College

[Husky]

Hey guys of thegtaplace forums. I just want to talk about a very important topic that would probably change the rest of our lives... College.

I just have a few questions for you guys who are at college:

- Whats it like?

- Is college stressful?

- How can you get a scholarship?

- Do you have to pay for a dorm?/ Are dorms free??

- Are you forced to have a room mate?

Uhh yeah, who is attending college right now?

[Sherman]

I'll be going into college, so I can answer a few of your questions.

- How can you get a scholarship?

I didn't enter in for any, I was too late on deciding what I wanted to do. Basically a LOT of companies / programs / foundations / etc. give them out for free. Only thing is, you have to do something for them. Most of them I've seen are essays, telling about yourself or what you want to do in college. Simple stuff like that, just start on them early. There's also FAFSA, which is grant money if you qualify for it. Its based on the current / last years tax time.

Do you have to pay for a dorm?/ Are dorms free??

You usually have to pay for dorm rooms, most colleges put it in with the tuition fee. But my community college has off campus apartments literally a step off campus I'll be driving from home there for the next two years, but its only a 10 minute drive.

Isn't it a little early for you to be starting on the college stuff?

[Husky]

Lol's at signature.

Isn't it a little early for you to be starting on the college stuff?

Yeah, first I was thinking about driving, then me wanting to be a movie star, and then marriage, and then sex etc. Yeah I'm a epic person.

[Thomas.]

In Scotland we can go to college from the age of 15 for a select few subjects that you can take for National Qualifications (Highers, Intermediates etc.) I will be going there at the end of this month after my exams for Uniformed and Emergency Services.

What's it like?

I don't know, I haven't started yet. I'm sure it will be fun though, I know my way around because I used to go there for Hospitality Lessons.

Rooms, Beds etc.

There aren't any, that's University.

Are you forced to be with a room mate?

I hope not, I'm only going there two days days a week for two hours.

[Sherman]

He means college in America, dip. It's pretty much like Uni level over there.

[Thomas.]

He means college in America, dip. It's pretty much like Uni level over there.

I know he was. Just emphasizing that the American Education system is quite confusing to me and possibly to others. One minute it's described as University and the next it's described as a college or a boarding school.

[Husky]

He means college in America, dip. It's pretty much like Uni level over there.

I know he was. Just emphasizing that the American Education system is quite confusing to me and possibly to others. One minute it's described as University and the next it's described as a college or a boarding school.

Lol mutherfugger.

Boarding shchool is when bad ass kids go to, or for 'Prep' kids to go to when there parents don't want them.

University- Is like college or something. But you stay for an X amount of years longer.

College - Is like a university but stay for shorter years. And you have to live there for like 3 years?

[Sherman]

In the united states, a College is two year and university is 4 years, usually. Ofcourse you can stay at either one longer if you really wanted to.

[Thomas.]

He means college in America, dip. It's pretty much like Uni level over there.

I know he was. Just emphasizing that the American Education system is quite confusing to me and possibly to others. One minute it's described as University and the next it's described as a college or a boarding school.

Lol mutherfugger.

Boarding shchool is when bad ass kids go to, or for 'Prep' kids to go to when there parents don't want them.

University- Is like college or something. But you stay for an X amount of years longer.

College - Is like a university but stay for shorter years. And you have to live there for like 3 years?

In the UK it's something like this:

Boarding School: Like an American private school or college. Often it is attended by youngsters from 5 years old and above to around 18. It, unlike public schools in Britain, has to be paid for.

College: Attend classes at certain times during the day but you don't live in it. If you don't live near the college then it is recommended that you take out a student loan and rent a flat with a mate of some description. You attend whenever you want for how long you want.

University: You will require a dorm or somewhere close the building. You attend for a quite a while, not necessarily longer than college but it can be for one year, two years etc. It is often of a higher standard than college however, college may have some of the limited courses that university have if it is a really good college - for example Law, Chinese, Graphics Design and so on.

This is the college that I am going to attend later this month. It is called Forth Valley College, the Falkirk one not its sister college in Stirling.

[rappo]

- Whats it like?

- Is college stressful?

- How can you get a scholarship?

- Do you have to pay for a dorm?/ Are dorms free??

- Are you forced to have a room mate?

All these questions are highly dependent on what school you go to. Obviously Harvard is a lot more stressful than most other schools! I can speak for my experiences though - I attend the University of Southern California.

Well first, for the UK people - in America there isn't really a distinction between the words "college" and "university," they mean the same thing. Somebody said up there that college is typically 2 years, but I have never used it in that sense - that's a community college. We use the word "university" to mean the actual institution, while "college" is used in a more general sense, just meaning your years as a student in community college and/or university.

College is school with freedom. Nobody forces you to do anything, and your success purely relies on your own motivation and self-will - nobody gives a shit if you're not doing well in class, it's your fault. You sign up for mostly classes that you enjoy, and you basically form your four years. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and pretty much no matter what, there are people who will share your same interests. I'd like to say that college lacks all the bullshit/drama/idiocism of high school, but if you take a step into a Fraternity or Sorority house you'll see that it's not true. The good news is you can choose to avoid these people if you'd like!

