The First Steps
The first step in determining which school is appropriate is deciding your choice of study. Remember, nothing wastes more time and money than switching majors again and again. Knowing ones strengths, weaknesses, and inner desires helps, but also one needs to be honest with themselves. For example, a medical degree can lead to a rewarding career, but if one does not like dealing with sick people or blood maybe one should reconsider their choice. Now once you have decided the proper major it is time choose the proper schools. One may find that not every school will offer programs in your chosen field. So what should students and parents look for in a school?
One of the first items to consider is the schools accreditation. In most circumstances, one should chose a regionally accredited school. While there are some fine national accredited school, regional accredited schools offer programs that are more broadly accepted. Consequently, credits received from regionally accredited schools usually are easier to transfer. While a nationally accredited will often accept credits from a regionally accredited school, most regionally accredited school will not accept credits from a school that is nationally accredited. Some schools carry accreditation from both types of organizations. In addition, those seeking a career in business, education, or considering graduate school might find an AACSB accreditation useful. The following site provides useful information for determining if your institution is accredited http://www.chea.org/search/search.asp. Another useful site that lists the regional accreditation associations and the colleges they accredited is: http://www.state.nj.us/education/educators/license/usaccred.htm. A friendly warning, there are many phony institutions that will take your money and will leave you with a lot of debt and an education that is accepted by no one.
If the student wants to learn a trade a tech school or community college can be an excellent choice. There are many high paying careers that one can enter by attending these schools. In addition, they also can provide an excellent way to complete the first two years of a bachelor degree for a much reduced cost. However, remember to check with your choice of four year schools to see if they will accept the credits for transfer from the community college. Many students have spent the time and money taking classes only to find out later the four year college will accept them only as an elective or not at all. Finally, modern technology has also made online classes and degrees available from most colleges. Online degrees offer increased flexibility, which may make it easier to take classes while employed and raising a family.
When researching schools one will find that schools may offer classes of various of course lengths. This is especially true of online schools, where classes can be 4, 5, 6, 8, or more weeks long. In addition, many schools may offer split semesters, this is especially common for graduate classes. Split semesters are simply two classes of 7-8 weeks in length held within a traditional semester format. Once a student has educated themselves it is time for them to choose a college.
The students choice of college or university will affect your total education cost more than anything else. Tuition can range from a hundred to thousands of dollars per credit hour. One thing to keep in mind is to compare the credits required for the program. Does the school use the traditional credit system or a quarter hour system. Most traditional schools structure degrees so 60 credits is required for an associate degree and 120 credits for a bachelors. However, some schools use a quarter hours system, which may require up to 180 credits more or less for a bachelor degree . So to understand the true tuition cost one must understand the system used. For example, a traditional school charging $400 a credit hour X 120 credit hours would cost $48,000. A school using quarter hours may appear cheaper when you see they charge $300 a credit hour. However, $300 X 180 credits would cost $54,000. There are other things to consider when deciding which school to attend.
The colleges with the highest tuition might not be the most expensive. Why? Many of these institutions have large endowments that help provide funding (scholarships) to scholastically worthy and financially needy students. So keep your grades up and apply, students will never know what is available unless they apply. If the financing is not available then find a institution using the steps discussed. There are other items to consider that might be of interest to a student.
There are many items to consider when determining a schools cost. Many charge a flat rate per credit hour. However, some schools charge a flat fee for a semester regardless of how many credits one takes. Another unique method is used by the Western Governors University (WGU), which charges a flat fee for a 6 month term. WGU is a fully accredited school sponsored by 19 different states. WGU offers business, nursing and teaching degrees. In addition, WGU allows students to work at a faster pace and be awarded credits based upon the students knowledge. Consequently, if the student is properly prepared or already has the appropriate skill set, they are allowed to complete their coursework and/or test out of a class ahead of schedule. Then the student can start another class. This may allow a disciplined student to work ahead and to complete far more classes in a shorter time span at a greatly reduced cost. Consequently, the cost of their college degree can be greatly reduced. The lesson learned is ask, compare and do your research. Schools also have many other way to earn money.
Many schools charge fees for various items such as technology, online classes, for attending class or any other item they choose. Some schools have few fees others charge fees that can add thousands to your bill. So the lesson is research and compare.
Service Academies
One can not discuss school options without including the nations service academies. The nation has five service academies offering free or low cost education. You read that right there are five academies, these are : United States Military Academy at West Point, New York (Army) 1-914-938-4041 , United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland (Navy, Marines) 1-410-293-4361, United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado (Air Force) 1-800-443-9266, United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut (Coast Guard) 1-800-883-8724, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Merchant Marine) at Kings Point, New York 1-516-773-5391. More information on the training and funding options found with the nation's military can be found on the page Funding.
Service Academy Websites
- U.S. Military Academy: www.usma.edu
- U.S. Air Force Academy: www.usafa.af.mil
- U.S. Naval Academy: www.nadn.navy.mil
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy: www.cga.edu
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy: www.usmma.edu
Useful Sites to Find The Right School
College Week Live
A useful tool to find colleges. Allows direct chat with college advisors from around the world. Also a useful tool in the search for scholarships, financing, and as a guide for students and parents. |
Fisk Guide for Colleges
Sells useful guides that rank college and gives useful tips for students and parent alike. |