College/Universities of America

[Meyfei]

1 source: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/


I live in Canada and got some things I need to look into so I wish to plan ahead and know my path before going ahead with more calls.

So my questions are

Does anyone have any recommendations for any Universities or Colleges in the US? Or any States to look for?

Are there any that come to mind that have a campus open for Summer use, have IT classes, and IT based summer classes?

There's so many to choose from, it's so awesome! :D
But There must be so few that cover what I seek isn't there?

[Emp]

My advice to anyone goin to college is to enroll into a community college first and then transfer to 4 year university when u hv all of ur general study classes finished. Alot of community colleges work together with univerisities to offer Garunteed acceptance policies that garuntee admission to a 4 year university as long as u keep a certain gpa and take require classes. This is what I am currently doin and saving about $2000 a semester.

I cant offer any suggestions for colleges because campus are all based on preferences and whether or not the college offer any services that may your needs.

[ShinMaruku]

Also state schools are much cheaper and give the exact same education than the name brand schools.

[Kent]

The first thing you should ask any prospective college is whether or not they have regional accreditation. If they don't, or instead try to spin it into something about "national" accreditation... End the conversation immediately and move onto the next prospective college, because you're more-or-less ending your educational path (outside of very few exceptions) without regional accreditation. Some of these institutions can actually cost you more opportunities than you make from going to them.

State universities are your best bet for anything though - unless you're willing to make an insane gamble on a highly-specialized school where even graduating at the top of your class with a 4.0 GPA will land you in the hard-mode version of getting into the real world.

[Ketchup345]

Do you know of any states specifically you would be interested in or want to avoid? Do you want a huge, large, or small school? Want to be located in a huge city or rural (possibly making the school itself a populated dot in the "middle of nowhere")? Is proximity to the ocean a priority? I'm assuming you'll want to be decently close to an airport, right?

I think IT is a widely offered field.

My advice to anyone goin to college is to enroll into a community college first and then transfer to 4 year university when u hv all of ur general study classes finished. Alot of community colleges work together with univerisities to offer Garunteed acceptance policies that garuntee admission to a 4 year university as long as u keep a certain gpa and take require classes. This is what I am currently doin and saving about $2000 a semester.

I cant offer any suggestions for colleges because campus are all based on preferences and whether or not the college offer any services that may your needs.For something like IT, this may be a good path to go, if it is possible for you (could a Canadian community college transfer credits to a US school? If this could work, make sure the ones you do choose are compatible- when I was in college I could not take math credits anywhere else nearby due to my school having math worth 4 credits and everywhere else only having 3 credit math classes). The savings could be huge. Also make sure that the school you choose to ultimately go to doesn't start certain specific classes freshman year (for my non-IT degree, semester 1 we started taking classes that are probably not offered at most schools).



The first thing you should ask any prospective college is whether or not they have regional accreditation. If they don't, or instead try to spin it into something about "national" accreditation... End the conversation immediately and move onto the next prospective college, because you're more-or-less ending your educational path (outside of very few exceptions) without regional accreditation. Some of these institutions can actually cost you more opportunities than you make from going to them.Another thing to look for may be national or international professional groups that may have their own lists of accreditation.


On the issue of summer classes- They may have a much more limited selection, due to less interest in the classes during summer (there may minimum headcounts needed for a class to occur). If you live on campus, there may be additional hoops to jump through for attending during summer, though off campus apartments could resolve almost all of those issues.

[Meyfei]

Could a Canadian community college transfer credits to a US school?
I never thought of that but I really doubt it would work. but it wouldn't hurt to ask no less.

Do you know of any states specifically you would be interested in or want to avoid?
I'd like the east coast, preferred, As for anything specific I'm one who wishes to not judge until I've experienced things so I can't quite say. But generally I'd like to avoid cities that have a high crime rate, theft is fine- murder not so much. things like that. Places with a great community of-course and scenery, i Google mapped some places, I remember a friend of mine from 2006 who I've lost contact with, lived in Maryland, and it had some nice scenic towns. Another friend uploaded a couple videos of him driving his supped up car and the general area was nice as well, he called it "NWA"? Said the university of Arkansas is there, haven't looked into it yet.

