This year I am a senior in highschool, and now is the time when everyone's putting on extra pressure about college. I'm the first person in my family to even plan to go to college, so none of them know how to help me, or have any personal advice to give me, and my school counselors are generally unhelpful. So I'm coming here, since alot of you I assume are college-age people who could give advice.

(If anyone here is from California, I'm thinking of maybe going to Channel Islands University, and if I move, SF State. For 2-years I am thinking of Oxnard College or Ventura College.)

Things I am wondering about:

• Is it best to go straight to a 4-year university, or to go to a 2-year college and then move on to a 4-year? Does it matter? Does it depend on the person? What are your general thoughts on this?
• I kind of want to be an English as a Second Language teacher (Spanish-English). What are some things I should know when it comes to being a teacher and getting teaching degrees?
• How important will math be? I am not taking Calculus this year, or any math, which one of the counselors at school keeps telling me I need to (not for credit, just for college applications). Is this going to kill me? Can't I just take it in college? I'm confused!

Any general tips or comments you have are welcome, and I will probably think of more questions later...

well. i dont live in the us or anything. but univsource.com helped me when i was looking for a uni.
maybe you counslors keeps telling you to take up a math class to get a better chance of getting into college. Don't you have to take SATs to get in most Us colleges?

I was in the same situation you're in last year... Only difference is, I'm in Texas. ^_^

• Depends on the person. Personally, I dropped out of the 2-year community college I was in because I lacked focus. Going to a 4-year college would mean you'd -have- to pick a major going in, so you'd have more focus but less options. That's true to a greater extent if you live in a dorm.
• No real idea here. My only advice is to remember how awful your classmates were in school and that you'll have to deal with asshole teenagers if you choose to teach anyone above elementary school. Plus, if you're teaching public school you could get shot. Just saying.
• You'll need college algebra for basically ANY degree you want to go for. I even needed it when I was looking into a MUSIC degree. If you're going to a community college, it's not a big deal. Test out of it if you can. I tested out of all the lower maths so I could have moved straight to college algebra... Being in AP classes and taking the AP exams allowed me to bypass college English all together... Do know that the tests cost money, so only try to test out of subjects you understand well!

As I said before, I dropped out of a community college, so I'm not exactly a great student... I'll probably go back in a year or so, but I know that I won't get anything out of college if I attend right now. If you think you need some time to examine your life before going to college, that's cool. Depending on your parents' opinions on the subject, I'd highly suggest taking a year off. I'm just now figuring out what I get the most fulfillment out of is computing. I'm learning Python on my own at home. Try out different things before you make the leap into paying for college classes.

A lot of schools don't care about math.

But then again, I went to an art school where they didn't even offer math...

> from California
> English as a Second Language teacher (Spanish-English)

Sounds like you'll have lots of career opportunities for some time to come. Perhaps you could become qualified for English-Spanish too, just in case there is a shift in international politics some years down the line.
Wish I'd gone for something so practical.

If you get a student loan, you'll most likely end up paying for it many, many years down the line. See if there is any scholarship opportunities available, or if someone in your family can help you pay for this.

>>3

> Plus, if you're teaching public school you could get shot.

4Reals? I didn't think it was actually that bad in the 'States; Just scary media portrayals and opportunistic politicians.

> I'm just now figuring out what I get the most fulfillment out of is computing. I'm learning Python on my own at home.

I have a three-year community college programming education under my belt, and it's useless. The market still sucks, and I wouldn't be surprised if all the programming jobs were outsourced to India soon.
I'm earning minimum wage at a government make-work job mostly unrelated to my skill set, but it's far more enjoyable and fulfilling than siting alone in a tiny cubicle typing code.

>>2

Yeah, the math thing is for Universities. I don't need it to get into college, but I'm not certain about Uni, so I suppose I'll need someone from the US to clear that up for me...And yes, I also have to take the SATs to get in. I've taken the practice SAT tests which were easy, so hopefully the real ones will be the same.

>>3

> Plus, if you're teaching public school you could get shot.

I've gone to public school all my life and haven't been shot so far. Though I'll still keep the warning in mind o.o

Anyway, the highest level of math I've had is High School Algebra II. I have taken the AP tests for English and for US History. I think I passed them both (I'll have to go look again). So that means I don't have to take them in college? I'm also going to take another English AP test this year (which I guess is for the next level up of English? I don't know).

>>5

Lucky me that I happen to have a great interest in linguistics and teaching in a time when there's alot of Spanish-speaking immigrants coming over! :D Any language-related subject is good for me...Also science. But I am intimidated by actually pursuing any career in a scientific field (leaning toward biology) because it always seems so connected to math, which I am terrible at. Neuro-/cognitive science and marine biology are the two science subjects I am currently considering getting involved with in college, but my main plan/fallback is definately ESL so far. Sign Language interpreting is also an option for me, but I don't really know much about the actual job, other than most interpreters are freelance (I think)...

>>3

>>You'll need college algebra for basically ANY degree you want to go for. I even needed it when I was looking into a MUSIC degree.

Well, to a large extent, music IS math, so that requirement isn't terribly surprising.

