Choosing a College

Aneliya Dimitrova asked:


Finding the Right College Program for You

There are all kinds of college programs that are available today for those seeking higher education and degrees in a wide variety of fields. The problem often lies in finding the type of education that is appropriate for your specific needs. We all learn best through different methods and identifying your learning method is a great way to understand what learning environment will work best for you.

The common learning environments for college level studies are the following: community colleges, universities, and online or distance learning opportunities. Community colleges tend to offer smaller classrooms with more discussion-oriented styles of learning and discourse. Universities tend to be more lecture oriented while distance and online learning opportunities are quite often self-directed learning opportunities that require a great deal of discipline in order to be successful.

When trying to identify the college that will work best for you, you should keep in mind your personal learning style. Beyond that you should also consider the type of environment you expect from your college education and the amount of time you wish to devote to the pursuit of your education and degree. Some people find that university life is far too distracting while others find that the solitude of online and distance learning is a distraction in and of itself.

You will find all kinds of cultural opportunities at a university that you will not find through home studies or on the community college level. For some students, these opportunities are icing on the cake and an important part of the learning experience as you delve into other cultures, art, music, and history. Others find these opportunities to be far too plentiful and far too distracting for their study needs. Whichever student you tend to be will make a huge difference in the best situation for your learning needs.

Another important consideration is housing. Most universities have ample on campus housing for their students while a few campuses experience on campus housing shortages and rely on housing that is located in and around the college area in order to fill in the gaps. Some universities will even offer limiting housing opportunities to students who have spouses and children. While housing on community college is seen, particularly in rural areas where there is limited housing available in and around the schools, these are more often the exception rather than the rule. Most community colleges are largely commuter campuses with very limited if any housing opportunities. Online and distance learning programs offer no housing to students.

Another concern that most also be considered carefully is the distance between classes and any special needs you may have. Universities tend to be large and spread out. It is quite possible to need to get from one end of campus to another (a mile or more in some cases) with a 10-minute window in which to get it done. For students with special needs or physical disabilities this can be quite problematic, especially on days of inclimate weather. Community colleges tend to have smaller campuses, which mean less real estate to cover in between classes. Online and distance learning classes go with you wherever you have access to a computer. This means that they are as portable as you need them to be if you have your own laptop and wireless Internet access.

You must consider all these things and so much more when narrowing down your college choices. Do you really want to take the personal responsibility required in order to succeed in online and distant learning courses? Do you want to be limited by the meager offerings of coursework available at the community college level? Is it worth it to you to pay the high price involved in a university education? These are all questions that you need to consider carefully before making the decision as to which college environment is the most desirable for you.

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Luis R Cardenas asked:


 

The cost of a college education has been going up at a fast page. Some parents can not afford to send their kids to college because they think that the tuition is too high and it could imply a total change on their way of living.  Many times some kids don’t go to college because they do not have the required information on how to finance their education. There are different financial aid programs that could make things easier for parents and students. What they need is to find the right program for them. And here are some examples: 

The most popular and first choice could be to apply for a Federal Pell Grant. It is popular because it does not have to be repaid. The amount could vary depending on the situation and program that you are taking at school. This type of aid usually applies only to undergraduate students but some post graduate teacher programs may qualify you to get this type of aid. The amount that you could get varies each year but the maximum for 2009 is $4,731.00. You could get a check or it could be applied to your college tuition. The school could inform you how and when you will get this money. 

Another program in which the money does not have to be repaid is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG). There is no guarantee that you will get this help but, if you as the student, or your parents do not have the required income to pay for your education, you could apply for this student aid. This program was designed to help student with the highest financial need and the school usually has limited funds. The amount that you could get may vary depending on the funds and time in which you applied for this grant. 

If you do not qualify for Federal aid you most then look at other options. There are scholarships offered by different institutions. Depending on the type of degree that you are trying to get is the association you will need to find. If, for instance, you want to follow a psychology career then you could look for a scholarship through the “American Psychological Association”. The requirements to qualify for these scholarships may vary depending on the amount of students pursuing the type of degree and the need for professionals on that particular area of study. There are scholarships from membership institutions and organizations like the veteran associations and other social clubs. Give them a call since there is nothing to lose and a lot to gain. 

The next option could require a little more of your time but the benefit could be much more then the last choices that we just explored and that is a work study program. There are a few different types of programs and you could look at any particular school and its options. Some schools have a federal work study program which will basically pay you per worked hour. This is good because they usually put you in a place where you will perform duties related to the degree that you are pursuing. In other words you could acquire some experience and learn from others. The schools that offer this type of programs will help you accommodate the courses that you will be taking to the working schedule.

The first choice should be to get “free” money to pay for college but if you run out of options there are always the loans. The idea of getting a loan to pay for college includes no to repay more than what you should. The Federal Perking Loan for example is a low interest loan for Undergraduate and graduated students. One of the benefits of getting this type of loan is that you usually have 9 months after graduation from your degree before you start paying it back. The maximum amount that an undergraduate could borrow for his career is $20,000.00. Also, there are other types of loans in which your lender is the government through the department of education. It is very important to review the type of loan before you accept it because the interest rate may vary dramatically between one loan and another and the time to repay it will come before you know it. 

I could not tell you that these are the only choices that you have to get money for college because there are other options but, I hope that you could get an idea of the opportunities that you could take if you really want to get an education. It is difficult to pay for college but it is harder to live you whole life without other options. 

 



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