Does such a college exist for me?

Question

Alright, if this sounds completely naive or inane, please disregard that, as I've had trouble deciding about colleges for years. So I am a senior this year and definitely should start looking at colleges. The thing is though, I want to just go to a college where I can pick the classes I want and study them only.

No core classes or required base classes, just what I want. Do such colleges exist that offer this? I believe community colleges basically operate like this, but most only go for two years and go up only to 2 year degree. I do research colleges, don't get me wrong, but I'm just beginning research I regretfully note I should have been doing years ago. I feel pretty stupid asking something like this being a senior, but I figured asking would be a good start...

Much thanks in advance

Answer 1

Don't underestimate Jr. Colleges (community colleges). It's a great way to get an Associates Degree. It'll also help you find a good University. In the mean time you can save A LOT of money by going to a comminuty college. That's exactly what I did, and I have NO regrets.

Answer 2

The real question is what college doesn't do that. All colleges want is money you can take any class you pay for. But the thing is that you won't get priority over students in that major.

Or if you want to save money you should go to a small college and just sit in on classes. Most instructors at two year colleges really don't care expecially if you are a friend of one of thier students.

But my question to you is why not go for the degree. Core classes don't hurt as bad as you think. Just give it a good honest try. normally you only have to take core classes for a year and the rest is occupational. and plus once you take your core 99.9% of the classes transfer to any major. And you will be that much smarter than some of your peers.

Answer 3

almost every college in the united states has general education requirements. you're going to just have to deal with it for the first 3 semesters or so. it can be a bummer, but it's not all that bad and you meet all different kinds of people that way. once you're in upper division classes, it's different. if you don't want to select a major and take all the courses for that, some schools offer a "design your own major' program. the two with which i'm familiar are Harvard and UCLA, but there are many others. you have to get the major approved, but you select the classes that you think should be in it.

on the other hand, if you're a very strong student, you could apply to oxford or cambridge. british schools have their students choose a specialization much earlier than american schools, which favor a "liberal arts" approach even at non-liberal arts universities. so your first year at a british university, you are already taking classes that apply to your discipline exclusively.

but if you are in your senior year of HS right now, it is way to late to apply to any of these this year. almost all of the filing periods for college apps are way over. so you would have to wait a year.

good luck, though.

Answer 4

There are some liberal arts college, but you can pretty much go anywhere and take courses....you just can't matriculate into a program like that and most likely won't be able to graduate with a 2 or 4 year degree. I have a cousin who has a similiar philosophy to you. He has spent a lot of money on courses that were of uninterest to him....but never graduated because his courses were all electives and not core courses.

You usually don't have to declare a major for 1-2 years. By your junior year you should be taking mostly core classes. Take some classes you are interested in and see what paths it leads you to.

Why not try some courses...open your mind....you might be suprised by how much you learn!!!!



Good luck!

Answer 5

If you really want to do that then you could sign up at a college and tell them that you want a general major or are unsure of what you want to do but if you go that route there will be no guarantee that you will get a degree period or the training to go into a specific field. I doubt that all future employers would look positively on not getting one specific degree.

What you should be thinking about is what you like to do and if you could get a job doing that. And if your chosen field requires a college education then you can go from there to decide which college would suit your needs the best and then apply there. You should be able to talk to your high school counselor about your options as far as your future goes, which I reccomend.

Answer 6

Just apply to the college of your choice and select a random major (although it wouldn't hurt to choose one that includes some of the classes you want to take). You can bum around at almost any university for as long as you can afford. Just don't declare a major OR keep switching majors. You won't get a degree from this but you can learn to your heart's content. Also, if you later decide that you want a degree keep in mind that you have to complete an undergraduate degree in ten years or less (so classes from more than ten years earlier won't count).

If you do want to obtain a degree, you'll need to take specific courses.

Answer 7

Unfortunately, in order to get the degree, you will have to take a bunch of classes that you don't really need or want. That's a fact of life. Ask lots of questions to colleges and advisors, thats why they are there.

Good luck

Answer 8

i understand you may take college courses on-line from abode. I also do not ignore that some community faculties enable severe college seniors to commence taking particular college training earlier commencement. i do no longer imagine that you're completely commonly used into the school till you recent them with your severe college degree or equivalent.

Answer 9

choose a college where the 'extra' classes you take are fun ones. you can go to the University of Missouri Rolla, one of the best engineering colleges around. you could major in business and take courses in psychiatry and explosives research.
then you could go into business with mind-blowing results!

Answer 10

Well, I started at a University and it did not work out for me. So I am going to try a community college. It depends on your GPA, and your ACT/SAT score to see which Colleges fit your profile.