University... I accepted the offer from Trent

[homesteadmomma]

Just want to wish you the best as your pursue your education!

 

[lupinfarm]

Sweetproserpina:

I'm not sure yet whether I want to go to Teachers college in CANADA or UK yet, but that is most likely my ultimate goal is teachers college. In my last year of highschool in 2007 (I'm upgrading my courses now lol) my Commtech/Fashions teacher told me I should be a teacher, and I really took it to heart. I used to teach the younger students my riding coach had when I was about 12 or 13 and I really enjoyed it, and I also really enjoy teaching people in general and through seminars at school in English I've become more comfortable talking in front of people. My English teacher told me to "talk at them not to them"

patandchickens:

We live 16km north of Stirling about 5 minutes from highway 7, its only about 1.5 hours to Trent U's campus and we're looking into an Accent, something very fueld efficient. We've figured thats actually driving distance for me, it doesn't take very long to get there and if in my second year I decide to stay in Peterborough for school I will apply for residency. My decision on this was made on the basis of something my English teacher told me, she said that you can organize and create a timetable suitable to yourself based on what you want to take. Guidance and her said I could organize my classes so they fit into 3 days out of a week, or whatever so that makes it more affordable. The gas and such is actually going to be MORE affordable than campus living for me, and since I can only get about 40,000k for the whole 4 years, I wouldn't be able to afford residence, books, AND tuition because tution is at $6300 and Trent says to budget for $1000 for books. The car would be a family car, a second car for us and would be paid for by my parents and I would only use it during the week for school.

Thanks everyone! I picked up the form for the Student line of credit from Scotia last week, and I'll be filling it out and faxing it in this week. I hope I qualify, I have a great credit rating and history, I make enough money, I'm just worried that because I have to have a co-borrower and that it has to be my parents that I won't qualify because both are self-employed, and do have a good deal of debt...Then again I'm 20 LOL so it may count more on my own finances than theirs because the co-borrowing stuff is meant for students who are 17 and going straight from high school to uni.

 

[FarmerChick]

good for you!
education is a great thing to help for the future.



remember though, no debt is good. None. So get away as easy as possible and be financially smart when funding your future!!

 

[Mackay]

I heard that Pell grants were going to significantly increase this year.
Good luck to you. You won't regret it.

 

[patandchickens]

its only about 1.5 hours to Trent U's campus and we're looking into an Accent <snip> my English teacher told me, she said that you can organize and create a timetable suitable to yourself based on what you want to take.

Can I offer my experience as ex-professor?

I had some students who commuted from an hour away (this was outside Rochester NY, they were coming from the Buffalo area). They had a really hard time of it, because you cannot arrange snowstorms to coincide with your lecture/lab/exam schedule. Even when you can make things up later -- and not everything *can* be made up later -- it was much harder on the students. Some of them were driving literally 3 hrs each way through snowstorms to get to classes they were having trouble with and couldn't afford to miss.

Second, before committing to the plan of commuting or buying a car or anything, you need to talk (preferably in person) to one of the people who advises English or Education majors at Trent. Or whatever major you think you might want. (Not just a generic college person, but one of the people *in the department*). And specifically discuss how easy/hard it will be to take classes only 2-3 days a week.

Because I had an awful lot of advisees who were told by high school advisers that they could easily work their course schedule around a long commute or several days per wk of fulltime work -- but that isn't how it actually works at a typical college/university. Some (required) courses are only given MWF, others are only given T/Th, and nothing you can do will change that fact; also, it can be difficult or in some cases impossible (without taking an extra semester or year or two to get your degree) to pack all your courses onto particular days because the lab or discussion sections of one will conflict with the time slot for another class's lectures. At the very least, students trying to take classes only MWF or only T/Th usually end up taking extra semesters to get their degree AND often have to show up on campus at 8 a.m. and not be able to head home til 8 p.m., type of thing.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just alert you to things to investigate and figure into your calculations.

Having had this same discussion about cost with a lot of students, I just have to say that the cost of living on campus in a dorm, or in a shared modest apartment with several other students, and eating frugally, and working part-time, is typically the same or cheaper than the cost of buying/maintaining/fuelling a car and commuting plus paying for extra semesters.

BTW, at least at american universities (and I seriously doubt things here are any different) you can save considerable money on books by buying used ones which can be obtained via bulletin board ads or friends or often at the campus bookstore; and by not buying optional books (which are often left on reserve at the library anyhow). Around when I left academia it was also becoming popular to buy used books via Amazon.com, and I was told by several students they saved a whole lot of money that way.

