Can someone explain the college credit system?

Dis · August 12, 2003, 01:00

Yes this seems embarrassing. I probably come accross like AS with my lack of knowledge of the world.

But I have never wanted to go to college before, and I'm seriously considering that now. Not that I really need college, I already know I'm the smartest human alive.

. But I need more challenge in my life. And it would look good to have a degree.

Though I must admit the prices of credits look kind of scary

.

And I have never really understood the college credit system. Colleges and Universities are like alien worlds to me.

But how many credits does it take for an associates degree? Or does that depend? And Bachelor's? and Masters?

What should I know about getting degrees? I admit I'm clueless in this aspect of education. I blame my shitty public schools for failing to prepare me for college. Seriously, high school was worthless. I can get straight A's, yet still not learn anything about the real world. I didn't learn **** until I turned 18, and lived out in the real world.

Dis · August 12, 2003, 01:03

yes I have been looking at websites online, but you would be suprised how useless web pages can be about explaining things

Timexwatch · August 12, 2003, 01:18

Colleges use "Credits" as a way of quantifying how many classes you've taken and how those fullfill certain degree requirements.

For example, I'm required to take 120 credits to graduate, with an average of 15 credits a semester. I can take regular classes in my major for 3 credits. I can take longer, more indepth classes for 4 credits (i.e. An art class with 7 hours+ of in class studio time a week).

Coming in with college credit in high school means that I can take fewer classes or can take more elective courses. I came in with ~10 credits, so that means I can take 3 more classes that I want instead of the usual intro classes.

If you were to go into college, I'm sure that at least some of your Naval/Army certs would transfer as credits and eliminate the need to take some classes. I bet you could probably pull off a Mechanical Engineering or Nuke Engineering Bachelor's Degree in relatively short order.

An Associates Degreee, IIRC, is about 60 credits/2 years of regular study. A Bachelor's degree is roughly 120 credits/4 years.

That's how it works with schools in the semester system. I'm not sure how it works on the trimester system.

Dis · August 12, 2003, 01:21

so it would cost $60,000 to get a Bachelor's? my math seems off somewhere.

Koyaanisqatsi · August 12, 2003, 01:46

At UM (in-state tuition for a state school, out of state is much higher) my major requires 120hrs at $157/hr...so, my tuition will be >$18000 when I'm done, not including the ~$900/semester in fees you have to pay even if you take only one class. Other majors require more or less (CS requires 136 here).

Out of state tuition comes to almost $60k for a degree ($447/hr + fees), so that doesn't seem unreasonable depending on where you're looking.

Timexwatch · August 12, 2003, 01:51

Diss:

That depends on where you go, what sort of aid you get and how much schooling you need.

My bachelors will cost, with scholarship, about $112,000, $160,000 without it.

Rufus T. Firefly · August 12, 2003, 02:38

One thing to know is that at some places, cost-per-credit goes down if you take more credits (more than 6, usually). Degrees thus tend to cost more for part-time than for full-time students.

But I'd check your math, or check your choice of schools. Am I correct in remembering that you live in Las Vegas? If so, you could go to UNLV for $85/credit, which is only $10,200 if you go full time. (There are also $60/semester in various fees, but that still comes in way below the numbers you're quoting.)

cinch · August 12, 2003, 03:53

Just for interest's sake, here's what I'll be paying, approximately:

$2,154 per semester, with 15 credits per semester, meaning about $143.60 per credit (that's Canadian, mind you... it's like Monopoly money). And then there's 200-and-some bucks worth of extra fees and charges.

It comes up to about $4800 per year, and it takes 4 years for a bachelor's, so it takes about CA$19,200 to attain a Bachelor of Arts (or Sciences) degree at the U of A.

Consider it, Diss...

yavoon · August 12, 2003, 04:08

yes, someone can.

tandeetaylor · August 12, 2003, 04:42

UNLV is 76.50 per credit, CCSN is about half, I think. Plus they always add some silly fees.

FrustratedPoet · August 12, 2003, 05:30

~$150,000 for a Bachelor's degree? Holy crap. And we complain about high university costs in this country.

laurentius · August 12, 2003, 05:58

For us it's free! Finland's the best! Again!

Az · August 12, 2003, 07:59

those costs are mind boggling. It's free for me as well, the army is paying for me, but even for the general student, people pay 2200$ FOR YEAR! and you can get up to 70 percent of the cost by teaching students stuff like math, and sciences.

