The Topic of Great Randomness

[SilveredBlue]

Well, I can't really add anything to the college discussion, seeing as I haven't BEEN to Canada and I'm not IN college, but I'm going to comment anyway. There's me in a nutshell for ya.

Except: Sympathy for Trialia!

Re: tuition. 20,000? Really, that little? Well, I guess it depends on what major and what college, but music colleges on my list are from 30,000-45,000 dollars annually, and they're not bigwigs like, you know, Juliard. (Which I wouldn't consider anyway, since despite all the hype it's a really bad enviroment for actually getting a music job after college.) Of course I'm applying for scholarships feverishly, but it's still cringingly expensive.

Although it's true that we've ruled out state colleges, so a private school costs a LOT more. It also is much more selective and rigorous in general, though. So I guess 20,000 is a good figure for a state college.

Heh. I like your not-siggy, crazybookworm. It's funny.

[Trialia]

Thanks, Blue! At it again tomorrow...

DD has a cold... Colds suck. *makes more soup for her*

[crazy_bookworm]

Tuition in Canada is anywhere from $6000 to about $15 000 per year, and I'm highballing the $15 000. Our universities are all public, I think, and it's rare to have a private school up here, I think. One of my social teacher's favorite stories to tell us was he had an American teacher walking thorough our high school, and it was just a normal public one, no special reputation to speak of. My social teacher asked the American teacher how much our quality of education would cost down in the States, and I think he said something like four or five grand a year, which is shocking.

I'm now kicking around the idea of going abroad for my third year, and the cost for me to go to the University of Sheffield is about $23 000. Not bad, but I'd still have to pay for my flights, and flights are the killer.

Thanks, SilveredBlue! It was originally just something to put in my signature as a placeholder, and two years later, it's still there. Maybe I'll never change it...

[Trialia]

Bookworm, it all depends on how often you want to travel between Britain and the US. The flights aren't actually all that bad in comparison to the cost of university, once you tot it up. I got there and back for under $600 in 2005, and that wasn't even to the same airport both ways.

[bookgirl]

I have to thank you all because you have officially made me feel much better about my own tuition. lol. I only pay $2,300 a semester plus about $400 a semester on books

[Trialia]

Also, Bookworm, if you end up going to Sheffield, we are so getting coffee together sometime. I live just across the Pennines, and I use almost any excuse to get to take that pretty trans-Peak District trip.

[crazy_bookworm]

Bookgirl: Glad to make you feel better, and you and I are the about the same, then. When I was saying $6000 to $15 000, I meant per year. Should have made myself clearer. Sorry, guys. I think people know what's in my head, when really, they don't. It's an issue, especially when writing in English class.

Trialia: That's true about flights, I guess, if you book them early enough. But if I did go over, I don't think I'd fly back to Canada, just for four weeks on break, to stretch my budget. I'd probably stay and travel around Europe if I was to go over.

And I have decided if I do go over, it's probably going to be to Sheffield. It's cheaper than Leeds, when I figure it all out, for $30 000 to $35 000 for the year for Sheffield, and I'm even highballing it and taking into account inflation. I also got the impression from the University of Leeds website that it was almost snottier, in a way, while the Sheffield website is more like my university website and feels friendlier to me. Now to convince my parents and figure out how I'm going to get $35 000 over the next two years. Thank goodness for scholarships.

We should get together for coffee if I come over. I'll keep you updated.

[NickRyan]

How do you apply for scholarships because I know they would be very helpful but I don't know how to get them. I also don't know what kinds of scholarships are out there to apply for. Help?

[crazy_bookworm]

NickRyan: You can go on your potential university's website, and there should be a link for scholarships/financial aid. Click on it, and it will give you additional information. What you can also do is Google "scholarships" and just look through the results to find a good website that has a reasonable amount of scholarships and information on how to apply. American buddies, any additional help? I just know the Canadian system.

[SilveredBlue]

NickRyan: Check your library system: mine has a lot of good scholarship books. Also, visit the scholarship part of the College Board website for American scholarships.

