Getting a College Degree in California on a Dime

Summy2886

May 5, 2008

School

This is a guide for the kids whose parent's cannot spare the extra dime for your college education(not because they don't want to, they cannot afford it).

Have you ever wondered how you were going to go to college, get a degree and come out without the $70,000 loan? Well, I have devised a plan that anybody can follow and you will be a lot less poor in the long run.

Throughout high schoo, people talk about getting into the four year school of their dreams right out of high school and then senior year comes around and three things stop you in your tracks:

That college didn't give you a full ride, heck they didn't even let you sit on the bumber of that ride.
Your parents talked to you about not having the fundilation to put you through that school
Even though your parents don't make enough to pay for so-called-educational-institution, FASFA says that your parents should be able to...even though you have 4 siblings....your parents should have that extra 20G's readily available.

So what happens now? You cannot take out a student loan because your credit isn't the greatest. And even if it is, do you really want to take out a student loan with an adjustable rate starting at 12%, which accrues daily, not quarterly?

Here is a fail-proof plan to get your education at a fraction of the cost that the other dude shelled out:

Step One:

Locate the nearest community college in your area. Even if you live a rural area there is always a Community School nearby. The system offers 109 different campus and they expanding to further locations. The website that you would want to go to locate the nearest one is http://www.cccapply.org/Select/

Step Two:

Do you know what you want to do? Maybe? The bonus about the CCC's is that you do not need to select a major right away, as a matter of fact they encourage you diddle daddle with a couple of intro courses to see what you like. If you Smarty McSmartpants, most campuses offer the same course paths with some exceptions. Use the 'Find what school is right for you" to discover where they offer your major. Then do some research. Find out if that campus really does have the best nutrition path(by the way San Diego Mesa College does, I went there).

For Those Looking to Transfer to a Private, Non-CSU/UC school:

After finding the right campus, go to your dreams school's website and in the "Transfer Area" and they will detail what classes need to be taken for that specific major plus the GE's. I also suggest speaking to a counselor.

For those looking to attend a CSU or UC follow the next steps:

Step Three:

Go to csumentor.edu where you can find all of the info that you will need to get into the college.

The IGETC :

Ah, nothing gets better than general education. Astronomy is so useful in my life...

As a fail safe, it is advised that you complete the IGETC, which transfers to every CSU and UC campus and is considered your undergrad work. Most schools will require at least 60 units completed plus some of your major coursework

This is the breakdown of the IGETC:

Area 1:English

A: English Composition

B: Speech Communication

C: Critical Thinking

Area 2: Math

A: This should be based on the highest pre-req for one of your major prep classes

Area 3: Arts and Humanities

You must take three classes, at least one from each field. Some of the classes include philosophy, religious studies, creative writing, Music, Art, and Theater

Area 4: Social and Behavior Sciences

You must take three classes, at least one from each field. Some classes include psychology, socoiology, political science, history, geography, economics, and anthropology.

Area 5: Biological and Physical Sciences

A: one physical science

B: one biological

*** one of the above classes must be paired with a lab***

While you are attending school, fill out the fasfa, do the BOGWwhich can help eliminate tuition altogether.

Live cheaply by splitting rent, groceries, and car payments!

Also remember once you have completed the under grad portion all you have left is a maximum of two years, where you can play it right and get scholarships.!

And bam one day you have a degree, with less than 15,000 in debt compared to the other guy who has 70,000! Be smart

What did you think of this tutorial?