ALAYBOY and college Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

abcaines said:
I think it is a mistake to think one can go the academic route then jump into a specific field. I would say that mindset was my most detrimental mistake, personally.
Click to expand...
What do you mean?
 
ALAYMAN said:
LOL, you don't know how hard it is for me right now NOT to write a novel in response to your astute observations! So I'll keep it brief as possible...

1) Me and ALAYWIFE have parlayed our local podunk university bachelor's degrees into reasonably successful professional careers, but, ALAYBOY doesn't have a lot of common sense when it comes to receiving this kind of wisdom, and consequently wants the "big boy" academic prestige (yeah-yeah, I know, if he transfers then the degree he holds doesn't reflect those first 2 years of Podunk U, but we've told him that too)

2) He is planning, as of now, to go to medical school, and thinks BIGBOY U gives him a better shot at entrance. That is subjectively true, but certainly not as clear-cut as it might have once been.

3) He's a good kid, and who can guarantee that isn't corrupted at SATAN U BIG CITY, but in his defense, he ain't much of a socializing type, and doesn't exactly fit the profile of one susceptible to the wiles of the party life.

4) We've told him about saving money by going the satellite campus to BIG CITY U, whereby we could save money, but hey, he's spending our money so who cares, eh?

5) PODUNK U that mom and pops graduated from fits nicely with your theory of smaller class size and more professor-student access, but ALAYBOY is a wet-behind-the-ears-greenhorn who doesn't have a clue about such common sense measures. Through ALAYWIFE's connections we actually got him a personally chaperoned one-on-one tour with the head of one of the science departments at PODUNK and she explained this smaller class size and professor accessibility thing, but he's got blinders on. To make that one worse, PODUNK has a special relationship with Ohio University to ensure a way into med-school (assuming minimum prerequisites are met throughout the undergrad journey) and there's no necessity to take the MCAT. :unsure:
Click to expand...
I would counter-argue that his cumulative bachelors GPA is overwhelmingly more important than whether he completed his first two years at a junior college or a university. All that being said, I’ve encountered several kids who know that’s the most reasonable pathway, but they really just want to get some independence. I understand both viewpoints.
 
ALAYMAN said:
What do you mean?
Click to expand...
Go to school but not work in the field you are studying. I did that. I thought I'd have all the knowledge I needed once I had the piece of paper that said I had the degree. I found out very quickly that if employers want a degree, they want someone who knows how to use it. I didn't get serious about working in my degree until my last year of college. If I was smart, I'd have worked with the business department and found some kind of apprenticeship. Another problem was in this area, a business degree is little more than a retail degree and I didn't want to work retail. Like I said, if I wanted to root up my wife and I, I could have moved to San Antonio TX and started with the Civil Service at military installations.

I have a laundry list of wouldas, couldas and shouldas when it comes to my college education.
 
abcaines said:
Go to school but not work in the field you are studying. I did that. I thought I'd have all the knowledge I needed once I had the piece of paper that said I had the degree. I found out very quickly that if employers want a degree, they want someone who knows how to use it. I didn't get serious about working in my degree until my last year of college. If I was smart, I'd have worked with the business department and found some kind of apprenticeship. Another problem was in this area, a business degree is little more than a retail degree and I didn't want to work retail. Like I said, if I wanted to root up my wife and I, I could have moved to San Antonio TX and started with the Civil Service at military installations.

I have a laundry list of wouldas, couldas and shouldas when it comes to my college education.
Click to expand...
I’ve found that lot of people who have attained success, have done so mainly due to one thing: connections. I could go into great detail about this, and maybe one day I will, but unfortunately, it’s not often what you know, but whom you know.

There are many people who go about things the traditional way of studying, hard work, etc,, but I’ve seen too many people with a poor work ethic and grades, and yet they mysteriously get into highbrow schools and come out with highbrow jobs. The class system is not just a European oddity, it’s alive and well in America, and always has been.
 
Huk said:
I’ve found that lot of people who have attained success, have done so mainly due to one thing: connections. I could go into great detail about this, and maybe one day I will, but unfortunately, it’s not often what you know, but whom you know.

There are many people who go about things the traditional way of studying, hard work, etc,, but I’ve seen too many people with a poor work ethic and grades, and yet they mysteriously get into highbrow schools and come out with highbrow jobs. The class system is not just a European oddity, it’s alive and well in America, and always has been.
Click to expand...
There is definitely that at play as well. I think getting involved in an apprenticeship would have helped me establish connections. Again, woulda coulda shoulda...
 
