College advice...

[UnforgettableLemon]

I just got the news that I've been accepted to Longwood college, and more than likely to Bridgewater of VA. Bridgewater is a close, small school, and although private, will be much easier on my parents' wallet. On the other hand, Longwood has a great reputation as a teaching school, and it's been recommended to me constantly since I even considered being a teacher.

Here's my problem. My parents want me to go to school closer to home so I can commute and avoid more money for board. Also, Longwood requires you to purchase a laptop from them, which is an extra 2000 bucks. Bridgewater is our local private college, but it doesn't offer nearly as much as Longwood. However, I could commute and use my home PC.

What should I do?

 

[HelloAngel]

This type of thing is always a hard decision.

As your parents are paying, you are pretty much at their mercy.

However, if you want to be a teacher - you should go to the school that will train you to be one.

If you go to the other that is small and closer to your parent's house, you will not receive the training you need - and once you graduate from that school, you will (or your parents will) need to pay to go to yet another college to train or learn how to be a teacher. Whereas at the other school, you would have learned and studied on being a teacher in a shorter amount of time.

I don't know how much tuition is, so:

Longwood - specific learning atmosphere, able to study your career choice immediately - harder on parents' wallet, $2000 for a laptop.

Bridgwater - closer in, easier on parents' wallet - but once you graduate, you will have to find another college to finish up at - and the need for a second college will most likely amount to the same sum that your parents would have spend sending you to Longwood in the first place.

 

[Bonochick]

I had this problem...the university I was attending was about 250 miles from home, and we had a nice community college close to home (we hadn't lived in this town for long, so I hadn't even heard of that college until we moved here).

I found university to be even more costly than I had anticipated, especially room and board, so I moved home to go to college here. I'm happier because I'm not worrying about money all the time (I didn't want huge loans hanging over my head). I also could get just as good of an education here.

BUT...

If you REALLY want to go to the school farther away, how about going for a year or so and then transferring? Let me tell you...I only went away to university for one semester, but if had never gone, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life, as I had always wanted to go there.

It NEVER hurts to try...and transferring schools isn't as hard as people make it out to be. Just make sure you find out all that is involved with transferring so that all of the proper paperwork is complete on time.

Good luck! If you ever want to talk, my email is Katherine@U2mail.org, and my AIM is BonochickKat.

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"I don't know you,
But you don't know the half of it..."

 

[Johnny Swallow]

Originally posted by UnforgettableLemon:
College advice?

Don't.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

The only other thing I have is to wait and see if JMU accepts me. If they do, then I'm still really close to home, and I have a school that is very close with Longwood as far as teaching programs.

 

[martha]

Think about how little you will earn as a teacher; will the expensive school really prepare you differently enough to make up for the cost?

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...a highway with no one on it, a treasure just to look upon it...

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Originally posted by martha:
Think about how little you will earn as a teacher; will the expensive school really prepare you differently enough to make up for the cost?

Actually, Longwood is the cheaper school, being a state school, the only hangup is paying for board.

 

[martha]

Then go for it! I've always wanted to live at school. I think it would be fun!

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...a highway with no one on it, a treasure just to look upon it...

 

[notiti]

Ok here's my mega serious college advice. (woohoo only one more year!!!) DO NOT think that it is the best idea to commute to school. Living on campus is a part of the college experience. It is your duty as a college graduate to be able to survive at least one semester off of nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches, vodka and mountain dew.
Part of the learning experiences of college is how to function under extreams: insomnia, bodily degredation, waking up with your boots still on your feet and the flask in your back pocket, all these things wil happen, and it's time you learned how to do it, and get straight A's. Lookit me I'm a product of dorm life, granted I am now off campus, because the dorms drove me nuts, but still I'm glad that that I did it, now I have stories about ducking the RAs and drinking scotch every thursday night. LIVE ON CAMPUS. Get out of the house,
"it's not where you're born it's where you belong..."

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Please repeat the message, it's the music that we choose.
http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~kljense3/MrTvs.html

 

[kobayashi]

if your parents can swing you living away i would suggest going for it. great experience-especially if you spend your first year in a residence.

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CANADA KICKS ASS

 

[zonelistener]

Not ot cloud it even more....

Look at the other programs both schools have. I changed majors four times. Luckily, the school I "finally" chose had a few good programs.

 

[Lilly]

I was in your same situation except backwards (so I guess it's not really the same, but you get the idea). I wanted to go to Hamilne, local, private, good reputation, $25,000 a year. Hmmm...we don't have that kind of $. We just don't. So I could go there, but I'd be living in debt for the rest of my natural life. I visited the University of South Dakota with my mom and I decided that was my college. It fit my parents criteria ($8,000 a year or less) and I loved it there. The only issue is that it's 6 hours away...and they aren't happy about that. But they accept my decision and are happy that I'm happy. You should start helping in the payment of you college stuff. I have been working all the time in order to help pay. I paid for my housing reservation and I'll pay half for a new computer. Little things like that really help out in the long run. As do scholarships!! www.fastweb.com is a great place to start. Go to where you like the best and solve the $ probs yourself. If you don't, you'll end up hating college, or transeferring which will cost time and $. Good luck!

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Taste is the enemy of art.