It *can* be done

Best of luck,

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

its only about 1.5 hours to Trent U's campus and we're looking into an Accent <snip> my English teacher told me, she said that you can organize and create a timetable suitable to yourself based on what you want to take.

Can I offer my experience as ex-professor?

I had some students who commuted from an hour away (this was outside Rochester NY, they were coming from the Buffalo area). They had a really hard time of it, because you cannot arrange snowstorms to coincide with your lecture/lab/exam schedule. Even when you can make things up later -- and not everything *can* be made up later -- it was much harder on the students. Some of them were driving literally 3 hrs each way through snowstorms to get to classes they were having trouble with and couldn't afford to miss.

Second, before committing to the plan of commuting or buying a car or anything, you need to talk (preferably in person) to one of the people who advises English or Education majors at Trent. Or whatever major you think you might want. (Not just a generic college person, but one of the people *in the department*). And specifically discuss how easy/hard it will be to take classes only 2-3 days a week.

Because I had an awful lot of advisees who were told by high school advisers that they could easily work their course schedule around a long commute or several days per wk of fulltime work -- but that isn't how it actually works at a typical college/university. Some (required) courses are only given MWF, others are only given T/Th, and nothing you can do will change that fact; also, it can be difficult or in some cases impossible (without taking an extra semester or year or two to get your degree) to pack all your courses onto particular days because the lab or discussion sections of one will conflict with the time slot for another class's lectures. At the very least, students trying to take classes only MWF or only T/Th usually end up taking extra semesters to get their degree AND often have to show up on campus at 8 a.m. and not be able to head home til 8 p.m., type of thing.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just alert you to things to investigate and figure into your calculations.

Having had this same discussion about cost with a lot of students, I just have to say that the cost of living on campus in a dorm, or in a shared modest apartment with several other students, and eating frugally, and working part-time, is typically the same or cheaper than the cost of buying/maintaining/fuelling a car and commuting plus paying for extra semesters.

BTW, at least at american universities (and I seriously doubt things here are any different) you can save considerable money on books by buying used ones which can be obtained via bulletin board ads or friends or often at the campus bookstore; and by not buying optional books (which are often left on reserve at the library anyhow). Around when I left academia it was also becoming popular to buy used books via Amazon.com, and I was told by several students they saved a whole lot of money that way.

It *can* be done

Best of luck,

Pat

Yeah I plan on buying used books, but still it won't be enough to get be under $10,000 a year far enough to ad dorm or appartment/room living unfortunately. My neighbour commutes to Loyalist and its a good 30-40 minutes. Luckily we get plowed real quick here I guess I'll just have to deal with it when the time comes. I can always take the truck on bad days anyhow. But yeah, I have no savings for university because I haven't got a job, and I can't get a job without a car, and so on and so on.

Thanks for the advice, I realize you can't always scheduale things properly..ohhh boy do I know lol but I have to try to do what I can. I'm still thinking on taking this year coming off and going to university for fall 2010 instead so I can at least save up for a bit and stuff.

 

[FarmerChick]

its only about 1.5 hours to Trent U's campus and we're looking into an Accent <snip> my English teacher told me, she said that you can organize and create a timetable suitable to yourself based on what you want to take.

Can I offer my experience as ex-professor?

I had some students who commuted from an hour away (this was outside Rochester NY, they were coming from the Buffalo area). They had a really hard time of it, because you cannot arrange snowstorms to coincide with your lecture/lab/exam schedule. Even when you can make things up later -- and not everything *can* be made up later -- it was much harder on the students. Some of them were driving literally 3 hrs each way through snowstorms to get to classes they were having trouble with and couldn't afford to miss.

Second, before committing to the plan of commuting or buying a car or anything, you need to talk (preferably in person) to one of the people who advises English or Education majors at Trent. Or whatever major you think you might want. (Not just a generic college person, but one of the people *in the department*). And specifically discuss how easy/hard it will be to take classes only 2-3 days a week.

