Start out a community college. They're much cheaper then the University alternatives. If you decide to go that route just be sure that your adviser knows that you're interested in transferring to one of those schools - so they can give you courses that will allow transfer credits. I'm at Community College for Network Administration right now and so far it's pretty fun and informative. Another thing that can help you appeal to universities is your community college grades; say if you got low ACT/SAT scores and you got great grades in your first two years at a community college they're more likely to accept you. As far as college life is concerned, try not to miss days. Like... if you have friends in your class that look out for you and can get you your work then that's a different story, but more often than not it's a terrible idea to miss, especially since you're the one paying for the classes. Try to save money too - unless you have no other options. A good goal to keep is to get out of college with the least amount of debt possible. As far as financial aid is concerned, do your FAFSA as soon as possible the year you plan on going to college, that way you can have a general knowledge of what you're going to need as far as living arrangements and things of that sort. When books are concerned a lot of people prefer buying used or renting - PERSONALLY I like to buy my books new, because at the end of each semester the buyback price is higher. I would recommend renting though, I have friends that do this and they're very happy with it. Another thing to keep in mind financially, is that you're going to need to take some certifications in each course. GENERALLY speaking you can get them at a deal from the college (because they're partnered with the college or whatever), so plan on leaving some money aside for certs. They're not too expensive, but run you about $150 each and they can be a pain to sign up for when you don't have the money. Anywho, feel free to reply if you have any other questions. source: just finished first year (yay)
Wow, this all scares me. A lot of this might not apply to universities here though. I wish I could stay a kid...