Do you want a huge, large, or small school?
Any is fine.


Want to be located in a huge city or rural (possibly making the school itself a populated dot in the "middle of nowhere")?
I'd like to settle for what I can get as I have specifics for what I seek. So if one is available in a residential area but close-not in a busy area of a city, that would be nice.

Is proximity to the ocean a priority?
Hmm, nope. Though getting close and able to swim during summer would be something nice.

I'm assuming you'll want to be decently close to an airport, right?
Not quite.

Another thing to look for may be national or international professional groups that may have their own lists of accreditation.
What kind of "Groups" would you be referring to?


On the issue of summer classes- They may have a much more limited selection, due to less interest in the classes during summer (there may minimum headcounts needed for a class to occur). If you live on campus, there may be additional hoops to jump through for attending during summer, though off campus apartments could resolve almost all of those issues.

--I'll get into some more detail here--
Yeah, I'm not entirely sure if I will even need to take a summer class, but It is a consideration. This here is a reply i had from a question i asked regarding Summer Classes and a part time job.


Ricky Black: 12:43:27
That is possible to get a summer job or attend summer classes. But you will need to let the Dept. of Homeland Security
know exactly what your wanting to do so that you can apply for the right citizen status that will allow you to do that.

Basically I contacted FAFSA through their live-chat and talked to Ricky Black, this was a few days ago. He had given me a number to call the Dept. of Homeland Security and said the above. In regards to that, I wish not to fly back home in between semesters as i find that would be a great inconvenience for me. So, while i wait till Wednesday which is when i'll call, I am trying to figure out what I'd like to do, in the event getting a part time job + residential housing, or on campus living is not a possibility.

So even if I can't get summer classes/campus living I will try, even if i can get them, to see if I can earn the right to work and make some money. In the event i cannot work, that is why I'm considering Campus living, I'd like to involve myself in working to cover food/ apartments or even a room. So that's my alternative, on the upside summer classes are beneficial either way.

P.s: hope that made sense.

[Blitzkommando]

Most good universities that aren't specializing in something will tend to have at worst a decent IT program these days. That said, what kind of IT? Some of the more specialized degrees might mean you want to go to a specific university for that degree, or at least it would cut down the list a bit. I know the university I was going to (http://www.wright.edu/) had good CS, CIS, MIS, and a handful of other programs that were well accepted even though the university itself specialized in medicine and various engineering programs (specifically aeronautical and mechanical I believe). The big advantage to that university was that tuition was a fair bit cheaper and the campus was smaller, albeit not all that pretty given the buildings are mostly 1960s blocky architecture. Crime in that area is also not too bad, so long as you avoid Dayton proper (easy to do and there's really no reason to live or go to Dayton itself anyway). Saying Wright State has the degree someone wants, I can say it's a fine institution and would heartily recommend it. I look back at my years there fondly.

In a series of decisions on my part that were foolish and shortsighted I've ended up at one of the largest universities in the US. Basically, what I really wanted wasn't offered at Wright State and I didn't decide that until I had already poured in a lot of time, effort, and money elsewhere. So, yeah, make sure you know what you want or at the very least make sure whatever university you go to offers your top two or three choices so you don't go university hopping like I did. That said, I am going to a great university now and have been having a great time here. I'm at Ohio State University (http://www.osu.edu), ahem, The Ohio State University, sorry. Have to remember the official name you know... In any event, it's pretty crazy big. Around 60,000 students, and nearly that in faculty and other people working on campus. In and of itself, OSU is bigger than most cities. There is a ton to do both on and off campus in the Columbus area. The campus itself is also quite pretty with buildings ranging from late 19th century to brand new (the Student Union is about 3 years old now for instance). Just be aware that it is known, outside of its excellent standings in academics for two things: parties and athletics. It's easy to avoid or get into those things so you can pick and choose. Another benefit to OSU is that you will meet a ton of international students. Wright State had them too, but OSU is literally like a microcosm of the world, with students from nearly every nation and that can lead to lots of fun and interesting experiences.

