Lesson 9A: Picking A Four-Year College
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his section of the book is geared to help you think outside the box about four-year colleges. If you want a four-year degree, you probably have ideas in mind about where you’d like to go to college, but there may be dozens of schools that also meet your needs.
Four-year institutions are really the schools you see in the movies. However, there’s more to four-year college than parties and new freedom. You need to know more.
Important facts about four-year institutions:
[show-hide]• You may start out in big classes.
• You will probably have a list of general education classes, like writing and math, to take.
• These schools can be very expensive.
• You need to look closely at how the schools compare before making a choice.
• You have to apply to several schools because you don’t know where you will get in.[/show-hide]
As you know, All-in-One Academics really likes community colleges, but there are some pathways that you will definitely need to pursue at a four-year college. With that in mind, let’s find out what types of programs are available at Four-Year institutions that cannot be found at junior colleges.
[show-hide]• Engineering
• Business
• Education – unless you want to teach daycare
• Pharmacy[/show-hide]
What are the benefits of attending a Four-Year institution?
[show-hide]• School spirit
• Ability to participate in research
• Wider variety of classes to take
• More student involvement[/show-hide]
Now, let’s take a moment to address a strange confusion that so many Americans have, just because the purpose of this class is to answer any questions you thought were too silly to ask! Here we go, what is the difference between a college and a university? Like you see in the book, there isn’t any real difference, but let’s go through the differences people think exist!
What’s the difference between a college and a university?
[show-hide]• Universities are bigger than colleges
• Universities are made up of multiple small colleges
• Universities do more research
• Universities offer graduate degrees AND undergraduate degrees[/show-hide]
4 Reasons to Stay in Texas
1. Where will the majority of people you know be attending college?
[show-hide]- Most people tend to stay in the state where they went to college.
– If you want to put down roots where you grew up, then you will probably be best served by staying in town, or at least near by.[/show-hide]
2. How often would you like to see your family? Do you want to spend your holidays at home?
[show-hide]- The farther you are from home, the more it costs and the longer it takes to get home for holidays.
– Additionally, when you’re ill or homesick, you’re going to have to find solace in your roommate and other new friends.[/show-hide]
3. How much debt do you feel comfortable taking on?
[show-hide]- The cost of college grows exponentially if you leave your state without getting any free money.
– When you are comparing a local school that costs $10,000 per year and a faraway school that costs $45,000 per year, you should take a closer look at your local school.
– Even if you think an expensive school is more prestigious, the chances are, unless it’s an Ivy or a top 20 school, the likelihood of your getting a great job after you finish school is probably the same as if you stayed home.
– In fact, you may have a better shot at a good job if you stay in-state because of connections and strong alumni networks.[/show-hide]
4. Think long and hard about the importance of alumni networks.
[show-hide]- School spirit goes a long way. Alumni want to help of the colleges they still miss and love.
– Sometimes, this alumni factor can be more important than the positive or negative reputation of a school.
– For example, Ole Miss may not be known for its competitive admissions, but many very successful individuals are alumni, and they love other Ole Miss grads. You may have more options coming out of there than a more competitive, less spirited school.[/show-hide]
