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Post by Mayleng on Feb 4, 2008 11:08:25 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Aug 14, 2008 15:53:00 GMT -5
A good all-around article that talks about financing/preparing for college is www.cbsnews.com/news/paying-for-college/I also want to add some info about where you might try to buy college textbooks for less than the university bookstores usually offer: Obviously, there are sites like amazon.com, and sometimes you can find what you need on ebay, but another mom from Greatschools and I were discussing additional places: * Most school websites are run by either e-Follett or Barnes and Noble College Bookstore. (Follett are designated by school initials.bkstr.com when you click their link, so it might be csu.bkstr.com if it was California State University. Barnes and Noble's are school initials.bncollege.com, so in the above example, it would be csu.bncollege.com). Point is, that along with Amazon, you can check Barnes and Noble and, for that matter, Borders. Barnes and Noble has free shipping with $25 purchase and a $25 membership allows even cheaper 'membership' prices. Also, you might want to look at www.textbooks.com, www.textbooksrus.com, abebooks.com, and www.whoneedstextbooks.com (the last one can order books for most schools, and they ship orders over $60 for free) In all cases, be sure you know the shipping times. Something else that ought to be considered when buying used books.....nowadays, some books have "on-line access codes" for getting additional help and doing homework problems...They appear to be "single use," not something that a subsequent purchaser can access. Apparently, most companies do allow people to pay by credit card for just the on-line access, but it's at an additional cost that might offset any savings from having gotten a used text in the first place... (It makes me wonder what happens if the same student re-takes a course during another semester, and has to re-do the homework problems...I wonder if they have to pay again?) |
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 28, 2009 15:35:18 GMT -5
Thanks to dhfl143 for sharing this article she found, on the topic of whether or not reveal disabilities to colleges: thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/nacacdisability/(While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, some of the statistics mentioned said that 28% of students with LDs eventually graduate, whereas I believe about half of "neurotypical" students eventually graduate. The article also mentioned that only about 25% of LD students use accommodations in college, so the implication was that it could be related to the similar percentage of students graduating. I wish the article listed more specifics.) |
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Post by shawbridge on Nov 11, 2009 19:48:03 GMT -5
Agree that this was a frustrating article.
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Post by ccgirl on Jul 10, 2010 17:15:07 GMT -5
This is the link I meant to use ...Thanks for resources. I am reading with interest your childrens stories and can just say wow..............I feel for everyone of us including myself. LOL.
Some of you are having a much harder time than I so a slap to my face. I guess it could be worse on this end so I will count my blessings so far. Just keep being the great parents you are! I like to believe it all works out the way it is supposed to in the end. They each have a path. We each have had this journey for a reason.
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Post by healthy11 on Sept 19, 2010 14:15:45 GMT -5
I do not have personal experience dealing with this company, but it might be a useful resource for some people who are looking for summer shipping and storage options of their student's belongings: www.collegeboxes.com They supposedly provide free room pickup & delivery, climate controlled secure storage, free insurance of $100/box, and they utilize UPS shipping. |
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Post by healthy11 on Feb 23, 2011 8:42:31 GMT -5
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Post by michellea on Mar 10, 2011 7:04:29 GMT -5
a Friend's son is majoring in Ski resort management at a small state college in VT. They pay in-state tuition because their state does not offer a similar program. This kid struggled in HS and is soaring in college - had a 3.5 his first semester. He loves the outdoors, loves skiing, loves his school. It's great when kids can find some of these "unusual" majors and find success.
Turfgrass is a popular one for people that want to work at a golf course - there is a class for this at the HS my son hopes to attend. Who knew there was so much to know about turf grass?
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Post by jisp on Mar 10, 2011 7:09:31 GMT -5
michellea,
Does this mean your son has decided which school to attend? That is great. Hope you are all feeling very good about the decision and excited about next year.
One thing that really stood out when we toured Berklee School of Music was how happy all the students seemed. It makes sense, among those who are passionate about music, they are doing what they love. There was a lot of positive energy at the school. Plus one interesting thing about Berklee is that they expose kids to the wide range of careers they can have with music that don't involve focusing on performance. Because most musicians will tell you that there is no money to be made any more in performance and so one must figure out what else one wants to do with music to make a living.
