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I'm 20 years old, and I STILL don't know what college I want to go to when I transfer from my online courses at community college. To make things worse, I'm limited in where I can go, because my mom won't let me go to college in a big city, even when I finally learn to drive. I feel like my future's being decided for me. What do I do?

Why does your mother not want you to go to college in a big city?

I'm not sure.

Try out a bunch of stuff you might be interested in doing first, so you can find out what you want out of life then you can choose your college based on that.

My mom said I'll probably have to go to a college has a special program with my community college.

How much does going to a well-known university determine whether or not you'll get hired?

As a 20-year-old, that sounds like something you should actually discuss with your mom. The big city thing, that is.

There are good colleges in small cities, though. South Dakota State University is in a tiny little town called Brookings.

I also made a D on 2 quizzes at my community college.

So you're saying you don't think you'd make it into a good college?

I know what you're going through, to some extent. I don't really know what to do with my life, either. But basically, I can't help you. I suggest talking about it with your mom or someone else who can help you.

VG_Addict wrote:My mom said I'll probably have to go to a college has a special program with my community college.

How much does going to a well-known university determine whether or not you'll get hired?

It depends on what you want to work with/in, but honestly, I would say going to a big University (Harvard, Princeton) does more good than a small-town does harm. That said, any college is good for many employers. A lot of it depends on what you want to do.

That being said, every person is unique, and if you've got the skills/personality employers look for, that is just as (if not more) than specifically where you went. They want to know you can do the job.

Marilink wrote:So you're saying you don't think you'd make it into a good college?

I'm saying I'm worried I would get rejected by a good college because of that.

Did you get ds in the classes or just the quizzes? Colleges look at gpa, not individual grades on tests in a class. If tou at least passed the class you should be fine provided you do well in other areas.

Also they like to see extra curricular activities and a drive to learn. My brother failed out of community college because he didnt knoe what he wanted to do. When he found out he wanted to be a chef, he got into one of the best culinary schools in illinois, not because of his grades, but because of an -essay- he wrote describing how he would make cooking his lifes work. (He failed out of tht school too but thts not the point. The point Discussion that he got in. Also hes a chef at a real nice restaraunt too so it worked out.)

Not to mention, my one friend got into a p. Nice university with a 2.5 gpa because of how well he did on his acts

The point being: basically... colleges just want your money. Yeah, they want you to not fail cause itll look bad but its not -extremely-the difficult to convince them to accept you.

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God this phones autocorrect is horrifying. Also dat run on sentence...

Also, I don't think my high school taught me all I need to know about preparing for college, such as student loans, what to look for in one, etc. Or should I ask my parents about this kind of stuff?

That kind of stuff would be easily solved by calling the recruitment/admissions/financial office of whatever college you're interested in. It'll vary from institution to institution.

VG_Addict wrote:Also, I don't think my high school taught me all I need to know about preparing for college, such as student loans, what to look for in one, etc. Or should I ask my parents about this kind of stuff?

A simple rule of thumb I go by when it goes to college is to first do your FAFSA to determine what you'll get in federal subsidized and unsubsidized and pell grants. Comparing that to what college you plan to go to, determine the amount you'll have to pay out of pocket. If you feel you can swing that, great. If you feel you can't, take out a private loan. NEVER take out a private loan that exceeds your expected amount of what you'll make after you graduate as private student loans can't be forgiven in any circumstance thanks to the reforms the Bush administration put in place in 2006. When it comes to deciding WHERE you want to go, you need to take everything into consideration including what your needs are. Do you want to go to a big city? It sounds like you may want to and that's something you'll need to do to convince your mom. Actually, some big city colleges tend to be a bit cheaper than the more rural universities. Sally Mae worked for me when it comes to private loans but make sure you have a co signer with good credit and make sure they're credit card balances aren't outstanding as that would affect how much reward money YOU would get. You really need to consider sitting down with your mom one night and go over every concern you have. College is scary as **** and it never hurts to ask questions. If your mom tells you to go to a certain college because it's "cheaper" you need to let her know whether your desired degree is there or not. Deciding what education you want is far more important than the cost that goes into it. Education is an investment, not something you decide because it's "more affordable" than the other desired educations.

But I DON'T even know what degree or major I want. Should I go to my community college and take a career test, or whatever it's called?

If you think it will help, but I wouldn't advise it. What do you like to do?

VG_Addict wrote:But I DON'T even know what degree or major I want. Should I go to my community college and take a career test, or whatever it's called?

I'm against career tests. Why not sign up or call a business for a job shadowing program? Lots of hospitals and other types of jobs are more than happy to accommodate for a such thing. That's how I learned what I want to do. Ask your teachers at your community college about this. Come to think, even ask your advisor. And from the vibe I'm getting from you Marilink, I feel you think that taking a certain major will lock you in a certain job field which is certainly not true. Right now, check a college's list of majors and do your research on them. Nobody can decide what you want to do except yourself. Your 20, it's normal to think the way you are now but you really need to set aside time now to figure this all out as opposed to procrastinating and fearing the future.

Wait, you're telling me that many people my age don't know what they want to get a degree in?

So, should I go to my community college and ask the counselor about a job shadowing program?

Yes. That way you can test out certain fields and figure out if you like it or not. You can also call the businesses directly and ask to shadow them. Hospitals allow this.