I essentially put myself through all of my education (undergraduate and graduate). I got a little assistance along the way, but not a lot. I always worked part time during the school year and full time in the summers. I resented it at the time, but now I’m thankful that in high school and early college, I was basically made to work very hardworking blue collar jobs such as construction and lawn maintenance. Try doing those jobs in the Deep South summers, and it most definitely will motivate a young man to earn good grades and finish college!
 
Huk said:
I would counter-argue that his cumulative bachelors GPA is overwhelmingly more important than whether he completed his first two years at a junior college or a university. All that being said, I’ve encountered several kids who know that’s the most reasonable pathway, but they really just want to get some independence. I understand both viewpoints.
Click to expand...

The "independence" theory is the most compelling in my opinion, which is super ironic because all of the evidence from this pappa's perspective is that he ain't even near ready to cope with the responsibilities and social dynamics of living on his own among a pack of teenage animals of his own kind, lol. I know that sounds like an over-protective parent, but I sorta pride myself on my perceptions of objective realism (even when they cut against my emotional and psychological wishes).

Huk:
I essentially put myself through all of my education (undergraduate and graduate). I got a little assistance along the way, but not a lot. I always worked part time during the school year and full time in the summers. I resented it at the time, but now I’m thankful that in high school and early college, I was basically made to work very hardworking blue collar jobs such as construction and lawn maintenance. Try doing those jobs in the Deep South summers, and it most definitely will motivate a young man to earn good grades and finish college!
Click to expand...

Was it your choice to pay your own way? In other words, did you your folks say "we will pay if you go to ______ , but if you go elsewhere you foot the bill"?
 
ALAYMAN said:
The "independence" theory is the most compelling in my opinion, which is super ironic because all of the evidence from this pappa's perspective is that he ain't even near ready to cope with the responsibilities and social dynamics of living on his own among a pack of teenage animals of his own kind, lol.
Click to expand...
True, and he might know the same, which is why he’s “forcing himself” to get uncomfortable and grow up. In mid-life, it’s the equivalent of knowing you need to radically change your diet and join a gym…or knowing you need to take a risk and leave your comfortable job for a career change.
ALAYMAN said:
Was it your choice to pay your own way? In other words, did you your folks say "we will pay if you go to ______ , but if you go elsewhere you foot the bill"?
Click to expand...
I’d have to spill a lot of ink to fully explain the situation, but to keep it simple and short, I was highly pressured to attend Bob Jones University like my siblings. I ended up attending junior college and working before going to Clemson. I was going to end up footing the bill either way, though by attending BJU, I would have had a little more assistance than by going my own route, but I stress a little. It really was only going to be the equivalent of my dad paying for my textbooks.

The hard outdoor-type work was just expected once I reached an age that I was eligible for getting a paycheck, which I understood was mainly for future college expenses, though I also didn’t mind having some extra spending money for my personal desires, since I was allowed to keep a portion of it. With the exception of my dad, I come from a very blue collar background, so working hard was just part of family culture. (My parents were the first of their families to attend college, with the exception of a great-great grandfather who was a medical doctor.)
 
Huk said:
True, and he might know the same, which is why he’s “forcing himself” to get uncomfortable and grow up. In mid-life, it’s the equivalent of knowing you need to radically change your diet and join a gym…or knowing you need to take a risk and leave your comfortable job for a career change.
Click to expand...

I hadn't talked to my best friend from childhood for probably ten years until the other day when I gave him a ring. He is a school principal for over a thousand kids. I hadn't given him the full run-down and backstory on ALAYBOY when he pretty much said the same thing you just did. It's hard for me to grasp that the little fella who has always been notoriously naive (and not because we have overly intentionally sheltered him like some fundy mindsets) would bite off such a big chunk all at once, but I hope you're right, and that he rises to the challenge. All things being equal, I still think (and told him as much for the same reasons you've alluded to) the best course is start local, get acclimated, then transfer.

Huk said:
I’d have to spill a lot of ink to fully explain the situation, but to keep it simple and short, I was highly pressured to attend Bob Jones University like my siblings. I ended up attending junior college and working before going to Clemson. I was going to end up footing the bill either way, though by attending BJU, I would have had a little more assistance than by going my own route, but I stress a little. It really was only going to be the equivalent of my dad paying for my textbooks.