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Post by michellea on Mar 23, 2011 14:37:27 GMT -5
Yes, he decided to go to the Agricultural school. We left the decision to him, and when he told us his choice, he had many solid reasons. For the most part it boiled down to a desire to be in a more mainstream environment, and study subjects that he is interested in, rather than hammering away at his weaknesses. There is risk. But he thinks, as do we, that there is enough of safety net in place with his IEP that the risk is minimal. I have a friend who's B-i-l studied at Berklee. He loved it. He's been with Blue Man Group for a number of years now, and does something over seas with them. There are some interesting career choices if people think outside the box. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting back to the original topic of this discussion, I just saw these two articles and thought they'd be helpful: Getting Access to Assistive Technology in College www.ncld.org/college-aamp-work/po....logy-in-collegeTransition to College: Strategic Planning to Ensure Success www.ncld.org/publications-a-more/....ategic-planning |
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Post by momfromma on Apr 9, 2011 9:48:28 GMT -5
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Post by michellea on Apr 10, 2011 8:42:08 GMT -5
Yes! Thank you! The Stockbridge school is on our list! UNH also has a two year degree program that can be expanded to a 4 year program if desired. And, NSCC also has two degrees that can transition to four year degrees within the UMASS system. So, if he can pass MCAS and make it out of HS, I think there are some choices!
In some ways, I think the search will be a bit easier for ds - his ld's are a filter that narrow down the choices. DD is more middle of the pack - yearning to attend a more competitive school, and hopefully having fewer constraints. I just hope that the public schools accept her - I just don't see a lot of scholarship money coming our way.
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Post by healthy11 on Jun 30, 2013 17:10:06 GMT -5
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Post by empeg1 on Jun 30, 2013 20:12:14 GMT -5
Healthy,
I really give a grain of salt to the "gotta have my kid go to a tier 1 college" angst. My youngest dd goes to a university that does not require an outstanding GPA for entrance; a 3.0 is the requirement. In the community where I live while dd was going to HS, the competition was fierce to have one's child go to an Ivy League or well known college. But guess what, my rising college junior knows a lot of students who have now graduated from her school. One did an internship with Microsoft last summer. He graduated in June and starts with Microsoft in August, at a 6 figure salary. Another friend, in accounting, was accepted the U of Chicago as a graduate student. Another friend is working at a very good firm in San Francisco. Another will attend Columbia as a graduate student in Journalism, one of the best in the country. A sorority sister was accepted to Harvard law. So much for a "come down" university, as my former community considered the school. Each of these students did well in undergraduate school and they going on to work and to further study, doing well, and not at "top" undergraduate university.
And, I also take the U.S. Best Colleges and other ratings of colleges with a grain of salt. A good school is one that matches the student.
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Post by healthy11 on Jun 30, 2013 21:17:54 GMT -5
Empeg1, I agree that just because U.S.News or some other survey rates a particular university highly, doesn't mean it's a good match for a particular student. For that reason, I found the afore-mentioned list of underrated colleges to be much more interesting, because they were trying to identify schools without "high name recognition" that gave graduates strong earning potential. Honestly, I was very surprised to see both universities that my son attended on their list; he wasn't looking for any brand name or Ivy League schools, either. I guess it shows that even though they're not "M.I.T.", he has been able to get a decent career start. That's apparently the point that of the article. Wasn't your daughter at Oregon State? It also made the "top 25 underrated colleges list," and judging from the success of fellow students at her school, it's no wonder they were identified in the article, too. Hopefully, she will also have a bright future ahead! On a completely different note, here's a list of colleges that have the largest undergraduate student populations: news.yahoo.com/10-universities-largest-undergraduate-populations-154405603.html |
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Post by healthy11 on Jan 6, 2014 23:08:01 GMT -5
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Post by SharonF on Jan 7, 2014 8:51:22 GMT -5
healthy--
Thanks for posting.
If cost, prestige, social scene and job prospects are the only considerations...going to a public university makes sense.
But as you know, those four may not be the most important things to consider. Especially for kids with learning differences.
Lecture halls with 800 students may be cost-effective ways for large universities to provide an education. But not all people learn well in mega-classes taught by TAs or GAs.
Had my son gone to a private liberal arts college (LAC) rather than a huge state university, I truly believe he would have completed his degree. He attended a big state university with almost no interaction with his professors. dd attended a small LAC where her biggest class was freshman English with 17 students. Her professors not only knew her name, they were adept at noticing when any kid was having even the slightest problems with roommates, freedoms or responsibilities.
Without question, the small setting was what my dd needed in undergrad. She didn't just get a degree from her college. She flourished there. I think the main reason was the nurturing, personalized, empowering setting of a small LAC.
At his big state university, my son became just another dropout.
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Post by healthy11 on Jan 7, 2014 10:37:25 GMT -5
Sharon, I understand what you're saying, and I generally agree. Unfortunately, for my son, attending a small, private, well-regarded university also meant that there were more limited accommodation services for his ADHD/LDs, when the single experienced individual who was in charge of the Disability Office quit unexpectedly. Similarly, at the private university, there were more limited class options, such that when there was only one professor who taught a required course, and a student didn't "get along" with that instructor, there wasn't anyone else to learn from. When my son transferred to a large public college, he found greater understanding of students with disabilities, although individual instructors still showed skepticism about accommodations.
