OT: Going back to school and could use some advice

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

Alright, so it's too late to call an adviser and I'm kind of interested so we'll see what type of answers I can get. I know this isn't exactly the best place to ask but I usually get a decent answer to my stupid questions so I figured I'll give 'er a go.

Here is the situation...

I went 1 year at ACI which is a small private school in Idaho, then transferred my credits to Boise St where I went for a little over a semester before getting bored and realizing I could make more without a journalism degree.

That was about 4 years ago.

Now I want to go back and get my computer science degree.

Will there be any record of the credits from before, or do I need to start from scratch?

Also, my momma was paying for my college back in the day but she is spending her cash on her own stuff now and doesn't want to really help out since Boise St is only like a few grand a year, whereas ACI was 30K+. So I have to take out loans...

Is it possible to take out more loans then I need, to pay for school and so I can just quit my job for now and focus on school? I'll be making a decent amount of cash when I graduate so I'm not worried about running up 20K or whatever in loans. I want to concentrate on school 100% and don't want to work during that time, because, well, I'm lazy and have my online/writing jobs to fall back on. No 9-to-5er while I get the degree.

Also, I am still paying back an 8K loan from my first year of college back in the day. Will that prevent me from getting other loans?

If the credits transfer over and I have 2.5 years left or so, is it possible to cram that into much less time...? Pretty much, how hard is it to graduate a 4-year degree in 3? Or less? Anyone do it?

That's about it. Thanks in advance. At 24, I feel really old and figure it's about time I get the damn degree out of the way.

ope:

GameBreaker · Oct 15, 2007

I work in this field, so I can probably help you out. Bottom line, you should be in good shape to go back to school.

There will be a record of the credits you took a few years back, they don't go anywhere. What may have happened is that the same exact classes aren't offered anymore or aren't applicable anymore to your major, but nonetheless they are still on your transcript and the credit for those won't disappear. Your first step should be to meet with an advisor in the department of your major, and give him/her plenty of notice to get your transcript and use it while you meet.

You should be eligible for federal loans and there is a high ceiling on how much you can take out per year so you will be able to not work if that's what you want to do. However, by the sound of it, if your mom still claims you as a dependent and you list that on the FAFSA, well then you might have a harder time qualifying for federal loans.

The 8k loan that you took out before will not in any way prevent you from taking out more loans.

Its hard to cram too much coursework into a shorter time frame, but it is definitely possible. Once again, find a person in the department who can act as an advisor and set up an appointment with him/her, and be prepared (get a college catalog and bring a copy of your transcript or have him/her bring one).

bigtendominator · Oct 15, 2007

24 that is not old. That is being smart.

xpanda · Oct 15, 2007

I was 25 when I started college. It was a total joke, going from the real world to school; I'd been on my own and working full time for seven years by then. The only hard part was not being the same age as the rest of the class, though I did take my studies more seriously.

Good luck to you, Jake! I think it's great what you're doing.

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

GameBreaker said:
I work in this field, so I can probably help you out. Bottom line, you should be in good shape to go back to school.

There will be a record of the credits you took a few years back, they don't go anywhere. What may have happened is that the same exact classes aren't offered anymore or aren't applicable anymore to your major, but nonetheless they are still on your transcript and the credit for those won't disappear. Your first step should be to meet with an advisor in the department of your major, and give him/her plenty of notice to get your transcript and use it while you meet.

You should be eligible for federal loans and there is a high ceiling on how much you can take out per year so you will be able to not work if that's what you want to do. However, by the sound of it, if your mom still claims you as a dependent and you list that on the FAFSA, well then you might have a harder time qualifying for federal loans.

The 8k loan that you took out before will not in any way prevent you from taking out more loans.

Its hard to cram too much coursework into a shorter time frame, but it is definitely possible. Once again, find a person in the department who can act as an advisor and set up an appointment with him/her, and be prepared (get a college catalog and bring a copy of your transcript or have him/her bring one).

Perfecto!

:aktion033

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

bigtendominator said:
24 that is not old. That is being smart.

Yea it's not too old but my other buddies are done with school now and I still have 2+ years to go so I feel kinda old since they all have nice jobs. I love my job, but the pay isn't even close to what some of these other guys are getting.

Oh yea, and the fact that I hang out with mostly 19 and 20 year old chicks makes me feel kinda old too. Then again, I am hanging out with 19 or 20 year old chicks so it could be worse...

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

xpanda said:
I was 25 when I started college. It was a total joke, going from the real world to school; I'd been on my own and working full time for seven years by then. The only hard part was not being the same age as the rest of the class, though I did take my studies more seriously.

Good luck to you, Jake! I think it's great what you're doing.

Thanks for the support xpanda. Was your decision to go and get the degree worth it? I just am getting to the point where I need a career, not a job... probably the same thing you were going thru...

fhmesq44 · Oct 15, 2007

- yes you can take out money for living expenses, not sure how much, but you can. However, dude, look for scholarships, there is a fortune in scholarships that go unused each year. often they don't even get submissions. Do some research on it.

- if you go year round (in lieu of two semesters and summers off), you can easily finish 2.5 in 2 and maybe even in 1.5 years.

- I went straight from college to law school and it was basically an extension of college. However, the students that had worked a while and went back to school were so much better students, more disciplined and diligent about school. Consequently they kicked ass almost across the board. You won't believe how easy school is after having worked for a few years. Plus, you get to chase college aged chicks around.

honkee · Oct 15, 2007

jakethompson said:
Yea it's not too old but my other buddies are done with school now and I still have 2+ years to go so I feel kinda old since they all have nice jobs. I love my job, but the pay isn't even close to what some of these other guys are getting.

Oh yea, and the fact that I hang out with mostly 19 and 20 year old chicks makes me feel kinda old too. Then again, I am hanging out with 19 or 20 year old chicks so it could be worse...