Much of what I've said though goes for universities in the US. The bigger ones that are the 'crown jewels' of their states, like Ohio State, University of Michigan, Texas State, etc. are all going to be like that. More to do, in bigger cities, lots of exchange students, and lots more parties and athletics. Smaller ones will give just as good of education often enough, and will be quieter, in smaller towns, and have fewer opportunities to meet exchange students.

The most important consideration on your part though, outside of choosing what degree (or degrees) you want to focus on is your budget. Regional universities like WSU will be the cheapest while still being accredited and providing a good education. State universities will cost more, but you'll have more opportunities, people will recognize the name (which can be good for resumes early on but ultimately isn't all that important), and they are often real competition to the private universities in quality of education (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy). I know that OSU for instance has a ton of research going on all the time, some of which is in computers research but ranges to botany and agriculture and materials research and linguistics and... the list goes on to be honest. My cousin also goes to one of those Public Ivies, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and it's also a great university. But, there's not all that much in Oxford to be honest. Point being though, that you most assuredly don't need to pay Ivy League prices to get an awesome education. But, also consider cost of living for where they are located as well. Housing can easily be more expensive than tuition in some of these places. Also check with the universities as some will give instate tuition to Canadians because they border Canada, or at least offer a discount compared to other foreign students.

[Meyfei]

Housing can easily be more expensive than tuition in some of these places.
Yeah, that's another thing I been thinking about. Yet don't quite know how to look in to it.

Also check with the universities as some will give instate tuition to Canadians because they border Canada, or at least offer a discount compared to other foreign students.
That is really reassuring to hear! Though, what is an "instate tuition"?

[Zeota]

In-state tuition refers to the rate that the school charges to residents of a given state. Those from outside that state are charged more, usually quite a bit.

Base tuition is usually the same for both residents and non-residents but with a large fee tacked on for the latter.

Let's say the University of Central Florida (my alma mater) has an in-state tuition of $200/credit hour after fees for a Florida resident. A non-resident would pay somewhere in the realm of $750 after non-resident fees.

[Outrider]

New York has a decent state school system, though I'd be lying if I said I was still on top of how each school performs (or if I claimed to ever really know how they performed.) I don't recall knowing anybody from Canada while I was in school, but we definitely had plenty of foreign students. Definitely worth considering if you want to be on the East coast, though most of the noteworthy schools are in central or northern New York.

Just adding my two cents here.

[Blue-Hawk]

Just don't apply to any of the NJ colleges. That fat hypocrite of an asshole that runs our state destroyed the education system by draining all the funds from the schools therefore making tuition super high for very low standards in education.

[Meyfei]

Just don't apply to any of the NJ colleges. That fat hypocrite of an asshole that runs our state destroyed the education system by draining all the funds from the schools therefore making tuition super high for very low standards in education.

New Jersey?


New York has a decent state school system, though I'd be lying if I said I was still on top of how each school performs (or if I claimed to ever really know how they performed.) I don't recall knowing anybody from Canada while I was in school, but we definitely had plenty of foreign students. Definitely worth considering if you want to be on the East coast, though most of the noteworthy schools are in central or northern New York.

Just adding my two cents here.

By all means, it's appreciated, that's what i like seeing in many of my posts be it random crap or real life discussions. Thanks for your two cents ^^

Central is fine too I suppose, I sternly believe I will never find what I want without having to make sacrifice to any of my preferences, it's a major part of life. In the end if i go for 4 years of education, i want to be paying for that education or better, and not settle for less. Big choice, many routes, only one to be chosen.

