<p>I'm a sophomore in high school, and I plan on going to college, then studying abroad. I wanted to go to Germany at one point. But I am taking Spainsh, so i decided on Spain.
My GPA so far sucks 2.75. I didn't really understand how important it was till recently. But my grades this semester are better, and i plan on getting all A's and B's for the rest of my high school years.</p>
<p>Some basic info:
I want somewhere i can go abroad to Spain, a full year or just a semester.
I want to become a kindergarten teacher.
Money is so-so, i'm in the middle class, but money is tight due this economy.
I graduate high school in 2012 and want to travel as soon as i can.
I am located in TN, and would like to stay in TN.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Your last criteria on your list is most helpful…Almost all colleges have a study-abroad program, so that’s easy. There usually isn’t a major in education, so you’ll have to find something else. To teach, you’ll need to get your certification, and those requirements are different in each state.</p>
<p>In TN, there’s Rhodes and Vanderbilt, as the most well known. Do that research, and consider other criteria that is important to you (large/small, public/private, urban/sub/rural, national research university or small LAC, )etc…</p>
<p>My suggestion is to focus on your current schoolwork. Having a strong gpa gives you many more options.</p>
<p>I would like small college, but i feel like I can’t be too picky.
Thank you for your help, i am open for any and every suggestion(s).
:)</p>
<p>You can do most of the things on your list - study in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country (keep your options open, a lot kids who take Spanish study in Latin America), and become a certified kindergarten teacher - at most schools. If money is tight you want to look at low-cost schools, possibly schools in your state system. There’s the University of Tennessee (main campus at Knoxville which I’ve heard is the best, but there’s also Chattanooga and Martin), the University of Memphis, and Tennessee State (although that’s a historically black college). I’ve heard good things about University of Memphis and tuition is only $6,000 per year, with your room and board expenses estimated at around $2800-5600 depending on where you live. You could cover most of tuition with a Stafford loan and work-study and your parents could probably help cover the rest. UT-Knoxville is also a good deal for you with yearly estimated costs at $21K for in-state students.</p>
<p>For private schools, there’s Rhodes College in Memphis and Vanderbilt, but honestly, with your GPA those schools will be a reach (you only have two years to raise it and you probably won’t be able to raise it to a level that will make you competitive even if you got straight As) and they’re also expensive. There are a whole lot of other private colleges in TN, though - there’s Sewanee: The University of the South, which gives good financial aid; Christian Brothers University in Memphis, which has pretty low tuition (around $11,000, and the residence halls range from $1055-3140 per year, so inexpensive).</p>
<p>You also may want to consider looking at universities in nearby/bordering states, like southern Kentucky and Virginia, western North Carolina, eastern Arkansas and Missouri, and northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. There’s North Georgia College and University, and Berry College in the northern parts of GA for example, or UA-Tuscaloosa in Alabama which is generous with aid to OOS students. Also Auburn in AL.</p>
<p>I really like Tennessee State. I had only heard of it one time, and it never crossed my mind again. But now I am going to look into it, thank you.</p>
<p>& yes, UT is a very good school, and it is the closest college to were I live. But as you pointed out, my GPA will be hard to bring up. And they like a student with high GPA.</p>