Want to go back to college

Young Grasshopper

Senior member
Nov 9, 2007
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I graduated high school several years ago but never went to college. I would like to attend now and get a bachelors degree. fortunatly for me for what i do(systems engineer in healthcare) i dont really have a 9-5 job i can basically come in whenever i want as long as i put in 40 hours a week. my goals are:

get it as quick as possible

affordable, my company will reimburse me 5k a year + books etc

how many years would i need to attend for me to finish?

and how much i can expect to pay in tuition. ps i am in california

 

onlyCOpunk

Platinum Member
May 25, 2003
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your questions are all dependent on your needs. do you want to do full time or part time study? what sort of university are you after, private/public? and what sort of benefits or aid your state provides for higher education.

your questions would probably best be answered by someone at the university(ies) you are eyeing up.
 

ChaoZ

Diamond Member
Apr 5, 2000
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Expect 5+ years. I've never actually met anyone that graduated in 4 years that's near my age group.

Edit: Btw, CA is having a budget crisis right now and the CSUs don't know how much money they're going to get. We're expecting a lot of classes to be cut semester. This makes it even harder to get into classes that you need.
 

chorb

Golden Member
Oct 7, 2005
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What kind of work are you looking to get into?

Once you figure out what you want to major in, research those schools that have good programs in that field of study. Narrow it down to several schools, or figure out what classes you could start taking at a community college and transfer into a 4 year university.

Public schools in California, run anywhere from ~1.5k - 3k a semester/quarter. Private schools, much more.
 

ed21x

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 2001
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Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
im looking to attend a cal state school

Cal State? 3k a semester should cover it, and probably 3 years will be enough. If you want to go even cheaper, I recommend just going to a community college and transferring in as a Junior. btw, I took a semester off from my normal university and attended Cal State Fullerton. In the end, I discovered that Cal State is a whole lot better than the UC's if you want professors that actually teach as well as reasonable class sizes and tuition.
 

CRXican

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2004
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Originally posted by: ChaoZ
Expect 5+ years. I've never actually met anyone that graduated in 4 years that's near my age group.

I did

just takes hard work
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
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1) Go to a Cal State school's website
2) Look at tuition rates and graduation requirements
3) Congrats, you finished your first college assignment
 

Young Grasshopper

Senior member
Nov 9, 2007
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i just want to get a degree from a cal state school to be honest, most of my technical abilities i get from work or self study. what are the advantages of going thru a community college?
 

clamum

Lifer
Feb 13, 2003
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Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
i just want to get a degree from a cal state school to be honest, most of my technical abilities i get from work or self study. what are the advantages of going thru a community college?
For me it was way the fuck cheaper. I took my general education classes (well, most of them) at a community college before transferring. If you do something like that, which I don't see a downside to, make sure the classes transfer to the 4-year university because some may not.

It took me 5 years to get a bachelor's in C.S. but I could've done it in 4 if I really wanted to.
 

Young Grasshopper

Senior member
Nov 9, 2007
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whats the benefit of just going straight to the cal state school and bypassing the community college other than cost? if i were to attend cal state without going to a community college, would be it quicker?
 

ChaoZ

Diamond Member
Apr 5, 2000
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Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
whats the benefit of just going straight to the cal state school and bypassing the community college other than cost? if i were to attend cal state without going to a community college, would be it quicker?

Nothing really unless you consider the quality of education. I've been to both and I didn't notice much difference in the quality of teaching. Every school will have good and bad teachers, you just need to find the good ones. And you don't finish school faster going straight to a CSU. You will still need to take GE courses which you can take at a CC and just transfer them to a CSU. You attend a CSU for the classes you major in.
 

rdp6

Senior member
May 14, 2007
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I just finished my BSEE in May, graduated HS in 93. I attended U of Akron full time on GI Bill, Stafford Loans (subsidized) for 2 years, and my wife's support. I took as many classes as I could, 110+ credits in 3 years here, including every engineering degree requirement. Motivation is key, you can learn anything if you are into it and make it your priority.

I took some classes at Monterey Peninsula College while stationed at DLI, tuition for in-state students was $11 per credit. That is an incredible bargain, and the teachers were just as good as at every other school I've attended. With my language school credits I got an AA from MPC for cheap (although I don't know if it is valuable to me).

Go to the closest community college, enjoy cheap parking and small classes, and save loads of money. California's public schools have a good matriculation system so your classes will transfer.

Finally, do it. Get your education. Finish what you start. You will not regret getting your degree.
 

Dirigible

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2006
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Originally posted by: ChaoZ
Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
whats the benefit of just going straight to the cal state school and bypassing the community college other than cost? if i were to attend cal state without going to a community college, would be it quicker?

Nothing really unless you consider the quality of education. I've been to both and I didn't notice much difference in the quality of teaching. Every school will have good and bad teachers, you just need to find the good ones. And you don't finish school faster going straight to a CSU. You will still need to take GE courses which you can take at a CC and just transfer them to a CSU. You attend a CSU for the classes you major in.

At least look into community college. If the classes transfer, fit your degree needs, and fit your schedule, it's a good way to get some degree requirements out of the way. I've had friends go from community college to all sorts of 4-year universities - Cal State schools, UCs, one friend even transferred to Stanford.
 

Young Grasshopper

Senior member
Nov 9, 2007
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thanks for all of the replys. if ge classes are required, why would someone take them at a univerisity over community college?
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
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Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
do you have to take general education classes if i skipped community college?

No, why would I have to take classes because you skipped community college?
 

TehMac

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2006
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Originally posted by: Young Grasshopper
thanks for all of the replys. if ge classes are required, why would someone take them at a univerisity over community college?


Convenience really, but technically, you can take courses at community colleges and be enrolled in a University at the same time. What I am sorta doing atm.