[Ketchup345]

Do you want a huge, large, or small school?
Any is fine.

Another thing to look for may be national or international professional groups that may have their own lists of accreditation.
What kind of "Groups" would you be referring to?


On the issue of summer classes- They may have a much more limited selection, due to less interest in the classes during summer (there may minimum headcounts needed for a class to occur). If you live on campus, there may be additional hoops to jump through for attending during summer, though off campus apartments could resolve almost all of those issues.

--I'll get into some more detail here--
Yeah, I'm not entirely sure if I will even need to take a summer class, but It is a consideration.
School size: Larger schools may have more huge lecture halls, where you are just one of hundreds of students in the classroom. The largest classroom at my fairly small school held (my best guess) around 70 students, with most rooms being capable of around 25-30 students.

This (http://www.aafs.org/accredited) would be one example of a (non-IT related) professional organization's approved/accredited programs.

Summer classes may not necessarily get you ahead of schedule, but may be useful in keeping up if you had to drop a class during the normal school year.



New Jersey?

Central is fine too I suppose, I sternly believe I will never find what I want without having to make sacrifice to any of my preferences, it's a major part of life. In the end if i go for 4 years of education, i want to be paying for that education or better, and not settle for less. Big choice, many routes, only one to be chosen.Yes, NJ is New Jersey.

Realize that you will probably be living in this place for at least 4 years (since it sounds like you don't plan on going home). You will need to be fairly happy with the area. Some sacrifice may be necessary, but too much sacrifice isn't worth it.

[Meyfei]

My advice to anyone goin to college is to enroll into a community college first and then transfer to 4 year university when u hv all of ur general study classes finished. Alot of community colleges work together with univerisities to offer Garunteed acceptance policies that garuntee admission to a 4 year university as long as u keep a certain gpa and take require classes. This is what I am currently doin and saving about $2000 a semester.

Right now im trying to look into this, however im abit thrown off by degree types. If I finish 2 years in community college am i still looking for a certificate the Uni/college or accociates, bachelors, Masters, or doctorate? x_x

in the mean time i'm gonna atleast google them to understand them better.

[Anduril]

Right now im trying to look into this, however im abit thrown off by degree types. If I finish 2 years in community college am i still looking for a certificate the Uni/college or accociates, bachelors, Masters, or doctorate? x_x

in the mean time i'm gonna atleast google them to understand them better.
A quick breakdown on the types of degree for you.
An associates degree is basically the degree that you can get in the least amount of time; usually two years, but it tends to be the bottom rung in terms of degrees.
A bachelors degree is the next "tier" up, and is what most people think when they hear college degree; can take four to six years to get depending on the unit requirement.
A masters degree is post-bacc, meaning that typically you need to have (or be a semester away from obtaining) a bachelors degree before you can even apply for a masters/graduate program. A doctorate is about the same level as a masters, but tends to have a bit more prestige to it, socially. However, in practice, whether you go for a masters or a doctorate depends entirely on the field that you are going into; they also have different course loads, with a doctorate taking anywhere from six to eight years to obtain, while a masters usually takes less time.

Hope this helps.

[ShinMaruku]

New York has a decent state school system, though I'd be lying if I said I was still on top of how each school performs (or if I claimed to ever really know how they performed.) I don't recall knowing anybody from Canada while I was in school, but we definitely had plenty of foreign students. Definitely worth considering if you want to be on the East coast, though most of the noteworthy schools are in central or northern New York.

Just adding my two cents here.

New York has the first and third largest state school system. They also have the cheapest. And the education is good. I come from the CUNY System. It's VERY good.

