Take care in choosing next college, SE speaker says

By Courtney Horton/reporter

Everyone has a plan to do something different, the SE academic advisor and transfer center coordinator told SE students Sept. 11.

When choosing the next college career move, Terrell Shaw gave the students five things to consider before doing so: the program of choice, atmosphere, size, price and distance. These will solve quite a few problems when choosing the next college, he said.

“Everyone has different plans for their future,” he said. “And we all have a desire to what we plan to major in.”

When transferring to another college, students should also consider these things. First, they should declare a major. But students should also think about their interests, income and grade standing.

“Make sure you have all of the correct college-level credit hours and you have the appropriate GPA,” he said. “Most universities want you to have at least a 2.0 or higher. Some would like a 2.75 or higher. At least finish your associate degree at TCC. We love to see that completion, and so do universities.”

Some other things to consider when transferring is having an educational plan, TCC degree audit, core completion and be TSI-compliant.

“What kind of atmosphere do you want to be in?” Shaw asked. “There’s a difference in going to college in Colorado verus Florida.”

Location is important if students want to go skiing or be five minutes from the beach. They should check out the student organizations and services. And if they are interested in fraternities or sororities, they should remember those when visiting the university.

“What about living arrangements?” Shaw asked. “Colleges offer living quarters for current students.”

Checking out the residence activities might be of interest when the cost of living is a factor, Shaw said.

“My strong desire is for my students to go across the Texas border,” he said. “I have strong connections at LSU.”

Students get to meet people from all over the world and experience different cultures, Shaw said.

The size of a college will be one of the things students consider when looking for the next college. That is something to keep in mind.

The next biggest factor is cost. All colleges have different rates for tuition, so researching cost will be key. Private colleges are popular among some students, but the price for choosing one of those might be more.

“If you get the opportunity to go to a private college, it would be an experience,” Shaw said. “It also might be important for you to go to a Christian school because of your values.”

Along with the cost comes some other factors such as financial aid. Students should be informed of requirements for financial aid.

“They have four different forms of financial aid: student loans, work-study, financial loans and grants,” he said.

Scholarships are another possible way to pay for college. Students just have to be careful where they search for them. Shaw said some free, credible websites include scholarship.com, schoolsoup.com, fastweb.com, and finaid.org.

“Any sites that ask for money are in a business to make money,” he said. “If you’re looking for money, you shouldn’t have to spend money.”