The deal is....I screwed up and this is my senior year in high school and now I regret everything I have done. My ONLY choice is to go to a community college and work hard and earn the good grades I SHOULD'VE had. I REALLY want to go to a University in California. As of right now I live in St. Louis. So the question is....should I attend a community college in St. Louis where I am now and then transfer to a university in California, or should I just move to California and attend both the community college and universitiy there?
2007-02-25 08:11:14 · 4 answers · asked by . 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Also, lately I've been doing research on universities in California. They say things like residence of California need a 3.0 GPA and out-of-state residence needs a 3.4 GPA. Why is that? Also out-of-state tuition is a lot of money and burns a whole in your pocket. The only problem is.....my mom doesn't speak much english. Of course she is a foreign women and can't read or write. So everything that she needs to do she needs my help. So if I leave there won't be anybody that can take care of her and she doesn't have any family in the U.S. But I REALLY want to go to California. I can't decide.
2007-02-25 08:24:55 · update #1
Well nothing wrong with attending community college in St. Louis. If you want to stay there in St. Louis for a little while longer then go ahead and attend school there. Being in California will not make much of a difference. The one possible thing that might be good though, is to move to California in order to become a pernament residence so you can go to the State University and recieve in-state tuition rates.
No matter if you stay in St. Louis or move to California, check out the General Education classes that you have to take at the University. And also get a course catologue from the University with the course descriptions. Then when you sign up for classes at the community college take ONLY general education courses. And take the ones where the community college course description and the university course description are very similiar. This will help ease of transfer credits. Not neccesarily where the school is at but what type of courses you choose and how well they match the course descriptions of the university you want to go to.
***UPDATE***
They are more strict on the GPA because they created the instiution as a state institution and if they accept people from out of state they want them to be superior academics.
The situation concering your Mom is very important to consider. How about moving to California and taking your mom with you? If she has no family in St. Louis no reason for her to stay. You and her can live in an apartment together. And if you absolutetly had to get out of the house, live on campus in the dorms but you will still have the proximity to help your mother.
You need to honor your mother and take care of her. Don't leave her all alone and helpless. If you do leave her alone, be sure you help her learn English for find a reliable friend or neighbor to keep watch after her and help her. Maybe you should reconsider a local university
2007-02-25 08:18:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
If you can't afford out of state tuition, and you "screwed up" in your senior year so you aren't sure you'd be accepted, and you have obligations to stay nearby and help your mother for a few more years, maybe the real answer is wait on going to California. Find a school close to home that has a good reputation for the program you want to study. Then you could look for internships or summer jobs in California, or think about grad school and do that in California after you get your undergrad degree.
Even if California sounds appealing to you, maybe it isn't the best plan to go there right now? It'll be there later too. Four years sounds like an eternity right now, but it'll go quickly and then you can explore new options.
2007-02-25 19:40:15 · answer #2 · answered by szivesen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Speaking as someone that works in the education industry, I would suggest that you look into which University you want to attend in California first, as there are many. Make sure that any school you want to attend is regionally accredited (you can check this by visiting Collegesource.com and searching for your school, or calling the school in question). Regional accreditation is the highest level of accreditation and helps to ensure that your credits/degree will be valid at other institutions.
Once you've found the University in California that you want to attend, find out if they accept the credits from your local community college. If they do, I would advise attending your local community college because it will be cheaper (you'll get in-state tuition rates) and you'll have the support of your friends and/or family. College is hard, and moving out of your home and to a completely different state is even harder. Also, California is REALLY expensive!
2007-02-25 16:25:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The problem with moving to California right away is that you may not have had the chance to break any of your old bad habbits that got you into this mess in the first place. If you stayed home your first year, you could save money and study at a local CC and then move next year. Sadly, that is not the "funnest" option, but it is an option. I was also a screw up in high school and I am paying for it now.....college is much more difficult with kids and a mortgage. Good luck.
2007-02-25 16:20:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