Choosing a college

[bauerpauer]

Hi Freepers, I'm currently at a community college looking into 4-year colleges/universities outside California and wanted your opinions/suggestions. Here are my criteria: -Conservative (or relatively right-leaning) school. -A state and/or school that allows some sort of open carry or concealed carry permit (on campus if possible). -A good computer science or computer forensics program. -Interested in profiling but not sure which departments teach it. -Core curriculum not overrun by communists/Marxists.

I love Texas.

Questions in criteria are welcome.

Thanks.

[bauerpauer]

Hm, didn’t consider that one, thanks.

[eyedigress]

Anyplace your conservative friends are going. College these days is political group think. Good luck on finding a direction not entirely political toward Marxism.

[bauerpauer]

No, thanks.

[bauerpauer]

Thanks, but I’ve had my fair share of that in Bay Area public schools. Skills are honed.

[MacMattico]

If he waits until he’s 24 he is independent for financial aid purposes and if he doesn’t have a good paying job he may get a lot. Before people scream at me “he should pay his own way”, just know that colleges get a certain amount of aid and if he doesn’t get it someone else will. If he worked p/t and took some community college courses (gen Ed stuff usually needed everywhere) until he were 24 he’d have a leg up and could apply to a 4 year school and get some good aid.

[Kozy]

No Catholic universities especially Jesuit, Georgetown, Boston College, San Francisco, Holy Cross and my school Fairfield. they are really Marxist and extremely liberal.

[bauerpauer]

Thank you, I’m seriously considering Texas A&M or Baylor.

[TBP]

I’m a Hillsdale alum and I enthusiastically recommend it.

[TBP]

33 E. College St.
Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 437-7341
http://www.hillsdale.edu

[Washi]

Thank you, everyone, for your advice.

It seems that the prevailing thought is that community college is a good place to start with his core educational / pre-engineering courses.

I wasn't aware of the 24 year old financial aid issue. I can likely help him get through two years of community college and then let him secure his own federal education loan for whichever engineering school he attends.

I'll be sending him to the community college adviser on Monday.

[Secret Agent Man]

Hillsdale college.

Liberty university.

[MacMattico]

At 24 and Independent, he’ll probably get more aid then just loans if he has a low income, for instance federal Pell grants and any state grants offered, here in NY we have TAP (tuition assistance program). Of course any grants he doesn’t have to pay back, and schools are given a certain amount in grants to give out, so if he didn’t get it someone else will, it’s not like he’s taking money from the gov’t they’re not already going to spend. And better spent on your conservative engineer then the major in basket weaving lesbian studies! Even if you plan on paying for community college for him, you should have him fill out the FAFSA and apply for financial aid and he might even get at least some for CC. He could also
apply to the 4 year college he’s considering down the road now and if he got need based financial aid combined with merit based (based on grades and test scores) it might work out to where the CC costs the same as starting at the 4-year school that has more of it’s own merit money to award.

[grey_whiskers]

If you love Texas, seek professional medical help.

1) Too hot

2) Too humid

3) Too many bugs

4) I've eyeballed drive-through liquor stores in Houston. (What's wrong with this picture?)

(Yes, I live in loopy Minnesota by choice: land of 10,000 blondes. But I love the cold weather.)

That being said, from your criteria I'd pick Texas A&M (as mentioned downthread) or UT-Austin (blue plague in a red state).

And just one other point: there are subspecialties within engineering: mechanical, civil, petroleum, electrical, chemical...

different schools top the rankings in each area.

Honorable mention (for conservativeness, not engineering) University of Dallas (Catholic school).

Hillsdale (you *will* learn conservatism)

College of the Ozarks (you work in lieu of tuition)

Grove City (flaky admissions but geographically isolated, good reputation on the East Coast).

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

Her roommate should come to U of Minnesota -- been in the top 3 schools in the country for Chem Engineering for decades.

Wink, nudge, guess where I'm from?

Cheers!

[pesto]

Read the book “Choosing The RIght College” by John ZmIrak. It ranks the top schools by openness to diverse (conservative) ideas- its mainly focused on liberal arts but will be helpful generally and is a fun book to read.
There is a website called College Confidential. It is a great source for college related information and if you read through the threads and see people saying a school is “too preppy” they usually are saying its conservative and it’s a college you might like
Texas public schools are very expensive for out of state students. You should call and speak to the financial aid office of colleges you are interested in, and use the expected family contribution calculator on their websites. Sometimes private schools give more aid.. If you like Texas, look at OKlahoma and Oklahoma State and university of Tulsa. All very good. Engineering schools and a little more affordable.
Good luck,

[pesto]

Sorry about all the typos. Typing from iPad and no coffee yet

[NakedRampage]

Check out this photo of the campus center lobby. These dill-weeds have been 'occupying' since I got back from the winter break. (I know nothing abou legal matters so I blacked out the visible face.) The entire walls are plastered with banners demanding free everything. I confronted them, once, and two of them tried to argue for about 5 minutes. I kept getting back to "where will the money come from?" and one of them said, "go read a book dude, and then get back to us." I thanked them for there time and left.

These posters are plastered all over campus. This is the third poster they've used, the first one was a hand giving the middle finger. Notice the arabs and arab writing in the bottom left corner. And look at the "Russian" writing behind the guy's head. Can you see the word 'Obama?'

[combat_boots]

Thanks.

I would sooner send my child or grandchild through SAP/PeopleSoft or cybersecurity training and go for those certifications than to any college or university now.

And, given my own level of education, that’s saying more than I can admit to you.

[bajabaja]

Thanks for that helpful information.

- A newly minted fellow Texan.

[Darth Reardon]

If you are interested in Comp Sci, I would highly recommend you check into going Engineering. At Iowa, Comp Sci was in the Liberal Arts college, which means 1/3 nonsense classes, 1/3 Comp Sci, and 1/3 electives. Engineering students weren’t forced to take 1/3 crap classes. A lot of people in my Comp Sci classes were actually Engineering, they could take all the CS classes I did because they weren’t burdened down with nonsense.