Currently a Senior - Thinking too much about College.

It's not some ego thing that is keeping me from going to a CC. It's just, everyone I know who went to Chaffey either dropped out or they had to stay there MUCH longer than they should had. It scares me really, and I know those are horror stories and I shouldn't base everything off them, but I genuinely want to have a full CSU/UC experience. Paying for it isn't the hugest problem, just like any California college student it's... a problem, but not my worry right now cause my parents can support me with whatever I can't support myself with (I've been busting my ass getting money for the past month now, gonna find a job very soon and not spend a god damn penny).. The problem I personally have is understanding this process and what not.

I think I know how you felt when I was originally applying for colleges. I was blindly applying, hoping it would stick haha. I never had any problems though. When you get notice back from the college however, make sure you have access to your school e-mail if they make you one. This is where all the stress will be sent to you

"Early" (in general) means that you apply to a college earlier. You get to know if you got accepted to that college or not earlier (like, 1-2 months or something). Early decision means that if you've been accepted into a college, you have to go there. Early action means that even if you have been accepted, you don't need to go there. You can wait until results from other colleges come in January before you make your decision.

I know that much about the decision vs. action part. Thank you though Corn.

Seriously? I hate book vouchers so much though =X
I never use them...lol



Q. Who is eligible for EOP consideration?

A. The following eligibility criteria are specified in the CSU Educational Opportunity Program’s Regulations and Guidelines.

An EOP student:

must have a history of low-family income
must be enrolled on full-time basis (part-time attendance requires program director’s approval).
is an undergraduate pursuing her/his first bachelor’s degree.
is a California resident, as defined by the CSU Board of trustees and/or the state of California.
needs admission assistance as an exception, or meets regular admission requirements, and will require a full range of academic support services to succeed.

Q. Will a student who does not need financial aid still qualify for EOP?

A. Probably not. However, while family income is a major consideration, the decision for admission is not made entirely on the basis of financial need. If the applicant is also academically underprepared, this and other factors will be taken into consideration.



This is a pretty....accurate situation when going to CCs. At least from what I've heard. Even from my parents.

Yeah, that sounds like I won't get s'hit already. My family makes 100k+ yearly, and I don't think I'm 'underprepared'.
How did you managed to sneak in?

My family makes [SIZE="7"]100k+ yearly[/SIZE], and I don't think I'm 'underprepared'.
How did you managed to sneak in?

Holy sh'it! :f6:

My family only made like 40k the year I was accepted into EOP. Oh, and another thing with EOP. Once you get accepted, you have it until you graduate college.

So, if your family goes from 10,000 a year to over 1 million a year (way overexaggerating), you'd still have EOP. At least, that's what I've been told.

It's not some ego thing that is keeping me from going to a CC. It's just, everyone I know who went to Chaffey either dropped out or they had to stay there MUCH longer than they should had. It scares me really, and I know those are horror stories and I shouldn't base everything off them, but I genuinely want to have a full CSU/UC experience. Paying for it isn't the hugest problem, just like any California college student it's... a problem, but not my worry right now cause my parents can support me with whatever I can't support myself with (I've been busting my ass getting money for the past month now, gonna find a job very soon and not spend a god damn penny).. The problem I personally have is understanding this process and what not.

Community colleges are packed to overflowing. It's very hard to get classes you need, especially if you're doing an impacted major. So far I've barely gotten into every class I need, but with miserable teachers that are killing my GPA. But I am saving tens of thousands of dollars a year, so...if you have the money go for the the CSU / UC.

Community colleges are packed to overflowing. It's very hard to get classes you need, especially if you're doing an impacted major. So far I've barely gotten into every class I need, but with miserable teachers that are killing my GPA. But I am saving tens of thousands of dollars a year, so...if you have the money go for the the CSU / UC.