>>1

As someone who moved from a two-year college to a four-year one, I can tell you that the most important thing is making sure that all your credits will transfer. In my opinion, the best thing to do is get all your gen-ed classes out of the way (most colleges require not just math, but at least one science class with a lab section) and concentrate on the classes in your major once you get to your four-year school, where you can be sure your credits will count and the quality of the teaching will likely be better. The only thing I'm not sure of is how going to a two-year college looks to admissions officers (my SAT scores were high enough that it was a non-issue for me), so you should probably ask someone who knows about that.

Also, be aware that about 50% of community college students either couldn't get into a four-year college, couldn't hack it at a four-year college, or are potheads. Just FYI.

>>5 & >>6

To tell the truth, I only ever went to private schools, so I can't say that from personal experience. All of my friends went to public school, and while there weren't any shootings, there were fires set every week and many teachers quit after less than one semester because the kids would fight in class (physically) and pull really bad pranks on the teachers... Someone shat in a teacher's desk once; someone filled a teacher's drawers with beans; someone took a sledgehammer to a teacher's car, etc.

Maybe it's just where I live, though. I heard stories from a school a few districts away about teachers selling the kids drugs. I don't know the people who started that story, so I can't verify it, but I can verify the things in the first paragraph. One of my friends was the one who did the whole beans-in-drawers thing.

>>9
Damn. Probably the worst trouble we have where I live is gang fights (my school is in the barrio...woot), but my school is considered the safest and most well-behaved school in the area. Nothing very bad happens here...We've had a few fires in garbage cans, and 1-2 physical fights per year, but that's about it. I'm in the honors and AP classes so I don't really see much of the misbehaved students anyway.

>>8Also, be aware that about 50% of community college students either couldn't get into a four-year college, couldn't hack it at a four-year college, or are potheads. Just FYI.

I lol'd hard

go to therapy with her.

I met a Junior at my college (it's a pretty good and expensive school) that transferred from the local community college this year. He's majoring in Philosophy. So you see, it's not impossible.

Just out of curiosity, is "four-year college" the standard term for normal university? Because my BSc took only three years, which is pretty normal for science as I understand it. The only people who took four years were people doing dual degrees.

Don't be afraid - I was during my senior year - It was August and they told me applications were due really soon! XD I ended up going to a university near my home: Humboldt State - It was a personal decision since I needed to be close to home for famil reasons.

I had awesome grades - its just that our school didn't have the options like others, only 2 AP classes and no Honors/IB whatever stuff.

College isn't that scary - the journey through all of he applications, tests, and finding the right place to apply to.

I applied to all of the CSU's north of SF. I got in to all of them - it just came down to my choice.

Try and get good scores and beef up your community service stuff - great for scholarship/ college apps.

finally: GOOD LUCK!^____^

A two-year university is certainly more affordable. If grades and test scores are a huge concern, you may want to consider getting an associates degree or atleast getting some general education courses out of the way before transferring to a four-year school.

As far as teaching ESL, atleast in my home state (Illinois), one can get certified in ESL education via the TEFL program. One of my friends did it over the summer in a course of 8 weeks for something like $40.

Looking at a four-year university? Go big. Honestly, big schools offer fewer chances of getting locked out of classes you want. They have more money for better staff (once you get to upper level classes), nicer facilities, and a wider variety of programs. I presently attend the largest school in the US and have no problem meeting people, scheduling classes, or getting the academic attention I need.

FINALLY, first generation college students are offered loads of scholarships-- take advantage of this!

Best of luck!

I'd suggest a 2-yr college at first.

Smaller class sizes are always a plus in college, and for most in my 2-yr school, the numbers were under 25, the biggest probably 40. Depending on the 4-yr, you could end up in a ginormous lecture hall of 100+. That may not bother you, but for me (most esp. in math) I need individual attention at times. I have a slight math-learning difficulty, and I actually too all my maths at a 2-yr in the summer so as to get the extra help I needed.

The other big benefit is the cost. 2-yr colleges cost a lot less because you aren't paying room, board, meal plans, and so on that you'll be paying if you live on campus. If you save that money, you'll be in better shape in your jr and sr years. Hopefully you can avoid the student loan and start your adult life without a $10,000 loan weighing you down.

I never had a problem getting my credits transferred. If they give you the option, I'd suggest getting an AA in what is called General Studies. My school accepted that as the equivelent of freshman and sophomore years. it actually makes it easier to get in, or at least it did for me.

Wow, thanks for all of the advice everyone!

>>1

• I went directly to a 4-year college, but, I knew exactly what I wanted to do (Electrical Engineering), and was able to get in where I wanted to go. I'd say it probably depends on the person.

• Congrats to wanting to go into teaching. It's one of the most underpaid, hard, thankless jobs, where you're continually dealing with assholes, but it can be very rewarding. Some of the certification stuff can be a huge pain, and you'll have to be certified to teach things even if you'll never be teaching them (in CT at least, all high school teachers have to be certified to teach reading & up to Algebra I). It'll depend on where you want to do it and at what level. If you're going to be teaching at a public high school, expect less thanks, more regulation, and worse pay, but a very reliable job. If you're going to work at a private ESL place, you might be paid more, will be less regulated, but there are additional complications, from what I've heard.

• Math is important. You can probably get into College without taking calculus (most colleges offer it, so presumably they're expecting to admit people who don't know it), but take it when you're in college.