[Ketchup345]

A quick breakdown on the types of degree for you.
An associates degree is basically the degree that you can get in the least amount of time; usually two years, but it tends to be the bottom rung in terms of degrees.
A bachelors degree is the next "tier" up, and is what most people think when they hear college degree; can take four to six years to get depending on the unit requirement.
A masters degree is post-bacc, meaning that typically you need to have (or be a semester away from obtaining) a bachelors degree before you can even apply for a masters/graduate program. A doctorate is about the same level as a masters, but tends to have a bit more prestige to it, socially. However, in practice, whether you go for a masters or a doctorate depends entirely on the field that you are going into; they also have different course loads, with a doctorate taking anywhere from six to eight years to obtain, while a masters usually takes less time.
I'd say Doctorate is higher than Masters. Extra time is needed for Doctorate and as far as I'm aware you generally acquire a Masters while working towards your Doctorate.


Right now im trying to look into this, however im abit thrown off by degree types. If I finish 2 years in community college am i still looking for a certificate the Uni/college or accociates, bachelors, Masters, or doctorate? x_x
If you go through community college first, you may come out of that with an Associates. The next school you go to will probably be for your Bachelors.

[Anduril]

I'd say Doctorate is higher than Masters. Extra time is needed for Doctorate and as far as I'm aware you generally acquire a Masters while working towards your Doctorate.
Yeah, I could've been a bit clearer. I just meant that they can both essentially can be viewed as terminal degrees depending on the field and career.

[Meyfei]

Awesome! Thanks for the info! :D
Still welcoming anything else people would like to say, I'm sure I have alot more to ask and understand.

I notice a few colleges have Numbers/letters as requirements, then there's the credit system. How does this work in many cases, and the whole "credit hour"?

Also any notable Community Colleges?

[Ketchup345]

Awesome! Thanks for the info! :D
Still welcoming anything else people would like to say, I'm sure I have alot more to ask and understand.

I notice a few colleges have Numbers/letters as requirements, then there's the credit system. How does this work in many cases, and the whole "credit hour"?

Also any notable Community Colleges?
Don't worry about "notable community colleges" except to make sure your credits will transfer. Often, the whole point of a community college is to get the basic classes everyone has to eventually take out of the way for a very low price (in comparison). Most are designed for commuters, meaning pretty much choose whatever one is closest to you. Look for good schools for your Bachelors and higher.

Numbers/Letter requirements? Is that for specific classes?
Numbers and letters are often used as a class code. The easiest way to look at those is to view the letter as an abbreviation for the type of class, the hundreds place as the level (1xx often being freshman, 2xx sophomore, etc). So for example, freshman year first English class could be E100, second could be E105. Higher level classes may have a prerequisite (a class that must be completed with a certain grade before that one can be taken, sometimes shortened to prereq [sounds like pre-wreck]). So my CH210 (Organic Chemistry 1) required CH120 (General Chemistry 2). Math classes required "C" or better to advance to the next one, so M150 could have a requirement of M100 with C or better.

A credit hour is how long the class is in session during a week (sometimes rounded to nearest hour). So if a class meets 2 days for 1 hour 20 minutes each, that could be a 3 credit class. 3 days a week for 1 hour 20 minutes would be 4 credit. Most majors take 15-18 credit hours per semester.

[Meyfei]

Thanks! :D!

As for the community college, I'm thinking of looking up a couple and see what colleges/universities are close to it for a quick transfer after the classes are up (and to avoid tedious moving arrangements)

But yeah, It's really difficult on some of these sites to find information x_x Like why can't some just simply say "Course/Programs we teach" / "Other information you should know".

[Randomness]

Thanks! :D!

As for the community college, I'm thinking of looking up a couple and see what colleges/universities are close to it for a quick transfer after the classes are up (and to avoid tedious moving arrangements)

But yeah, It's really difficult on some of these sites to find information x_x Like why can't some just simply say "Course/Programs we teach" / "Other information you should know".

It might be faster to just contact the school directly, particularly if it otherwise interests you. You probably want a list of departments (if looking on their websites), since that basically lists what areas they offer programs in (Not necessarily the programs themselves - a department may have more than one degree they do, and there's joint things like biochem and such that may be split between departments instead of having their own)