<p>Aries, would it be ok if I printed out that post to work from? It was very helpful and I think will give her some insight.</p>
<p>On a side note, she did find her dream program (5-year masters in adolescent education-biology) at SUNY Plattsburgh. She's afraid that 6 hours away is too far, but I think she should give it a shot.</p>
<p>Best advice I got from my mom on going away to school (as oldest of first generation student). 'Try it, if you hate it you can come home but at least you won't wonder What If?</p>
<p>sounds good. the upside to being a science teacher is that there is such a shortage (along with math teachers) it really won't be hard for her to get a job. She may be able to get her Masters paid for by the city.</p>
<p>Of course you can print that out! :)</p>
<p>Zoosermom, because math and science teachers are in such demand, she will most likely not have difficulty finding a job, and I would not be inclined to have her take on extra debt for a private school. Another thing to consider is that, in NY, there have been many changes in the last few years to become certified. She should contact the nys education department for the current requirements. I thought that new teachers needed to have a masters degree before they become certified in NY. The Plattsburgh combined ba/ma program sounds wonderful--I would look into that further by contacting the department head.</p>
<p>Plattsburgh sounds great. It has the advantage of being in NY and having a program specifically geared to getting her on the road for certification in NY. One disadvantage of out of state schools is that you have to keep an eye on developments in NY and make sure that the education program is in sync with the certification requirements. Having said that, I thought Mary Washington in Va was a wonderful school, reasonably priced for out of state, and I do know a young lady who did her education major there, now teaching in NY. As Sybbie and Chocolate have said, math/science teachers are in demand here, and some latitude is given in jobs until they get certified.</p>
<p>Here are a few more Pennsylvania teachers colleges. Even though they used to be called state teachers colleges, they are now called universities.</p>
<p>California
<a href="http://www.cup.edu/index.jsp%5B/url%5D">http://www.cup.edu/index.jsp</a></p>
<p>Clarion
<a href="http://www.clarion.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.clarion.edu/</a></p>
<p>Edinboro
<a href="http://webs.edinboro.edu/welcome/%5B/url%5D">http://webs.edinboro.edu/welcome/</a></p>
<p>I would just like to thank all of you again. With a first child, particularly one who rarely gets near the computer, it falls on me to find out what we don't know that we don't know. It is so kind of you to take the time to respond with such helpful advice and information. I do feel now that I have a handle on some of this and am able to speak with my daughter in an informed manner.</p>
<p>There are also a number of loan forgiveness and incentive programs for teachers that you should look into. These include the federal teacher loan forgiveness program, which forgives up to $5,000 of student loans for anyone who goes into teaching, and up to $17,500 of student loans for anyone who teaches math, science or special education. I believe that this program requires teachers to teach in certain low-income school districts for five years. You should also look into the loan forgiveness and other programs associates with Americorps, as well as the Teach NYC program (<a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/CurrentEducationStudents/Overview/%5B/url%5D">http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/CurrentEducationStudents/Overview/</a>) if you are interested in teaching in NYC schools. </p>
<p>I know many teachers who have taken advantage of these and other programs.</p>
<p>Oh, and don't forget this program for that master's degree in teaching ...</p>
<p>The Teaching Opportunity Scholarship: This program is supported by the City University of New York (CUNY) and the New York City Department of Education. It provides incentive scholarships and special training to highly qualified college graduates pursuing a career in teaching. The program provides a fully paid master's degree to individuals with a major or an equivalent level of coursework in Spanish, mathematics or science, including biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, or related analytical fields (e.g., engineering). In addition, candidates who already hold a teaching certificate and are interested in pursuing a career as a literacy teacher may apply.
Source: <a href="http://www.top.cuny.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.top.cuny.edu/</a></p>
<p>Thank you so much Sally. Very helpful information.</p>
<p>No. The debt is not worth it in this case. You will not get paid more based on where you went to school. Teacher salary is based solely on your level of certification and your years of experience. I started my teaching career without being saddled with debt and it has allowed me to live fine. I'm not wealthy by any means, but I am able to easily support myself. This may not have been the case if I had had a lot of debt to pay off.</p>
<p>Hi Zoosermom- just got back from dropping d # 2 at Cortland. So far -so good. Just wanted you to know that my d also applied to West Chester and Temple which are both public U's in Pa. West Chester was the only school that d didn't get into ( and she applied to 10- or was it 11 schools?? This is all becoming a memory- what a wonderful feeling). My initial thought was that West Chester would love OOS kids, and that she would probably get in- but I was mistaken. Now West Chester may be more geographically desireable than some other PA schools as it is close to Philly- so it may be harder to get into than Millersville- etc. but while my d did get into Cortland and Oneonta, she was unsuccessful at West Chester. So just keep that in mind and do not consider it a safety. I liked Temple too. Much more urban area, some people have reservations about that section of Philly- but for a NYC gal, she should feel safe. My d's friend is going to Plattsburg and she didn't get into Cortland so it may be a bit easier to get into Plattsburg than Cortland or Oneonta but you never know. With rolling admissions, I think there's a bit of luck with all applications and timing.
