Going to College as an Adult

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,534
8,987
I just finished year one of my college journey. It's been pretty interesting. I'm going part time so 4 more ears to go probably, assuming I live that long.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

chaos

Buzzfeed Editor
17,324
4,839
Here's the next update. (I posted this on another forum)

Regarding my own college (I haven't started yet), I had a meeting with the University regarding their Engineering degree. I liked what they told me, but they said I could accomplish a lot of the math faster using the local community college's accelerated program. By doing the math there, it would unlock other classes I need to take at the university and save a lot of time.

So on Tuesday I had a meeting with the community college and they walked me though the process. They have an agreement with the university to knock out the 1st and 2nd year of the university's curriculum, thus saving you a lot of money in the process. And 100% of the credits you earn will be transferred. You are also free to enroll at any time, but once you hit 24 credits worth of points at the community college, you are automatically enrolled into the university. IE - You don't need to pass a test or anything. You're just suddenly a student there.

So this morning I reached out to a community college in Philadelphia that I attended a LONG time ago (turns out it was 2005), and I took 6 classes. Passed 5 of them with B averages, but bombed one. I don't even remember taking the final.

Anyway, they are going to transfer my transcript to the new community college, and begin their pre-Engineering program to knock out as much math and GE classes as possible (for as little as possible).

For a Hawaii resident, the community college charges $131/credit, where as the university charges $471/credit. I don't know why they both end in 1, but you get the idea. And I can also CLEP out of a lot of the GE for around $45/credit. So there's that as well.

Today I enrolled into the community college. They said I would hear back in a week. So now to play the waiting game.
I'm sure you covered yourself etc, but...

The school I went to did the same thing, guaranteed admissions program where you get your AS at the community college and those credits transfer to a nearby university, I thought I knew all the details. Then I showed up at said university and found out they weren't accepting certain credits any longer to cover degree requirements, specifically a couple of coding classes, and I would have to retake those, and then I had to take some weird intro to computers class because they didnt like that the community college had accepted military credits for it. Helps to have a dialogue with both parties, I just assumed the community college had all the info but it turns out no.
 

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
40,923
102,711
I transferred all of my CLEP and Defense Language Institute credits to The University of Florida and they were dicks about it too. I had read all their documentation but got some arcane bullshit about it from them. I sent the same application to the University of South Florida and they took all of it without hesitation and didn't even ask any questions about it. it allowed me to walk into University with like 110 credit hours and everything but the Major/Core classes completed.

So I ended up just doing two degrees in two years and had enough GI Bill for a Masters. Which I did online.
 

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
37,961
14,508
UMass said they'd accept everything but not into engineering. Our curriculum was so tight. My calc 1+2 at CC only transferred as Calc 1 for instance.
 

Xarpolis

Life's a Dream
14,106
15,610
It was the University that suggested I even talk to the Community College because of their expedited math classes. She told me that it would get me right where I needed to be for an easy transfer to the University.

Also, they automatically transfer you with 2 years worth of credits complete. Saving you the $90 to enroll on your own. Yippe, I guess. I'll do a little more research with the University before I begin classes at the Community College. Also, I have never taken my SAT's. Somehow that's not important any longer. So good on me.
 

ToeMissile

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
<Gold Donor>
2,699
1,641
There is a significant difference between transferring with some credits and transferring with a conferred degree (in this case an AA from a community college). Some states will do auto acceptance to a state 4-yr University if you are transferring in with a completed AA from the same state's community college. Getting your AA first and knocking out all the basic classes is not the worst idea.
California's CSU (and UC?) systems have these, totally the way to go to save money. The only thing to be mindful of is the CC courses aren't going to be as rigorous.
 

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
40,923
102,711
Florida and Texas also do that. An AA from one of their feeder CC's guarantees you transfer into the university. It will always be the cheaper way to do it. In Florida the Hillsborough Community College was the one. If you were super lazy you could also mix and match while you were at the state university. I met more than a few people who would figure out which classes were considered harder in the engineering school. Like discrete mathematics or data structures or something. Then just go take them over the summer at the CC where they were much easier if not a joke.

For some reason USF had no issue with people doing this.
 

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
40,923
102,711
FAU and BCC the same. I got my AA at Broward Comm then transferred to FAU as a junior. Took 2 or 3 classes afterwards at BCC instead of FAU. I told then the reason was it was cheaper to take at BCC and FAU said ok, no problem.

Hearing this makes me wonder why UF is so faggoty about everything in comparison.
 

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
24,573
31,876
I went to a directional school nearby for 3 semesters part time. When I went to school out of state and needed to transfer my credits I had to interview with the dean of the college at the university. They probably don't do that anymore. It's been 25 years. He had a list of the courses and descriptons, asked me what we covered. Whole thing took 10 minutes. Small college of 300 in the university. The math and core stuff he didn't even look at and said OK. He asked about some of the biology stuff. The rest of the time with him he asked about business.
 
Last edited:

moonarchia

The Scientific Shitlord
21,359
38,811
I went to a directional school nearby for 3 semesters part time. When I went to school out of state and needed to transfer my credits I had to interview with the dean of the college at the university. They probably don't do that anymore. It's been 25 years. He had a list of the courses and descriptons, asked me what we covered. Whole thing took 10 minutes. Small college of 300 in the university. The math and core stuff he didn't even look at and said OK. He asked about some of the biology stuff. The rest of the time with him he asked about business.
25 years ago the full rot of Stafford and blue hairs hadn't set in so people who could pass classes were still enrolling.
 

chaos

Buzzfeed Editor
17,324
4,839
Got the email today that I was accepted to a tier 2 PhD program. I got an exception granted to go part-time as I already have a masters in the discipline.
Congrats. What is your plan to actually do with a doctorate? I thought about it, talked to an advisor, he basically talked me out of it, said I'd primarily be teaching and researching at that point.