The hard outdoor-type work was just expected once I reached an age that I was eligible for getting a paycheck, which I understood was mainly for future college expenses, though I also didn’t mind having some extra spending money for my personal desires, since I was allowed to keep a portion of it. With the exception of my dad, I come from a very blue collar background, so working hard was just part of family culture. (My parents were the first of their families to attend college, with the exception of a great-great grandfather who was a medical doctor.)
Click to expand...

Did you take a heaping helping of guff for not traveling the BoJo route like your siblings? Any regrets for going to Clemson rather than BoJo? Was your parent's desire for BoJo an attempt to get you into the ministry (or secular career education)?
 
ALAYMAN said:
Did you take a heaping helping of guff for not traveling the BoJo route like your siblings? Any regrets for going to Clemson rather than BoJo? Was your parent's desire for BoJo an attempt to get you into the ministry (or secular career education)?
Click to expand...
I’m the eldest.

I don’t regret not attending BJU. I don’t think it did much for my siblings, spirituality or academically. Obviously if one wants to enter the ministry, Bob Jones/PCC/basically any conservative-leaning Christian college would be the route to go. I’d certainly never advocate a kid to study religion at a secular or liberally religious university, even if they do have a “religious department.” That being said, when I was a kid, we did have a family doctor for a few years who graduated from Bob Jones with a bachelors, so I guess it’s possible to get a decent education from there in a non-religious pursuit.

As far as my parents, I think their chief desire was for me to go to BJU because they went there and they viewed it as a “safe space.” I’m sure they would have loved if I had gone in some sort of ministry, but it was never pushed on me. I don’t think they ever really viewed me as a future preacher or missionary or whatever.
 
Any of you parents who've dealt with college choices, or any of you college-edumacated knuckleheads of the FFF ever had experience with colleges with co-op setups?
 
ALAYMAN said:
Any of you parents who've dealt with college choices, or any of you college-edumacated knuckleheads of the FFF ever had experience with colleges with co-op setups?
Click to expand...
Co-op is definitely the way to go. UC has one of the best co-op programs in the nation. I, unfortunately, did not get to utilize it - spent my 1st year at a different university, transferred to UC late in the process so they stuck me in their "University College" rather than their "Business College", the next year I was able to transfer to the business college, but they didn't update their records so when it was time to start co-oping, they said I didn't have enough credits (they want you to start co-oping after your 2nd year). Went thru a bunch of hoops to get my records updated and they doubled the amount of credits I had earned so they said I had too many credits and was too close to graduation to be able to complete the co-op program. By the time they finally corrected my record to what it really should have been, I did have too many credits to co-op. So I had to find a job after graduation the old-fashioned way.

Everybody I know that did co-op thru UC had a great job lined up to start right after graduating - and making more money than I did finding a job without the co-op experience. I have yet to hear from anyone that co-oping was a regrettable experience.
 
ALAYMAN said:
Any of you parents who've dealt with college choices, or any of you college-edumacated knuckleheads of the FFF ever had experience with colleges with co-op setups?
Click to expand...
Co-op sounds great, unfortunately I’ve never known anyone who went that route, so can’t help you out much there.

My kid is still a few years away from college, so can’t help you out much there either. I can tell you that we’ve already told her she’ll be doing her first two years at our local junior college and then the last two will be her choice, although we prefer a Christian college or somewhere in state. We are fortunate to have an excellent juco near us, and technically it’s now a 4-year college, although they only offer bachelor degrees in two or three programs.
 
voicecrying said:
Co-op is definitely the way to go. UC has one of the best co-op programs in the nation. I, unfortunately, did not get to utilize it - spent my 1st year at a different university, transferred to UC late in the process so they stuck me in their "University College" rather than their "Business College", the next year I was able to transfer to the business college, but they didn't update their records so when it was time to start co-oping, they said I didn't have enough credits (they want you to start co-oping after your 2nd year). Went thru a bunch of hoops to get my records updated and they doubled the amount of credits I had earned so they said I had too many credits and was too close to graduation to be able to complete the co-op program. By the time they finally corrected my record to what it really should have been, I did have too many credits to co-op. So I had to find a job after graduation the old-fashioned way.

Everybody I know that did co-op thru UC had a great job lined up to start right after graduating - and making more money than I did finding a job without the co-op experience. I have yet to hear from anyone that co-oping was a regrettable experience.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the very helpful info. Would you mind if I gave you a ring to chat at a little more length? Check your PMs.
 
Huk said:
Co-op sounds great, unfortunately I’ve never known anyone who went that route, so can’t help you out much there.