I think I'm the college anomaly lmao. CC = No problem getting classes, my teachers were amazing. CSU = "WHY ARE THESE CLASSES FULL ALREADY? I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR BOOK, WHY DONT YOU TEACH US?"

Community colleges are packed to overflowing. It's very hard to get classes you need, especially if you're doing an impacted major. So far I've barely gotten into every class I need, but with miserable teachers that are killing my GPA. But I am saving tens of thousands of dollars a year, so...if you have the money go for the the CSU / UC.

This and the fact......(well, I can't speak for all CCs) but the couple I know have a few people whom I know are...ummm...slackers/partiers and not too bright if you catch my drift. I don't mean to insult anyone, but some CCs are more of a distracting experience than an educational one.

But I have witnessed one CC (can't think of the name right now) that was on top of everything. It shocked me, to be honest.

I think I'm the college anomaly lmao. CC = No problem getting classes, my teachers were amazing. CSU = "WHY ARE THESE CLASSES FULL ALREADY? I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR BOOK, WHY DONT YOU TEACH US?"

Sort of the same situation here at East Bay.

Fall Quarter: No problem getting classes.
Winter Quarter: Meh, some slight problems.
Spring Quarter: WHAT THE FLYING F'UCK!?? HOW'D THAT CLASS FILL UP SO QUICK! MY PERFECT SCHOOL SCHEDULE IS DEAD NOW!

Also, fun fact: I have a free ride at CSU East Bay
What's better than free education? SURPLUS education!
-sits back while CSUEB mails him checks-

Should of took up a sport and got really good at it or something. I want a free ride.

But gah... So much information. Thanks to all of you guys so far for all your input and what not. I really appreciate it all. Lessened a lot of weight on my brain, gotta tell you. The thing I really have to worry about once I'm at SJSU is getting any business class. That place is the College of Business and classes are so impacted it's shocking.

Also, fun fact: I have a free ride at CSU East Bay
What's better than free education? SURPLUS education!
-sits back while CSUEB mails him checks-

sadfais :[ (lolredundant)
send some surplus over here, these constant fee hikes are starting to add up

My friend also mentioned something regarding a few different frosh orientations that you have to attend. He attended the 3rd one and LUCKILY (he put) got the classes he wanted, but it's always recommended to attend the first frosh orientation because you really get the classes you want.

True, yes.. no... I don't get how they work at all.

Constant fee hikes only affect how much the school gives me :<
Still got a free ride. Also, not playing a sport. It came all from the government and school grant. Yay Pell grant and Cal Grant. You make my life so much easier.

And as for impacted classes, CSUEB has impacted nurse programs. It's utterly shocking. Glad I didn't go down that Neurosurgeon path.

My friend also mentioned something regarding a few different frosh orientations that you have to attend. He attended the 3rd one and LUCKILY (he put) got the classes he wanted, but it's always recommended to attend the first frosh orientation because you really get the classes you want.

True, yes.. no... I don't get how they work at all.

TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE, TRUE!!

Okay, when you're accepted into a college, you have to attend orientation to be able to register for your classes, get your school ID, and so on. Some orientations are a 1 day (like 3~7 hours depending) while some are a 2 day/overnight thing. Overnight orientations usually have several events going on. I enjoyed my overnight orientation. Got to meet a whole lot of people and my roommates were very cool. We still see each other often.

Okay, enough of memory lane. Anyways, during orientation, you register for your classes and if there are a lot of people, you are divided into groups and certain groups go while others wait. It is ALWAYS a good idea to be in the 1st orientation session because it (almost) guarantees the schedule you pick out. I say almost because it can still fill up. Going to a last min. session will be the worst idea possible.

I just know that I've applied for over 15 scholarships and haven't succeeded in obtaining any of them. :| I don't know what to do about scholarships/grants haha.

Sounds good, I don't know why people would wait around for another orientation, but I tend to be that person that camps out for a thing like that just to ensure I get what I need/want.

Thank you, that really helped out!

