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Terms & Etc. about college
Alright, I am a sophomore in high school but I have been researching information on various colleges. There a quite a lot of terms & other stuff of that sort that don't exactly make sense to me. Therefore, I'm hoping maybe some people who are in college or who know this information could help me, I'd really appreciate it.
Ok, this is about financial aid...
*What is the difference between: Federal Grants, State Grants, Institutional Grants, & Loans?
*Generally how do most people do college? For example do most people start off taking basic REQUIRED classes & THEN take majors of their choice?
-->Just any personal information or advice on college & searching for the right college in general would be so helpful!
Thanks for your time!!!
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Well the difference in the grants thing is that grants you do NOT have to pay back the state federal gives them to you and you do not owe them a cent back for it...loans are something you HAVE to pay back and it all depends on how much your parents make so its not up to you how many grants you get its up to the federal government sorryand yes most people start off by getting their prerequisites out of the way first because a lot of you classes in your major will require you to take those courses first anyway so about your first year and a half to two years of college are based on prerequisites whic kinda sucks... another tip is all those essays and crap you can do in high school to get money for college you should REALLY REALLY do because college ends up being VERY expensive and its a big reality check for most people
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Well, I know nothing about grants, etc, because I'm Canadian... we have a different system :) BUT I do know that grants are generally money that you are given; a loan means that you have to pay that money back.
Pretty much, you apply to the universities you want to apply to, for the subjects you're interested in. You select your courses after you're accepted and have accepted a university's offers... you pick your major within your faculty (usually, because some schools don't have a common first year) when you are getting into second year.
Make sure that you visit (if possible) all of the schools that you apply to, because if you're living on campus in residence, you want to make sure it's a place you like; even if you're not living on campus, you're going to be there for several years, so you really want to be happy and comfortable there.
Take advantage of any resources like pre-entry mentors (I know my school offers mentoring services for incoming first years) and make sure that your decision is well-informed.
Good for you, getting to know what you're getting into :)
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Hey! I'm almost done with my sophmore year in college right now, so I can probably help you out with this! Ok, here we go:
1) Anything that is a GRANT is something given to you that you do NOT have to pay back! Federal are given to you by the federal government, state grants are given to you by your state, and institutional grants are given to you by your college! The difference between them doesn't really matter... all you need to know is that it's free money that you don't have to pay back! A LOAN on the other hand is an amount of money that you DO NEED TO PAY BACK (usually you have to start paying them back 6 months after you graduate/drop out of college)! Once you fill out the FAFSA (you have to fill it out before every one of your college years), the government and your college will determine how much money to give you... grants and loans! You will pick what you want and don't want after they make you an offer! Of course you will take all the grants, but you may or may not need all the loans they offer you!
2) Usually the first 2 years of college, you take "core classes," which are classes that your university requires you to take no matter what your major is in order to graduate! They will give you a list of all the courses you need to take, and you will be able to pick when you want to take them, with what proffessors, and so on! If you know what you want to major in, you may take a few classes for your major, usually starting during the second year. If you don't know what you want to major in, usually the university lets you take "core classes" the first 2 years, after which you have to decide what your major will be.
3) Ok now for some general advice... first thing you have to decide is whether you want to stay close to home or go far away! A lot of people think they want to move far, but they later decide to stay close! From my own experience, and from what I've seen happen to other people, it's best to stay close... 4 hours away at most! Also, keep in mind that most colleges are cheaper if you live in the state in which they are located! So if you're from California, it will be cheaper for you to go to a college in California!
Also, decide on the size of school you want! Some schools have 2,000 people... others have 40,000! I go to one with 10,000 and I really like that, because it is big, but not too big! You also have to decide whether you want a school that is secluded... in the middle of nowhere, or if you want to be in the middle of a city!
Last, but not least, if you know what you want to major in, or if you have a general idea, you need to make sure that the school you choose has a good reputation for that major/field, and also make sure that they offer it!
Sorry, this is soo long but I couldn't answer this well with 2 sentences! You have plenty of time, so keep looking, decide what you want and don't want, and use all your resources! Talk to your guidance councelor and get help from her/him, and visit the schools of your choice to make sure you like them! It seems like a long process, but it's not that bad at all! Don't worry and don't be scared, you will love college! :)
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