Families of students with disabilities should consider all aspects of college before making a final decision, but my son's situation, where he transferred to a different university after two years, can also provide reassurance that if one setting isn't working out, there are other options.
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Post by sleepy on Jan 7, 2014 10:40:27 GMT -5
We have smaller state universities. Don't overlook them if you have them in your state. Some pride themselves in professor/student interaction and smaller class sizes for most classes. They can't beat a very small LAC with 6 - 15 students to a class, but sometimes the cost can't be justified even with scholarships. A class with 24 kids isn't all that bad at a smaller public university.
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Post by SharonF on Jan 7, 2014 15:23:22 GMT -5
healthy--
So true. The drawbacks at your son's first college overshadowed the positives that came from attending a smaller school. Your advice is excellent: if at first it doesn't work, look for more options.
sleepy--
I wish our state universities weren't so crowded. The few that pride themselves on being "smaller" are almost impossible to get into. There are couple of mid-sized state universities. But my son was not interested in any of them. Same reason he didn't want to go to a small liberal arts college.
He did consider cost, job prospects and social scene. Looking back, those probably should not have been his top priorities. But we didn't have a crystal ball. Many times in life, you make decisions based on what you THINK is important. Only later, you realize what you overlooked. This is especially true for 18-year olds--and their parents who want to encourage both wise choices and independence.
I think there is a reason our nation has so many different types of colleges. We need many different philosophies when it comes to higher education. Not just a difference between community colleges and four-year schools. And higher education should not only be about cranking out robotic adults who can fill jobs. We need small schools that offer personalized education and hands-on learning. We need huge schools that attract students from around the world. We need schools that were founded as an on-going testament to religious faith and serving others. We need schools that elevate research, schools that reward skepticism, schools that celebrate traditions, schools that challenge the status quo and schools that change the future.
The cost of higher education is a serious problem. Some students can't afford to attend any college, let alone the type of college best suited for their individual learning style and individual interests. But I am very glad we have so many different types of colleges. I have never seen a case in education (or life) where "one-size-fits-all" truly works.
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Post by sleepy on Jan 7, 2014 16:41:55 GMT -5
Absolutely, SharonF.
I know that not all states have smaller state universities which are accessible. Have to laugh about the important things to an 18 year old (and how it is near impossible for them to understand why they aren't the most important things).
I agree about the cost being a serious problem. I also am happy that we have different choices. I was amazed at the difference in schools during the college tours. There was everything from schools that didn't even talk about classes to those that talked about cross-curricular courses and hands-on learning with an advisor that is with you for years. I know kids that don't want to be noticed by the professor or TA and then there is my child that wants to pick the brain of every professor she has. The better the student/teacher relationship the better the learning in her mind.
I do think that the current discussions had with students about the SAT or ACT not being as important because schools are talking about the "holistic" application does all students a disservice. We found out along the way that it doesn't matter how good the GPA and course selection it is the SAT or ACT scores that get the money at MOST institutions that offer scholarships. For those that have cost concerns, families need to understand this early on in time to help their kids start preparing for these high-stakes tests. They really do make or break where a student can go. For children with disabilities, it makes it even harder. We didn't apply for accommodations for my DD even though she could use them. We found that it hindered most on the ACT and not as much on the SAT.
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Post by healthy11 on Jan 7, 2014 19:18:33 GMT -5
Sleepy, your mention of the role ACT/SAT scores play in obtaining scholarships is important for people to know. My son's GPA coming out of high school was just 3.0, but he did have an extended time accommodation for the standardized testing, and he scored very well. (He does much better on multiple-choice testing, than when he has to write essay responses or show every step.) He did receive two substantial scholarship awards from the small private college, such that the cost of attendance there ended up being the same as at our large public state university, which didn't provide academic scholarships. On a related note, here's an article about some of the most reasonable public colleges in the U.S., and links to other college-related articles, including ways you might get in-state tuition rates even if you're coming from out of state: news.yahoo.com/10-low-cost-public-colleges-state-students-144446879.htmlIf you're interested in online colleges, here's a link to some that are rated best: www.usnews.com/education/online-education |
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Post by healthy11 on Nov 15, 2014 23:24:26 GMT -5
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Post by healthy11 on Jun 11, 2016 9:23:19 GMT -5
www.inc.com/peter-economy/linkedin-reveals-the-schools-desired-by-top-companies.html"...when you're looking for schools that best benefit your future field, it pays to do research on individual programs and location in lieu of blindly looking at overall rankings. In general, employers will target specific schools for a reason, so take note at where you went and just exactly how much it does affect your future job prospects. What you find may actually surprise you..."
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Post by healthy11 on Jan 30, 2023 22:05:28 GMT -5
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