Looking back on the year, I too thought my d had little chance of getting into Cortland or Oneonta, and I had her apply to Delhi as a safety, but she got into all her SUNY's. I just have a feeling, your d is going to do fine and will get into several SUNY's too. Just get the apps in early. Good luck.</p>
<p>Hey Marni, thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad your daughter got off well -- please let me know how she's doing ok?</p>
<p>My daughter is applying to Oneonta early action, Cortland and Plattsburgh. She really does like the five-year master's program at Plattsburgh, so I'm hoping that will work out for her. I just wish her GC (whom she loathes) wasn't pushing SUNY schools so much because now she has her back up. Sigh!</p>
<p>I think the consensus here is that the debt is not worth it. I do want togive another perspective on this. My good friend's daughter is a teacher. She went to an expensive, liberal arts college that she absolutely loved and loves to this day. The family felt that the school was a perfect fit for her, and indeed so it worked out. She was pretty sure she wanted to teach, and looked at any number of small "teachers" colleges, but the atmosphere and environment were just not to her liking. She was the type of kid who thrived best in a small nurturing environment. And so they paid the huge premium, including loans on part of both the parents and student for her to have this experience. I was perplexed at the time of that enormous investement, but have grown to see how it could be worth the money. Many of the "teachers" colleges have a large commuter element. There is a different atmosphere in true liberal arts colleges vs schools where business, education and criminal justice are the chief majors. Some of these LACs are legendary in the attention they give their students, and a larger number of graduates retain a strong attachment to the school for years to come. This young lady goes to reunions regularly and has a tight group of friends from the school. Also, given the high expense, you do get a different group of kids going there as opposed to a bargain priced small state school. A lot of the kids do not work at jobs as many hours, come from a higher socio eco family, are mostly full time, have a younger average age, more kids living on campus, more active campus life particularly on weekends. That may be worth the premium. It may not be. I suggest you and your daughter visit some representative schools of both sorts to see this difference and assess the cost value for you. Though it sounds staggering, and, yes, it will be painful to repay, and yes, on a pure practical matter it is not worth it, if it is truly a better venue for a student, it may be an investment worth considering.</p>
<p>cpofthehouse, that was very good advice as well. The schools daughter is looking at are Moravian, Rider, Monmouth (NJ) and Castleton State in Vermont. She particularly does want a small environment with excellent opportunities in biology (she really loves biology), so we thought that Plattsburgh, Oneonta and Cortland would be good choices as SUNYs. I wish we could afford the whole cost wherever she wants to go, but our budget tops out at $18,000 per year that we can actually pay.</p>
<p>Our D. just went off to St. Mary's of Maryland. It is small, nurturing, liberal arts college and is right on the water and has an incredible marine bio/environmental science lab right outside the door. She loves biology too and although she's undecided about her career interests, I could see her teaching HS bio. We are out of state, but they were quite reasonable, and they seem to be working hard to bring kids in from outside Maryland. D. got a nice aid package from them--her stats are good but not stellar (3.7 GPA, mid 600s on her SATS) and she did a solid but not rigorous college prep schedule in HS.</p>
<p>I know, Zoosermom. I have one coming up (rising jr) who unless he changes a whole lot will most likely benefit from a small liberal arts school that is truly a home. Not many commuter, mainly on campus housing, lots to do on campus, no grad students teaching, small classes where you get to know the profs well, and they you. Where the kids get to know each other well, and tend to come from similar backgrounds with just enough variety to add a little spice. It would be a 4 year cocoon for him, and then he may mature enough to be able to handle something less personal, more diverse, and less friendly. The problem we have is money too. The $45K+ that many such schools cost is a real problem. Because his stats are not stellar, the schools where he is likely to get in, are not 100% guaranteed financial aid even if we qualified for full aid, he has not special hooks, and is not likely to qualify for any merit awards. The schools I have in mind and like for him are real reaches in terms of acceptance, and reaches for us in paying for them even if gets in. Then there is the pragmatic element of the fact that he has no idea what he wants to study or do, and is it really worth it to pay 3X state prices when what we hope college will do is just let him grow up some. Statistically, it is not likely that he will make a lot of money, and school loans are going to cause a financial struggle for him once he gets out. Of course , things could all work out, but the way it looks now, it isn't a good move to sink the moneyinto his college. He does not have any LDs or issues that make a nurturing college a necessity. It just would be so nice. Sigh.</p>
<p>Mombot I'm going to scope out St. Mary's for her. Thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>Daughter has a 3.6 with some excellent research/awards in biology. The problem is the SAT scores. There is a thread called "SAT debacle" about it. She did ok (28) on the ACT, but way less than 1500 on the new SAT.</p>
<p>Cptofthehouse, That post sums it up for me as well. My daughter is a very gentle, sweet and soft-spoken girl (who is incredibly joyful at the same time) and she would so benefit from a small LAC. We both love Moravian but simply can't afford it without help and they require a 500 on each part of the SAT which she didn't do and refuses to re-take. So we are attempting to find the best options. I've never wished for wealth before in my entire life.</p>