I just know that I've applied for over 15 scholarships and haven't succeeded in obtaining any of them. :| I don't know what to do about scholarships/grants haha.

Some grants you apply for while some are just given to you.

You're going to be (hopefully) guarenteed 2 grants. Your Federal Pell grant and your Cal grant. That is, IF you apply for financial aid.

Some grants you apply for while some are just given to you.

You're going to be (hopefully) guarenteed 2 grants. Your Federal Pell grant and your Cal grant. That is, IF you apply for financial aid.

So you can only get the Pell and Cal grant if you meet the requirements of financial aid?

Pretty much, yeah. The school you're going to attend will also give you their own specific grant.

And you might have trouble getting financial aid:

To be eligible, you must

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  
• Have a valid Social Security number
  
• Comply with Selective Service registration, if required
  
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate or pass an approved ability-to-benefit (ATB) test
  
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program at a school that participates in the federal student aid programs
  
• Not have a drug conviction for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (such as grants, loans, or work-study)
  
• Not owe a refund on a federal grant, not be in default on a federal student loan, or have satisfactory arrangements made to repay the overpayment or default
  
• Demonstrate financial need (except for unsubsidized Stafford Loans)
  

Then again, I highly doubt they wouldn't give you SOME sort of financial aid. You'll most likely get some, but your family would have to contribute some money.

Yeah I'll have to just apply for scholarships up the butt, cause I know my mom isn't paying jack for my housing + education.

Yeah I'll have to just apply for scholarships up the butt, cause I know my mom isn't paying jack for my housing + education.

Apply for work study. It'll ease up on the tuition,give you work experience, and allow you to attend school full time as well. Unfortunately for people like me, I happen to be in the exact middle of income, where there are like 0 scholarships based on financial situations, and also almost 0 for academic merit based ones (and I'm just an average student, so It'snot like my grades are so spectacular either). So basically there are like 3 scholarships that i could apply to, absolutely no grants that i could get, no financial aid, or anything of the kind. I'm just lucky my grandparents and my parents are money wise and saved up for some of my college education (hoping to get a job around town to ease up on the burden of that).

I mean, I knew my class valedictorian got a full scholarship to MIT and she was decently well off. I also know a girl who wasn't so well off and she could pay off an entire years worth of tuition to Stanford. Scholarships are really dependent on how much effort you put into finding them and applying (like the job market unfortunately).

As per your school- you seem to be able to afford at least a couple of years of university (goddamn budget cuts and tuition raises >.>). This gives you time to be able to figure out where you can apply to (if you base your decision off financials). Cal State universities are cheaper in comparison to the UCs for an approximately the same education levels; UCs are mainly for prestige later on (for example: I go to UCB- Employers will look at that and say "WOW he graduated with a decent GPA. He must be good at something" in comparison to someone who went to say a CC only- yeah it's not supposed to happen, but we all know it does).

Never let money or anything of the like discourage you from going to a school you really want. My cousin didn't apply to CAL because he thought he wouldn't be able to make it in the environment. Some people at my school didn't apply to CAL because they thought their application was gonna be crap compared to everyone else's. The only way you never get in is if you don't apply.

For qualifications- your 17xx would be an amazing grade back in my day (hell i only had an 1860 and got into CAL- Pretty much everyone i know at CAL got 2000+). With budgets in question, the university WILL cap their freshmen class. Since everyone applying will probably be just like you, the higher the better, but it is your personal statement that is a testament to who you are and what makes you an individual. I cannot stress that fact enough. Make a killer statement and have a bunch of your friends and family read it, refine it, and proofread it.

My main goal in the past year has switched from a general Computer Science major to something a little more specific and that's San Jose State University's MIS program major. It's Management Information Systems and when I researched it, it blew my mind how perfect it was for what field I wanted to work in and eventually take elsewhere.

Computer Science graduate here. What's "Management Information Systems" and how is it different from Computer Science?