As for stress - yes and no. It's totally up to you how much stress you'll have. I know people who are in five clubs and sign up for everything - these people are stressed. If you balance your school and other activities you should be fine. You'll find that in college you have loads of free time between exam weeks

You can get a scholarship by applying to them - ask your high school counselor, that's their job! There are two types: merit based, and need based. So if you're smart and poor then hot damn you're in luck.

Yes you have to pay for a dorm, silly. You also have to pay for a meal plan if you live on campus. Dorm life is pretty friggin expensive considering the room they give you. It's a nice experience but if you don't want to blow your money on it, then it might not be a good idea. And you're usually not forced to have a roommate. There are single rooms available in university housing, and you can specify you prefer those. You can't always get what you want, though!

Edited May 3, 2009 by rappo

[Huckleberry Pie]

College for me is stressful, frustrating, but it is worth the investment and stuff, since you get to have better opportunities once you finish a course.

[TM™]

I go to College in fact, I've finished my first year of it. I'll answer a few since some I haven't actually done before.

What's it like?

- Well in the UK, it's somewhat different to the American version of "College". The UK college is known here as Higher Education or Further Education (Eh dunno what which belongs to University or College, heh), but from what I know and have experienced, I've enjoyed my time after school and I'm pretty much ready to enjoy College and stuff. All I can say is College can be easy and hard, it depends on what you're studying in college that makes it easy or hard.

Is college stressful?

- Yes, it is indeed. No matter what college or university you go to, there will always be pressure on your back, and it stays on you for some time. Right now, I'm nearly finished with College, and I got quite alot of assignments to get complete within a short period of time (I finish in college towards the end of May). I'm already feeling the pressure on me, so it's not going to be easy for me anyways. Your tutors or Lecturers, may help you sometimes, but then sometimes they don't.

I have a lecturer for Networking Essentials in ICT and he's not very good at teaching us the stuff we need to know, plus he's boring. Having tutors or lecturers like this will make things harder for you to learn, and that's where the pressure meets it's high points. All I can say is if you listen to your lecturers, and get your assignments/coursework/work done, you shouldn't feel pressured alot like many people do.

Do you have to pay for a dorm?/ Are dorms free?

- Well since I don't know much about this, all I know is you won't be getting a free accommodation wherever you go, even if it's in the UK or the US. My brother goes to University and he had to pay for his place, so yeah, I guess some things may not come free, unless a discount is available, which I think doesn't.

Are you forced to have a room mate?

- Lol, sort of stating the obvious here. You will probably live with another student there since having your very own place means you're going to have to pay quite alot. So I think you'd probably split the bill with your room mates. Plus it would be better to have some company in your accommodation.

--------------------

I hope this helps, some of the shit is not exactly different from each other so I'd thought I'd state some of it. Since the American Education System is different from the United Kingdom system, I'd like to give it a go, seems way more better than the current system we have here in the UK. Obviously the Education system here is now changing, I dunno exactly what is good now.

As for the experience of college, it's not exactly the same as school, you'll be less disciplined than you were in school, so if you do mess about, you'd probably get kicked out rather than a detention.

[Bear]

Im going to university this year. I will be going for three years. I won't have a roomate in the first year, I have my own room with my own bathroom is the dorm and it costs about £2,000. In the second year I will be sharing a house with people.

College in the UK is further education, I'm pretty sure it is. Also college in the UK is harder then doing a degree.

[Red_91]

College in England is good but can be stressful at times (like now) since exams are coming up, coursework deadlines and thinking of which universities to apply to.

The only real bad thing I can think of for going to university (In England) is that once you finish your degree your already in debt (which is kinda stupid) since it doesn't bode well for future plans, other than that it is (from what Ive heard) a good and new experience.

Anyway TM/Bear what Universities/courses you thinking of doing?

[Bear]

I'm doing a BA in Archaeology at Cardiff Uni. If I lived in Wales and went to Cardiff it would have cost £1000 a year instead of £3000.

[TM™]

Me? Well I dunno actually what I'm gonna choose. I do want to do something in IT, but being more creative etc. Something like Multi-Media and stuff, that's something that suits me since I'm that type of guy who creates stuff from Photoshop, and has a mind of creativity. But then again, I want to do something in IT as well, so at the moment, I'm not sure.

At the moment, I'm not gonna decide until next year.

[Red_91]

Archeolgy, I know a friend who is planning to do that, finance is a big issue for me. I dont want to go to university and cmoe out of debt, it just doesn't bode well for the years after uni.

Anyway TM I think you should start planning now, you have to send your application form to uni in mid october. Or are you planning on doing 3 years at college.

[Little_Chestnut]

It is amazingly easy to find scholarships. Just talk to your high school councilor or look online. That being said I put it off until it was too late and am now paying out the ass for everything.

[Red_91]

Here bursaries (scholarships) are much harder to come across, I think you have to be really good or clever to get one, that said my sister did get a one off payment of £1500 for her university costs.

[Husky]

Damn college life in United Kingdom is hard as hell.

[Bear]

I get a grant because I am peasant folk. So I get some of mine paid off. Otherwise I think it is very difficult to get grants. Also they are planning to raise fees to £5000 or £7000 a year.