My kid is still a few years away from college, so can’t help you out much there either. I can tell you that we’ve already told her she’ll be doing her first two years at our local junior college and then the last two will be her choice, although we prefer a Christian college or somewhere in state. We are fortunate to have an excellent juco near us, and technically it’s now a 4-year college, although they only offer bachelor degrees in two or three programs.
Click to expand...
Yep, like you, I am trying to do the right parental thing by helping my youngin grasp responsibility through balancing work and academic experience. A co-op, which I had never looked into before now, is a completely different kind of educational process that I am very intrigued by. It provides the opportunity, not only to get work experience and money to offset educational expenses, but the work experience itself is tailored towards the student’s field of study while going to college which has many benefits, not the least of which is that you start ahead of the field of all other graduating, college seniors with relevant skills. That also forges networking relationships in the industry, where you are likely to apply for jobs, and that is more ideal than the typical internship model or merely making a few bucks along the way at the local Walmart or Costco.
 
ALAYMAN said:
Yep, like you, I am trying to do the right parental thing by helping my youngin grasp responsibility through balancing work and academic experience. A co-op, which I had never looked into before now, is a completely different kind of educational process that I am very intrigued by. It provides the opportunity, not only to get work experience and money to offset educational expenses, but the work experience itself is tailored towards the student’s field of study while going to college which has many benefits, not the least of which is that you start ahead of the field of all other graduating, college seniors with relevant skills. That also forges networking relationships in the industry, where you are likely to apply for jobs, and that is more ideal than the typical internship model or merely making a few bucks along the way at the local Walmart or Costco.
Click to expand...
I’m sure regardless of the route taken, in the long run, he’ll turn out just fine. You raised him the right way, and he knows right from wrong.
 
Huk said:
I’m sure regardless of the route taken, in the long run, he’ll turn out just fine. You raised him the right way, and he knows right from wrong.
Click to expand...

After rereading my post about co-ops and the process of students learning to enter the workforce while in college, I realize that might’ve sounded snobbish so let me back up for a second and say that when I went to Podunk U that I worked at a video store, lol yeah, I just said video store😁, boy does that date me.

That was pretty much a minimum wage job, but it did teach me how to deal with the public and to show up every day, time management, and all the rudimentary aspects of formal work. So there’s nothing wrong with whatever respectable line of work that a student chooses that fits within their schedule and assist them in reaching the goal.

I suppose where I have a very extreme bias on this nuanced aspect of the subject is due to the fact that after I got my associates degree I put my résumé in for numerous industrial facilities that was aligned with my area of study. I just wanted a job, I didn’t want to go on for more education. But not only did I not get a job, I didn’t even receive a rejection letter from one single place that I had sent my résumé to.

I had that problem of not having any experience, and companies often don’t want to take a chance for an entry-level employee who doesn’t have any experience. In that respect, I see the value of a co-op as being a great barometer for testing the waters and matching a prospective employee/student with a suitable employer match. It seems like a win-win for the average person who just wants to get a job in the area that they’re interested in studying collegiately.
 
ALAYMAN said:
After rereading my post about co-ops and the process of students learning to enter the workforce while in college, I realize that might’ve sounded snobbish so let me back up for a second and say that when I went to Podunk U that I worked at a video store, lol yeah, I just said video store😁, boy does that date me.

That was pretty much a minimum wage job, but it did teach me how to deal with the public and to show up every day, time management, and all the rudimentary aspects of formal work. So there’s nothing wrong with whatever respectable line of work that a student chooses that fits within their schedule and assist them in reaching the goal.

I suppose where I have a very extreme bias on this nuanced aspect of the subject is due to the fact that after I got my associates degree I put my résumé in for numerous industrial facilities that was aligned with my area of study. I just wanted a job, I didn’t want to go on for more education. But not only did I not get a job, I didn’t even receive a rejection letter from one single place that I had sent my résumé to.

I had that problem of not having any experience, and companies often don’t want to take a chance for an entry-level employee who doesn’t have any experience. In that respect, I see the value of a co-op as being a great barometer for testing the waters and matching a prospective employee/student with a suitable employer match. It seems like a win-win for the average person who just wants to get a job in the area that they’re interested in studying collegiately.
Click to expand...
Most high schools have some type of career guidance enhancement counselor (the name/job title might be different where you live). Just curious, have you thought about reaching out to communicate with that person at your son’s school. Maybe you and he could set an appointment with that person to explore some of the options. After all, that’s what they’re employed to do, which is to help seniors with college & career directions.
 
Yes, that is why they are hired for, unfortunately, I can’t go that route due to incompetence. AverageJoe recommended that in post#3.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top