Quote:
Originally posted by Sugar
And another thing...
I too am sick of EVERY kid being pushed into college because other options are poorly presented. Some of the dumbest people I've ever met I met in college and probably never should have been there! Conversely, I just got done putting an addition on our house, and I paid a bunch of intelligent, skilled people who never went to college a lot of money to do it! Believe me, there's been more than one day I've been staring at my computer at work on a beautiful day wondering if I wouldn't rather be a carpenter!
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Now i'm a fairly intelligent person who has consistantly been obsessed with achieving goals and working toward a career. However, because I couldn't afford to go to a big name school, I had to go to county college for two years. People would ask me, "oh, where do you go to school?" and when I replied with _________ County College, they'd have this look of "oh, i'm sorry," on their faces as though to say I must not have a brain in my head. Needless to say, many of those who went off to college in my high school ended up in county several months later because they partied too much and probably never should have gotten into college in the first place. There's nothing wrong with spending two years at a county college and I'm tired of people thinking there is. I received a decent education and was able to complete my core courses for a fraction of the cost that most people spend to take and fail out at some schools.
Right now, i'm in a rather difficult position. I'm 19, an only child, I live with my parents, I have a car and a cell phone and I make $7.35 per hour working in retail 35-40 hours per week. I applied to Ithaca College, Rider University, Montclair State and Emerson College and was accepted to all of them. I won't be receiving financial aid based on what my parents make and they REFUSE to help me fund ANYTHING and they don't make so much that they can help me out either.
Emerson is the school that I have decided upon because it's best for me as far as what my major is. Tuition at Emerson is currently $30,000 per year. Housing is not available to transfer students who I am told make up 55% of the student population at the school. The cost of an apartment in Boston, MA is $600-$800 per month not including amenities such as electric, phone, water etc. This also does not include my transportation around the city. However, we live in a world where i'm told if I do not seek the best education possible that I will not be able to obtain the career of my desire.
Channel One news (a channel shown across the country in junior high and high schools on closed circuit TV) is currently seeking an anchor and experience is not required. I have experience. However, you must be in school in order to apply. I cannot afford to go to school and it's too late for me to get in anywhere for the fall. I have to take a year off, find someone who will hire me full time in a job market that currently sucks without anything but an associates degree and concurrently figure out how to emancipate from my parents so that I may receive some sort of aid. This is the story of my life and the story of a lot of other college students. College is for me but I can't go. The buisness (and it is a buisness) of college and higher education is RIDICULOUS. That's my rant. I'm not happy these days and it's causing me many a sleepless night because I don't know how i'm going to react not being in school.