[HELP] Discovering College for a Senior

[ty_]

I'm a senior at my high school and want to start applying to colleges.

Can any of you guys tell me about the college you went/are in and what made you pick them?

I really enjoy computer engineering and would love to take it in college.
But I'd love to know first hand what it would mean if I applied to a college soul based on that one major.

I live on the Eastern US side...PA to be exact.

Thanks

 

[Tanknspank]

I got to start thinking about this myself...

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[Abe21599]

im in my third year at Ohio State University for Aeronautical Engineering. I had to make this hard decision because I didnt know what kind of engineering I wanted to go into so i had about 3 or 4 schools in mind. Its a tough decision to make, so dont wait til the last minute..

few things to remember (from my experience)
-choose as many schools as you need and apply to them. it doesnt hurt to apply but if you dont youll never know what you are missing
-take the ACT (or SAT, i took the former) if you arent happy with your score or need a better score to get what you want.
-visit the schools! youll never know if youll the schools if you dont see them in person. we were allowed 3 college visits at my HS but i took 5 and my teachers didnt care.
-look into the fields you want to study and find something that REALLY interests you. I started off as an ME to ISE then to AAE. its hard to pick one until you start getting into core classes.
-STAY FOCUSED! people say that you can slack off your senior year, this is not true! dont fall into the rut and get senioritis

and for looking at colleges, its all about preference. I go to the biggest school in the country but I only have about 60 kids in my classes now. I know big campuses can be intimidating, but they offer a lot more there. dont get me wrong, theres nothing wrong with a private school, but i think you get exposed to a lot more at a public one (and theyre cheaper, too). look into what you like, too. clubs, teams, greek life are a big part of school. helps you meet people.

anything else u wanna know just ask and ill try to answer it for you

 

[ty_]

i'm usually over on the cvpcs section but didn't even realize there was an off topic section... >>''
anyway.
i'm senior.
i need to start making applications by Nov. 1st.

and I realize i'm on a forum with OLDER [but not that much] guys who love what i love.

what better place to ask for advice?

 

[ty_]

thanks Abe!
believe me. PA has Penn State and when you go there you're a number not a person. haha

The only reason I would pick a private school is if it's out of state because they could be cheaper than a state school. and give me a better scholarship if they're interested.

my biggest fear about college is that when i pick a major i'll get bored in a matter of two years and be afraid to change it and start all over.

 

[Abe21599]

thanks Abe!
believe me. PA has Penn State and when you go there you're a number not a person. haha

The only reason I would pick a private school is if it's out of state because they could be cheaper than a state school. and give me a better scholarship if they're interested.

my biggest fear about college is that when i pick a major i'll get bored in a matter of two years and be afraid to change it and start all over.

dont take this the wrong way but CSE has a high washout rate at OSU. it may be different elsewhere, and if you truly like doing it then go for it, im just throwing it out there

and usually private schools will offer you bigger scholarships but they cost a lot more compared to public. look at net costs when comparing schools

 

[kdmhongshi]

Come to UCLA, USC, BERKLEY, etc. lol

 

[Backnblack]

I joined the Marines, then I went to a UA Trade School.

School was free, Was making $70k by the time I was 24.....

 

[BasilofBakerStreet]

I joined the Marines, then I went to a UA Trade School.

School was free, Was making $70k by the time I was 24.....

I read this just to see if anyone mentioned the military. I joined the Air Force right out of High School. Free school while you're in and the GI bill when you get out, it's $80k and you don't have to pay to get it anymore. Now I am Civil Service making over $50k and I haven't even touched my GI bill for college yet. And I am only 24.

 

[Tallica]

I joined the Marines, then I went to a UA Trade School.

School was free, Was making $70k by the time I was 24.....

I read this just to see if anyone mentioned the military. I joined the Air Force right out of High School. Free school while you're in and the GI bill when you get out, it's $80k and you don't have to pay to get it anymore. Now I am Civil Service making over $50k and I haven't even touched my GI bill for college yet. And I am only 24.

I joined the Air Force a year or two after high school. Got trained as an electrician. Now that the economy has gone in the toilet I'm thinking about going back to school for computer networking. I finished my military commitment in Mar. of 2000 and of course now It's too late to use my GI Bill....ARRRGGGGHHH! Missed it by less then 6 months!

On the bright side my wife was also in the Air Force and she used her GI Bill to pay for 99% of her undergrad and 100% of her Masters. At least one of us used it.


Edit: Basil, what Middleboro are you talking about in your sig?

 

[BasilofBakerStreet]

That actually just shows you where your ISP is. I'm in the Hampton/Newport News area of Va.

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[Tallica]

That actually just shows you where your ISP is. I'm in the Hampton/Newport News area of Va.

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Huh, that's weird, see any dog fighting lately,LOL.

I live in Middleboro, Ma. That is why I was asking.

 

[BasilofBakerStreet]

That actually just shows you where your ISP is. I'm in the Hampton/Newport News area of Va.

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Huh, that's weird, see any dog fighting lately,LOL.

I live in Middleboro, Ma. That is why I was asking.

That's funny, no dog fights since the Vick incident.

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[quaffapint]

thanks Abe!
believe me. PA has Penn State and when you go there you're a number not a person. haha

The only reason I would pick a private school is if it's out of state because they could be cheaper than a state school. and give me a better scholarship if they're interested.

my biggest fear about college is that when i pick a major i'll get bored in a matter of two years and be afraid to change it and start all over.

I'm a PAer myself. I went to Pitt and then a smaller state school.

I found, like you hinted at, that at large schools you don't get that personal touch until maybe your last year or so. At Pitt if I wasn't sitting in an auditorium of 300 other kids, I was being taught by a TA (teaching asst - grad student), who was often hard to understand. When I went to the smaller state school, it was a revelation of how a college should be - small class sizes, the teachers actually teach and you can even talk to them .

I do programming now and have a decent career of it. Personally, when my kids go to school I'm going to steer them towards some of the smaller state schools.

If you look at the college rating books, you'll find some of the PA state schools really turned in a good bang for the buck and ranked well. But, as with most of life's decisions, it depends upon the individual to find what fits him/her the best .

 

[DessoThumbs]

I graduated from MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University) with a major in Aerospace Technology. It's a great school for Aerospace as well as Recording Tech/Admin. I had a blast there, I was a brother of the Kappa Alpha Order.

My oldest daughter is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University majoring in Biology with an eye on med school. My youngest daughter just started at Elon University majoring in English with an eye on law school. Both of these schools are excellent but they require a lot of study and class prep.

Good luck on whatever you choose!