As long as your not their bitch driver, i know some dudes like that.
Will pick up and drive the little teenies around and there just using them for the whip

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

fhmesq44 said:
- yes you can take out money for living expenses, not sure how much, but you can. However, dude, look for scholarships, there is a fortune in scholarships that go unused each year. often they don't even get submissions. Do some research on it.

- if you go year round (in lieu of two semesters and summers off), you can easily finish 2.5 in 2 and maybe even in 1.5 years.

- I went straight from college to law school and it was basically an extension of college. However, the students that had worked a while and went back to school were so much better students, more disciplined and diligent about school. Consequently they kicked ass almost across the board. You won't believe how easy school is after having worked for a few years. Plus, you get to chase college aged chicks around.

Definitely will get on the scholarship trail. I was getting almost 30K off the top at ACI and have a ton of stuff that looks good on scholarships. Little known fact but I was 2x president of the academic bowl. Kinda nerdy, I know.

Oh yea, I'm already chasing college chicks around. Hopefully I'll get some more though. Nothing wrong with a few more hotties in my phonebook.

Thanks for the info.

JakeT. · Oct 15, 2007

honkee said:
As long as your not their bitch driver, i know some dudes like that.
Will pick up and drive the little teenies around and there just using them for the whip

Haha hell no. They all have their own cars. We have a big screen and a beer pong table and couches in our garage so they usually come over on Sunday and watch football and drink some booze.

xpanda · Oct 16, 2007

jakethompson said:
Thanks for the support xpanda. Was your decision to go and get the degree worth it? I just am getting to the point where I need a career, not a job... probably the same thing you were going thru...

Absolutely. I was a career bartender up until that point (something I go back to now and again for fun) ... plus, the three-year break from working full time was kinda nice. Ironically, years later, I wish I'd studied journalism instead of business. But that's life.

You're still going to be with us when you go back, right???

JakeT. · Oct 16, 2007

xpanda said:
Absolutely. I was a career bartender up until that point (something I go back to now and again for fun) ... plus, the three-year break from working full time was kinda nice. Ironically, years later, I wish I'd studied journalism instead of business. But that's life.

You're still going to be with us when you go back, right???

Oh yea. I'll be on a ton more actually, since I'm going to purchase a laptop and play on it during class. I don't know what it is, but I can't concentrate and have to read my text books when class is over or I won't absorb anything. Lots of poker and forums during class time is the plan.

Also, I was a journalism major for most of my college "career". I thought about getting back to it but I want to remain here in Boise and there really aren't that many journalism jobs available in this market. Computer science, I can get a nice paying job being a nerd (and playing online poker and surfing forums while I work).

:lol:

TTinCO · Oct 16, 2007

jakethompson said:
I can get a nice paying job being a nerd (and playing online poker and surfing forums while I work).

:lol:

You learn quickly

slick69 · Oct 16, 2007

Look into taking as many CLEP or DSST tests as possible. They are are 3 credits and cost $90. Most gen ed courses can be satisfied with these. You'll finish much quicker and save a ton of money.

JakeT. · Oct 16, 2007

slick69 said:
Look into taking as many CLEP or DSST tests as possible. They are are 3 credits and cost $90. Most gen ed courses can be satisfied with these. You'll finish much quicker and save a ton of money.

Thanks for the advice and I'll check into them when I get off work tomorrow. I need to go to bed or I'm going to be tired at work tomorrow. Hopefully this MLB game doesn't go past 9...

djmatt · Oct 16, 2007

GAMEBREAKER: I need your advice.. I did alright my freshman year of college at an accredited university in Chicago, but still managed academic probation and then was dropped for academics.. i went on to community college and really wasn't in it..
I'm looking to get into a different school... if I just started over I heard there could be some consequences by not informing them of prior college credits..
I think it's my best bet to start over.. I want to get into law school, and I am looking at studying history (labor) now w/ a dbl major in real estate...

whats your advice? I'm also afraid I won't be accepted as a transfer student..

juice · Oct 16, 2007

Damn you're smart.
I wish I could go back to school, best time of my life.
Good luck, make sure you bang some freshman sluts, after all, you can buy them alchohol

rayray · Oct 16, 2007

took aobut 7 yrs. off myself. all my credits were intact, as well as transfers from another school. loaded up on night classes and trust me, night classes are the way to go. much easier. a lot of night class teachers have other jobs and they want to be there as much as you do. get more breaks from these teachers too. i would have never quit the first time if i knew the benefits of night classes. dont worry,there will still be some little girls runnin around campus in the evenings too.

GameBreaker · Oct 16, 2007

djmatt said:
GAMEBREAKER: I need your advice.. I did alright my freshman year of college at an accredited university in Chicago, but still managed academic probation and then was dropped for academics.. i went on to community college and really wasn't in it..
I'm looking to get into a different school... if I just started over I heard there could be some consequences by not informing them of prior college credits..
I think it's my best bet to start over.. I want to get into law school, and I am looking at studying history (labor) now w/ a dbl major in real estate...

whats your advice? I'm also afraid I won't be accepted as a transfer student..

admissions is really not my area, and also I am not sure of what you are asking. If you are asking if you think to start over you should apply and not disclose the prior institutions you've attended, no way would i encourage that. Different schools have different policies but 1 of them would most likely be that you would get kicked out, not only that but at some point it will probably be found that you've attended before and didn't disclose it.

If you know what school you want to attend, why not call the admissions office and explain your situation, and see what they say? You can still start over even though you have some bad years on your transcripts, and graduate schools definitely look more to your recent performance than past performance, so be serious from day 1 when you go back to school. However, you have dug yourself a hole, just fight your way out of it.

OT: Going back to school and could use some advice

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