If you think you're up to it, taking PSAT/NMSQT in junior year of high school and getting a near-perfect score makes you eligable for the big National Merit scholarship- in the US, again.

Hope this helps!

[Trialia]

estar, I too have very little to contribute to the college conversation, since I left school years ago. It just makes me feel old.

That's a heck of a lot of snow...

[NickRyan]

Thank you everyone for the helpful information I will look into the places you suggested if I can read them all. There are a lot of different scholarships I didn't know about.

Silveredblue: I already took the PSAT but only got a 1640.

Oha ya I forgot to say this but last week we got our first transcripts of our high school careers. I am #50 out of 837 in my class with 12 credits and my lowest grade on there is a C in geometry because I couldn't memorize the formulas.

[illiriam]

NickRyan, if you go to your school's guidance office there is a chance that they have a list of local scholarships too.

And we are suffering the snowpocalypse as well. We usually only get a few inches, and we got a foot last weekend, with another foot expected this weekend. Everyone is freaking out, and when we went to the grocery store, they were out of bags due to everyone trying to stock up in case of a snow-in. Which normally I would laugh at, but since they are calling for "blizzard conditions"...

[Wolf]

Dear lord! School! Why are we talking about school?! I come here to escape thinking about school, and here we are talking about it!

Yeesh. Okay. Scholarships.... they are EVERYWHERE. NickRyan, is anyone in your family a fireman? Policeman? Garbagetruck man? I mean, really, even if your uncle who you only see twice a year is a paramedic, you could get in for a scholarship. All I remember of that is my mom putting stacks and stacks of stuff for me to fill out, and me basically doing the same essay overrrr and ooooooooover and ooooooooooooooooooover!!! There's a scholarship for making a greeting card, a scholarship through KFC... seriously look for it, and it'll be there. Just google "college scholarships" and try to do absolutely everything you can. That's pretty much what my mom had me do. There's also a site where you can just fill out ONE form, which means putting all your information in only ONCE, writing ONE essay, and you can send it to a bunch of colleges that are in partnership with the website, for either free or a nice price the price of a regular fee. Like, paying only $50 to send it to five schools, instead of $50 each sending it to those schools separately. They should have told you about it in school, and if not, definitely ask them....... cuz I can't remember the name of the site... --_--

So yeah the "snowpocalypse" (which by the way is the HARDEST word to spell!) is supposed to hit us too. I keep looking out my window, but nuthin' doin. They're already canceled EVERYTHING on my campus for the weekend, which was supposed to be a pretty big weekend. Actually, here's the funny thing: if you guys see Monmouth basketball on the tv, the reason that there will be NO ONE in the stands is because we might very well have been snowed in. Except they're not allowed to cancel the game. Because it's believe *teeeelly-viiiiiiiised*. Which means I still have to go to work tomorrow. And do nothing. Because no one will be there. I will definitely be bringing High Wizardry for our Virtual Book Club that I love. <3

Okay. So this week has been long and stupid, and right now I sound like I'm just complaining. Um. So. I'll think of something funny to say. Something UPBEAT! Of course all I can think of is negative things now. Ugh. Um. Oh! I got to talk to my silly friend on the webcam tonight. My room mate is not a freak this semester, thank god. And I have very awesome ringtones on my phone. ^_^ They include the X-Files theme, Star Trek TNG theme, Ghostbusters theme, and the Michael J. Fox version of Johnny B. Goode from Back to the Future!! <3

[96bookworms]

Everybody that is being hit by the snowpocolypse is insanely lucky, at least to me. Our town had one major blizzard, but, of course, I wasn't there *stomps foot frustratedly* I really want to miss some school!!!

I really can't comment on the whole college thing, because i'm not near college. really, I don't want to think about college at this point. School is hard enough at this point. I'm just busy because all of my teachers seem to be giving out projects at the same time. Our school's spelling bee was on tuesday, and it was insane!! The teachers had to use extra words because they ran out! Best of all, we got to miss 2 whole periods.

Others than that, almost nothing has happened in AGES.....