college help

[FutureMagOwner]

hey ive been asking around about colleges so i figure i would ask here. right now im in an IT(information technology) academy which is basically webdesign/graphics programming and the other stuff that i hate(stuff like microsoft office) but have to do. i also love drawing houses and if i had a course beyond house design in that field so far id probably like building design as well while i can do math pretty well i dont particulary like doing math. id scan in a picture of a house id like to own someday that i drew(roughly in class a couple years ago) but it would take alot of time(which i dont have im supposed to be doing latin 3 homework:( ). i also think id really like machining if i knew more about it(our school while pretty good isnt exactly awesome for however so i dont get to learn that :( )

heres the catch: i have to choose from this list of colleges(well i dont but i am because i get free tuition to all of them) well heres a link to the list

www.cic.edu/about/membership/members.asp


EDIT: also forgot id also prefer to go somewhere along the west coast while i do like it here id prefer to go out and see other climates besides constantly humid then butt freezingly cold. maybe the hawaiian college? toodamnsweet may know about that one :)

[FutureMagOwner]

up lol someone must know something about any of these colleges

[boomerfoxtrot]

yeah I'm sure they do.. but most everyone who knows ... is not on right now... =]

it's the middle of the day for most of us ..

[FutureMagOwner]

yes but i also posted it last night :)

[boomerfoxtrot]

hahaha... well I know for a fact I can't help ya.... just keep it at the top of the page someone will see it..

[FutureMagOwner]

well i did send a pm to toodamnsweet about the college in hawaii im hoping someone can give me some advice on the others

[FutureMagOwner]

up

[bluefan101]

Go to the local library or a local university/junior college library. Most of them have reference desks that carry books about different colleges. Also the Princeton Review lists top schools in their fields. You might want to check there. If all else fails go see either a guidance counselor at a local high school or an academic advisor at a college. They can assess what your interests are and lead you in the right direction. Anyway that should get you started.

[FutureMagOwner]

well im working on trimming that list down by alot then hopefully getting some people that go or been to one of these colleges who can tell me about things like what the atmosphere is like and such

[bluefan101]

find out what school(s) you like and have them mail you an admissions packet. most of them will do it for you. it tells you what campus life is like and what there is to do around town. make sure you take a trip there before you deside to spend your money.

[FutureMagOwner]

ok well the problem is the college im serious considering is the one in hawaii unless i find out they dont even have a computer department or something.

that means i get one trip to check it out thats it and i have to have a place to be a permenant resident because i cant come home lol

[bluefan101]

well...you have a lot more issues in picking a school than just location. I'm going to show my age here on this one. If you're thinking Hawaii, just because it is Hawaii, then you have the whole concept of college life wrong. you have to balance the party and fun life with the school life. If you or your parents are footing the bill for your education, you want to have something to show for it. Look at how much it is going to cost for education. Figure roughly about 10000 per year minimum at a good university. Including tuition, books etc. Then you have to figure your living expenses. You need to put things into perspective when you decide what you want. You may realize that you are going to have to make sacrifices to acheive the best balance. For example, I live in Florida and have always wanted to go to Michigan University. They have an excellent program in my field of study, but I would be paying triple what I paid to go to school here. The program that I got into here was less expensive, had more resources and I didn't have to pay out-of-state or jacked up living costs. I'm assuming that you have some time to think about things, right?? You're what...15 or 16?? Talk to some of your counselors at school and get your parents involved. Beleive it or not they can help you out more than anybody on here. Just in case you were wondering what my background is...I graduated high school in 1994, partied my *** off in college and almost failed out. I wasted my parents money on school. I finally went back in 1998 and finished my bachelor's degree, paying my own way. Now I'm working on my Master's thesis in English Constitutional History. I could've done it right the first time, but I didn't know which direction to take. So there's my story and some advice for you. Good luck.

[FutureMagOwner]

note the last reason i want to goto hawaii is because its hawaii :)

also the cost goes down quite a bit since because my mom gets me free tuition to any of the schools in the original posts link. and then there are also scholarships which can pay for books and other things probably.

while i know most people think i want to goto hawaii is because well you know its hawaii but if the school is good then thats the reason i would go however i cant get information locally without getting that response then ignored so im hoping to find out about it in other places.

i got some hook ups with some very very well hooked up teachers and one told me goto the councelor pick what im working at (information technology, thinking either graphics or programming however im gunna wait till i take both course in my academy first to get a better feel for both along with machining) then to pick a region(thinking south west or alaska because i am a bit of an odd ball and would like both since i dont really care if its cold or hot just hate humid lol and want to leave this little corner of the world and get into a niche, which i cant really find here in new england)

[Collegeboy]

Well if you were doing a Liberal Art degree I would say go for Berry College in Athens, Georgia. It is the best Liberal Arts school in the US, as well as the biggest in square miles college in the US.

But if you can afford it I would look into the international colleges.