Welcome to College Confidential!

The leading college-bound community on the web

Sign Up For Free

Join for FREE, and start talking with other members, weighing in on community discussions, and more.

Also, by registering and logging in you'll see fewer ads and pesky welcome messages (like this one!)

As a CC member, you can:

  • Reply to threads, and start your own.
  • Post reviews of your campus visits.
  • Find hundreds of pages of informative articles.
  • Search from over 3 million scholarships.
Home / /
New Discussion

Starting my college career

Guilm0nGuilm0n Registered User Posts: 1 New Member
edited August 2013 in College Search & Selection
Hello,

I am 23 and currently living in Boston. I never attended college, and recently lost my job due to our company closing its doors.

I have been completely at as loss, and have found that most decent paying jobs require a bachelors degree. I am deeply considering school.

I am completely unsure of what major I might be interested in, and have no clue on where to start for colleges. I'd like to potentially move to NYC, Chicago or LA.

I was not the most stellar student in high school, either, getting a 65 in English my junior year.

Any advice on the college search, on what I am doing, and if this is the right choice? How do I start my search? What if I decide a major that is not available at the school I enroll in?
Post edited by Guilm0n on
· Reply · Share on Facebook

Replies to: Starting my college career

  • BuBBLES FoR SALEBuBBLES FoR SALE Registered User Posts: 2,164 Senior Member
    At your age, it is important to have a roadmap for what you want to do. The easiest way to see how academically qualified you are would be to go to a CC in your state. It will be cheap, easy, and flexible. Try to get good grades, since if you transfer to a 4 year school, SATs and HS grades will no longer matter.
    · Reply · Share on Facebook
  • MicrodotMicrodot Registered User Posts: 58 Junior Member
    as bubbles said, you should go to a CC, and then try to transfer to a 4 year university.. when you transfer, they mainly look at your gpa.. get good grades and you might end up even in the best schools
    · Reply · Share on Facebook
  • ucbalumnusucbalumnus Registered User Posts: 75,486 Senior Member
    With a not-very-good high school record, a typical path is to attend a community college and then transfer to a state university to complete a bachelor's degree.

    Since you are 23, you will likely be 24 or older by the time you are transfer-ready, which is good news from a financial aid perspective -- your parents' income, assets, or cooperation in filling in financial aid applications is no longer needed, and if you move to another state, you are more likely to be able to establish residency for in-state tuition purposes without needing to bring your parents (but check each state's residency rules if you are considering that). However, at 23, you currently are considered dependent on your parents for college financial aid and residency for in-state tuition purposes.

    You can check the net price calculators on the various schools to see what financial aid is like for you.

    For your target four year universities, you can check to see if there is a transfer credit articulation agreement with the community colleges you are considering, so that you can take the courses that will prepare you to complete your major in two years after transferring to the university.

    Examples of web sites you may want to look at:
    UMass Amherst: Community College Connection
    Net Price Calculator
    · Reply · Share on Facebook
This discussion has been closed.