Posted on 09/16/2014 7:15:06 PM PDT by usconservative
Ok, I need some help here on a topic I know absolutely nothing about: how to evaluate colleges.
My oldest son is graduating high school this year and wants to pursue a career in Law Enforcement. He has an excellent GPA (3.7/4.0) and achieved a 32 on his ACT test and as a result we're getting solicitations from colleges all over the country from as far south as Tulane in Louisiana, Hofstra in New York, University of Southern California, Michigan State, Valparaiso University, Marquette and others.
We've narrowed down the list of colleges we're visiting based on his desire to obtain a degree in law enforcement (criminology, civil law, etc..) which are:
Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL (about 3.5 hours west of where we live); University of Indiana in Bloomington, IN (about 6 hours SE of where we live); Marquette University in Wisconson (about 3 hours north of us); Lewis University (10 miles away) and Northern Illinois University (which we've already ruled out.)
My question for those Freepers who've already been through this is: How do we evaluate these different universities? All have good programs in the Law Enforcement area with Western Illinois appearing to have the top Law Enforcement/Criminology program available. The sheriff of the county I live in is a Western Illinois University grad and has already spoken highly of the school to us.
Aside from the program & degree my oldest son wants to obtain, what should we ask about when visiting each of these universities?
All that at the State of Illinois third-largest university.
Thanks for your post, I've bookmarked it and you'll likely hear from me in freepmail.
And what they say about sticker price, believe it. My youngest daughter has worked in the admissions office for all four years. As she got closer to the people she was working for, our aid magically started increasing. The last year we had two kids in school, the special scholarships for her increased. The net price to us one semester was so low we paid cash. Like walking around cash.
It’s not what you know, but who.
Of course this year, with only her in school it popped back up. But that’s ok.
Pick the school that will leave you the least in debt. But the best choice would be for your son to change his major to engineering.
Get in touch with a Congressional Republican and ask for their advice. Or, go to your regional Republican HQ. It sounds like you live in Chicago or thereabouts, so Republican anything may be hard to locate.
Perhaps better yet, write to Paul Ryan and ask him. I bet you’d get good, prompt advice.
Indiana State University has a very good program in Law Enforcement. Worth looking into.
My best advice is to get the US News and World Reports guide to colleges and pick one that will give your son a challenge but not overwhelm him or be too easy. In other words, his test scores should fall at about the 2/3 - 3/4 range for the school. He’ll have to work for his grades, but he won’t be lost either.
My son used us news and world report college rankings. Meh did a lot of research on rankings for his major
For a complete education that he can take to any graduate program - send him to Hillsdale. My son is attending as a freshman this year and loves it. Very demanding though.
Thomas Aquinas College.
Government job? No! No! No!
hahaha!!!... i meant once he finishes law school, if he is interested in joining the FBI, he is already in that area of the country... while my nephew went to Liberty University and studied law, he got involved in politics and would go to D.C. to work on projects and such since he was close by... i cannot think of any reason someone would live in D.C. and commute 200 miles to go to law school... anyway, sorry for adding my two cents to your request... i see i was not helpful...
I believe that University of Alabama will give him an automatic full tuition scholarship for his stats. You’d still be on the hook for room and board. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that your son does have a tuition free option.
College Countdown is really good.
This guy has really good, down to earth advice for parents on choosing a school, figuring out apples-to-apples comparisons and getting the most out of the aid game, etc.
I highly recommend it. Check to see if your school has arranged free subscriptions to his site; ours did.
That said, I don't know diddly about Western Illinois as a school, but my suspicion is that the city would be fine. It's in a more rural area, so I wouldn't be too worried. Can't say more than that, sorry.
FReepmail ;D
Ask how far into the degree program he actually gets out in the field. That’s the only way for him to really know if it is the right degree for him. Plus he needs all the experience he can get, not just stuff from lectures and books. Have your son call the FBI/CIA office nearest you and ask his questions about what they look for in a candidate’s educational background. He may have to push a bit to get connected to the right person. Lastly, I live in the Milwaukee area. Marquette is as safe as it can be for being in a major city. The students are known for being the brightest and most motivated around!
We’re in middle of same for oldest daughter. He’s smart to stay in state- were seeing tuitions near double for out of state. My daughter wants to live at home if at all possible as residency nearly same as tuition cost. Mines going medical route so can’t help on law enforcement side - sounds by drive positioning like your north of Springfield. Have him look at Illinois institute of technology. Not sure they still have rep they did many moons ago, but they had some solid tech and ROTC programs some years back and I think they are close to where you are.
I agree...fbi looking for accounting degrees
I can’t speak to the law enforcement issue. Because your son has a good grade point average, and you didn’t mention finances, I am just going to let you know about Truman State University in Missouri.
It is known for top notch intelligent students - rather exclusive admittance policies. They are determined to have that reputation, and they will put together a financial package for top notch students, so that they will get their education and not be saddled with debt. Nor will their parents.
A national merit scholar I know just graduated from there this summer. She had a full ride. That included all her college fees, books, and living expenses.
Not sure what all the degree choices are. It’s located in a rather small town, so you also don’t get the worry that you would at some of the colleges in larger cities.
Just mention it in case you need the financial help.
I know several people who went to Western Illinois who liked it.
Any college that touts diversity above all else is a liberal cesspool. It will be easy to tell studying the literature.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.