Because I had an awful lot of advisees who were told by high school advisers that they could easily work their course schedule around a long commute or several days per wk of fulltime work -- but that isn't how it actually works at a typical college/university. Some (required) courses are only given MWF, others are only given T/Th, and nothing you can do will change that fact; also, it can be difficult or in some cases impossible (without taking an extra semester or year or two to get your degree) to pack all your courses onto particular days because the lab or discussion sections of one will conflict with the time slot for another class's lectures. At the very least, students trying to take classes only MWF or only T/Th usually end up taking extra semesters to get their degree AND often have to show up on campus at 8 a.m. and not be able to head home til 8 p.m., type of thing.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just alert you to things to investigate and figure into your calculations.

Having had this same discussion about cost with a lot of students, I just have to say that the cost of living on campus in a dorm, or in a shared modest apartment with several other students, and eating frugally, and working part-time, is typically the same or cheaper than the cost of buying/maintaining/fuelling a car and commuting plus paying for extra semesters.

BTW, at least at american universities (and I seriously doubt things here are any different) you can save considerable money on books by buying used ones which can be obtained via bulletin board ads or friends or often at the campus bookstore; and by not buying optional books (which are often left on reserve at the library anyhow). Around when I left academia it was also becoming popular to buy used books via Amazon.com, and I was told by several students they saved a whole lot of money that way.

It *can* be done

Best of luck,

Pat

Yeah I plan on buying used books, but still it won't be enough to get be under $10,000 a year far enough to ad dorm or appartment/room living unfortunately. My neighbour commutes to Loyalist and its a good 30-40 minutes. Luckily we get plowed real quick here I guess I'll just have to deal with it when the time comes. I can always take the truck on bad days anyhow. But yeah, I have no savings for university because I haven't got a job, and I can't get a job without a car, and so on and so on.

Thanks for the advice, I realize you can't always scheduale things properly..ohhh boy do I know lol but I have to try to do what I can. I'm still thinking on taking this year coming off and going to university for fall 2010 instead so I can at least save up for a bit and stuff.

You know as much as we would love to control life, we can't to alot of degree.

Remember to follow the heart also!!!!!!!!!!!!

It gets us through life on an even note and with you being so smart anyway in life's challenges, just do what you need to do!!!!!

You know what I am trying to say....follow the dream, be smart and safe about it within reason and HAVE a heck of a good time doing it..LOL

 

[sweetproserpina]

Sweetproserpina:

I'm not sure yet whether I want to go to Teachers college in CANADA or UK yet, but that is most likely my ultimate goal is teachers college. In my last year of highschool in 2007 (I'm upgrading my courses now lol) my Commtech/Fashions teacher told me I should be a teacher, and I really took it to heart. I used to teach the younger students my riding coach had when I was about 12 or 13 and I really enjoyed it, and I also really enjoy teaching people in general and through seminars at school in English I've become more comfortable talking in front of people. My English teacher told me to "talk at them not to them"

Teaching is a great career! My very best friend is a high school English teacher and I have the utmost respect for teachers - I had 80 grade fives through the museum yesterday and boy were we happy when they were on the school bus headed home, phew! The end of the year makes them sooo hyper

Good luck with school, you'll do great-

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I think you will find living close to school is much better than having to commute. Commuting 3 hours minimum a day would almost be like having a part time job, except you are spending money instead of making it.

One of the best parts of college, in my opinion, was getting out of my parent's purview and learning to live on my own. It was nice doing that in the company of other people my age who were striking it out on their own for the first time too. In my opinion, it would be worth looking into seeing what you might be able to afford. Dorms are invariably going to be more expensive than finding shared housing off-campus. The bonus to living off-campus is that you don't have to eat cafeteria food.

College can be stressful. Commuting can be stressful. I guess, try to think about what sort of quality of life you want.

 

[lupinfarm]

I think you will find living close to school is much better than having to commute. Commuting 3 hours minimum a day would almost be like having a part time job, except you are spending money instead of making it.

One of the best parts of college, in my opinion, was getting out of my parent's purview and learning to live on my own. It was nice doing that in the company of other people my age who were striking it out on their own for the first time too. In my opinion, it would be worth looking into seeing what you might be able to afford. Dorms are invariably going to be more expensive than finding shared housing off-campus. The bonus to living off-campus is that you don't have to eat cafeteria food.

College can be stressful. Commuting can be stressful. I guess, try to think about what sort of quality of life you want.

I really cannot afford no-matter-what off-campus or on-campus living. Peterborough is pretty spendy, and I'd have to live in walking distance or transit of the Uni, and those places are way more expensive than elsewhere in the city. Right now I'm not really sure if I'm going at all this year, I'd feel more comfortable if I had some money saved up for school before going really.