature - not something that is conditional. Working hard in any position gives you the potential for promotions. There are so many that don’t work hard or that do the bare minimum or that care only about what they get and not how their organization does - that getting promotions and advancement is easy if you display the best work ethic.</p>
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<p>You need to know how much help your parents are willing to give you per year. Community College typically costs between $1,000 - $5,000 not including room and board. There is a Federal tax credit that will give your parents back $2,400 of that. So the net cost of CC (if the CC is local), may be around $3,000 or $4,000 per year. A summer job can help with college expenses and a part-time job during the school year can help with living expenses.</p>
<p>You should have a very specific rationale for attending a community college, based on your high school GPA, family finances, program of interest, and the schools logistical options (can you conveniently commute to the CC campus?).</p>
<p>I have found that schools can have a pretty hard time letting students know about these options. For example from the local CC website you would not even know they have an honors program. I recommend going to the school and looking for information near the faculty offices, and tutoring centers, and see if you can get an interview with someone about options at the school. Most CC right now have nearly all their classes taught by adjunct faculty and the limited full time faculty can’t see that the programs are broadcast widely.</p>
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Tell your ‘dream’ to your parents. If your parents don’t support you financially to pursue your ‘dream’ then you have to:
- get a full ride scholarship, or
- wait until you’re 24 years old, then you can attend schools without your parents’ financial support</p>
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Most nursing program of community colleges & 4-year schools have become very competitive and have a long waiting list.
This kind of attitude won’t help you to get in any CC’s nursing program.</p>
<p>As Horacio79 notes, it really depends on the quality of your CC. Some are great and offer easily understood paths to transfer to 4 year state colleges. Others are jammed with more students than seats and will take more than the 2 years to navigate. </p>
<p>Talk to some current students at your perspective school - do some research on the CC’s transfer rate. Look at your target State school, find out how many students come from your CC. I don’t know where you are from but, California makes all that info pretty accessable. I bet your state does too.</p>
<p>Here in CA, a community college probably costs $1000 a year for fees, etc. The CSU system’s tuition is about $6k so, it costs about $5k more to go straight to your local CSU. In two years, you save $10k - not chump change but, you could make that working 10hrs a week as a barista. Here, going straight to the 4 year school profoundly improves your chances of a 4 year graduation.</p>
<p>At your age, your focus should be keeping as many doors open as possible. A 4.0 GPA, respectable SAT and some solid ECs should make you eligible for many good schools. You’ve worked hard to earn them. Why shut the door now?</p>
<p>I’d suggest you apply to a broad range of schools, like 8-10. Include a mix of private/public/near/far/selective and less selective. See where you get in and what kind of aid is offered. </p>
<p>Starting now, have the money converstation with your parents - figure out where you stand, what they plan to contribute.</p>
<p>By the time your admissions role in, it might be an easy choice.</p>
<p>Community college is the way to go. Its not a waste of time(depending on the school and their transfer rate). Fortunately, its a good way to save money. Furthermore, at the end of graduations,majority of those kids who bragged about going to a univ. or state school, end up coming back.</p>
<p>I disagree with posters who state “CC is the way to go”. Each situation is different and depends on the individual. Right now, Juanie does NOT want to go to a CC. AND she has the stats to apply to selective colleges. What harm is there for her to investigate her options? If she’s first gen, she’d actually be better off getting admitted to the most selective college she can find: first generation college students with a 4.00 are MUCH MUCH more likely to graduate, graduate in 4 years, and be successful, if they attend a selective college. In fact, first gen and lower socio-economic students are the only ones for whom attending a selective/highly selective college makes a big difference in experience, success, and outcome.
In addition, top private colleges outside her geographical area (or sometimes the local flagship) may even have better financial aid than local schools!</p>
<p>NCalRent speaks wisely here: “At your age, your focus should be keeping as many doors open as possible. A 4.0 GPA, respectable SAT and some solid ECs should make you eligible for many good schools. You’ve worked hard to earn them. Why shut the door now?”</p>
<p>You listed your full stats on another post. Having a UW 3.3 GPA, not in the top 10% of your class and a sub 1700 SAT isn’t going to blow away doors in your path for scholarships. Many entry Nursing programs would reject you.</p>
<p>May I suggest having a serious discussion w/your guid counselor – discussing your goals/dreams and the various pathways? I get that you want to leave the small town. I get that an MBA or a MD/DO degree seem to be options. What about starting with a high GPA (3.8+) for your senior year?</p>
<p>I agree with T26E4. OP should speak with a guidance counselor. Sometimes parents know what they’re talking about. Applying yourself at a CC, and getting a 4.0 could seriously open doors. probably more than performing well senior year at this point.</p>