Wow, someone looking into my major? This is a surprise. the freshman class last year for MIS was 8 people, out of hundreds that made it into our business school. An interesting fact about it is it's the highest paying business major in our college, which is sweet, and it marries the best of both worlds (business and computers). The easiest way the entire major was described to me was there are people good with computers and people good with business, you bridge the two worlds.

I've finished up my first year already about to head into my second and if you do end up picking it as a Major, you're not going to be getting into anything too involved your first year if your program is anything like mine. I took a ton of liberal arts classes, that I did bad in and a core business sequence class that was extremely fun. Then again, if your AP scores get accepted you might be able to skip a semeter or two of just liberal arts, depending on which credits count. We took a concept of a business from inception to creating a business plan for it, website and looking into ways to commercialize it. If you have a business mind and love computers, this should be the perfect major for you.

Aside from that, you're going to want to take your SAT's and get a decent score. One way your college might accept applications is through the Common College Application. Many schools take it, and you can use it for multiple school, or at least that's what I was told. If you're serious about getting into San Jose State University, you might want to look into their early application process, if they have one. Usually they have a premium if you get accepted, but if it counts as anything, I originally was going to get into my current college with my grades (cause of my grades), but I did with an early application. Also make sure to do your FAFSA asap (I think you can start applying in early 2012).

Computer Science graduate here. What's "Management Information Systems" and how is it different from Computer Science?

I could explain it to you all here, or simply show you the link here - http://www.sjsu.edu/isystems/
Powering Silicon Valley, best of both worlds merging, goes on and on.

Wow, someone looking into my major? This is a surprise. the freshman class last year for MIS was 8 people, out of hundreds that made it into our business school. An interesting fact about it is it's the highest paying business major in our college, which is sweet, and it marries the best of both worlds (business and computers). The easiest way the entire major was described to me was there are people good with computers and people good with business, you bridge the two worlds.

I've finished up my first year already about to head into my second and if you do end up picking it as a Major, you're not going to be getting into anything too involved your first year if your program is anything like mine. I took a ton of liberal arts classes, that I did bad in and a core business sequence class that was extremely fun. Then again, if your AP scores get accepted you might be able to skip a semeter or two of just liberal arts, depending on which credits count. We took a concept of a business from inception to creating a business plan for it, website and looking into ways to commercialize it. If you have a business mind and love computers, this should be the perfect major for you.

Aside from that, you're going to want to take your SAT's and get a decent score. One way your college might accept applications is through the Common College Application. Many schools take it, and you can use it for multiple school, or at least that's what I was told. If you're serious about getting into San Jose State University, you might want to look into their early application process, if they have one. Usually they have a premium if you get accepted, but if it counts as anything, I originally was going to get into my current college with my grades (cause of my grades), but I did with an early application. Also make sure to do your FAFSA asap (I think you can start applying in early 2012).

Thank you for all the information! I know for the most part my lower division classes will be consisting of things like a basic English class (which I think I'm exempt from for passing AP Lang and potentially passing AP Lit), a basic Calculus class which I'll most likely have to take (really don't like math but Algebra/Calculus is my forte on the subject so I should be fine), and last a few basic Business and Economics classes to get me understanding the idea of what the class prepares you for I assume. So I know it'll be a slow start but the program offers tons of life-shaping classes that really help you know by the end of your time there what you want to do and how you want to do and that sounds like me so I'm on aboard. Just gotta get there with my decent SAT score (Which averages slightly above average I believe to the majority of SAT scores accepted there) and my decent GPA (3.4ish unweighted? Which isn't too shabby )

We'll see where I end up, I'm going to go try and talk to my counselor and see if she has any information she can supply me with, but until then, once again thank you for all the input.

Hmmmm.....okay I just read your post and the responses to it. I do have an idea of what you're going through, but I want to understand what's going on without giving you bad advice. Mind giving me a tl;dr version of what your situation is?