Mind boggling, really.

SpencerH · August 12, 2003, 09:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Timexwatch
Diss:

That depends on where you go, what sort of aid you get and how much schooling you need.

My bachelors will cost, with scholarship, about $112,000, $160,000 without it.

Tell em what university though. At that price it isnt a state school.

DinoDoc · August 12, 2003, 09:33

Quote:

Originally posted by cinch
It comes up to about $4800 per year,

I'm paying about that much a semester. Of course that's in real money though.

Neutrino · August 12, 2003, 10:47

I'm paying a little more than $2k per semester for tuition here at UT-Austin. Books bring the cost up to about 2.3-2.4k though.

Drogue · August 12, 2003, 10:58

I didn't know Uni's cost that much over there. I thought the most expensive in the US we about $25,000 per year, so about $100,000 for a 4 year course; and most a lot less. It's at times like this I'm glad to be British

I pay ~£400 per year (about $650) and I get a loan of ~£4250 a year to help with living costs, at ~3% interest

:) Smiley · August 12, 2003, 11:00

And beer of course adds another large sum...

SpencerH · August 12, 2003, 11:08

I think Harvard and the other top schools are up close to 40K/yr now

EDIT I did a quick check and it looks more like 35K with housing.

Timexwatch · August 12, 2003, 16:54

I go to "The George Washington University" in the center of Washington D.C., so you know it's going to be expensive. We are a metropolitan campus, so it's a bit more expensive than a standard campus.

I think we're at about $38,000 a year with tuition, room and board. It's considered a "second tier" school in comparison to the Ivy Leagues, but the undergrad programs for business and polisci are good (and so are the Medical and Law programs).

Myrddin · August 12, 2003, 17:03

A university in the UK would charge you £7000 (about $11500) per annum for fees for a 3 year undergraduate course (plus room and board)

Why not swim the pond?

Japher · August 12, 2003, 17:10

College credit is not worth figuring out (it's like the points on "Whose Line is it Anyway")... Just plan on at least 4 years of school (5 if your an engineer or like to party, 6 if your an engineer and like to party or love to party, 7 if you get stoned out of your mind everyday, 8 if your dumb enough to become a doctor).

Just Take enough courses to declare you at least "full time" whatever they mean by that (quarter system was 12 or 11, don't remember), which will equal to about 3-4 classes, with labs and/or discussions. Just keep taking classes until someone called a "guidance counciler" tells you that you need to work towards a "major" or until they give you a diploma. If they tell you to work towards a "major" they mean something to get a degree in... Yeah, I know, this was knews to me too...

If that is you; go get a copy of your transcripts at the registars office and a course catalog (generally available at the bookstore), look through these to see what degree you are closest to getting a degree in and then just start taking a lot of those classes.

Then you might get a degree..

Oh, yeah, you don't get more credit for taking a class twice unless you failed the first time... even if you like the class or the cute chick failed last semester.

Timexwatch · August 12, 2003, 17:12

And go to school in Aberystwth with Spink? I think not

Going to school in DC provides an opportunity for experiencing politics and the federal government up close. It's essential for people like me whose degree (Political Science) is good for $20k a year unless you have connections.

In all seriousness, I'm considering going there for grad school so I don't dig myself deeper into debt.

Gangerolf · August 12, 2003, 17:18

In the civilised world higher education is payed for by the government

Timexwatch · August 12, 2003, 17:27

I get subsidized Stafford Loans (Interest deferred until graduation, IIRC). That's the closest I get to government payouts.

You also forget that this is the U.S., and that our higher education system is #1

DinoDoc · August 12, 2003, 17:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Myrddin
A university in the UK would charge you £7000 (about $11500) per annum for fees for a 3 year undergraduate course (plus room and board)

Why not swim the pond?

Because that's more expensive than what I'm paying here.

GePap · August 12, 2003, 17:58

We all know $6.95 buys a mansion in Mississippi..costs area bit higher elsewhere.

U Chicago cost me and my parents about 34,000 a year for four years, though in the end, with loans, grants, and since I finished earliere, it came out to less than 120k (160k sounds awfully high for a four year college). I owe the owe the gov. 20k, as do my parents.

DinoDoc · August 12, 2003, 18:00

Quote:

Originally posted by GePap
We all know $6.95 buys a mansion in Mississippi..costs area bit higher elsewhere.

Rufus T. Firefly · August 13, 2003, 05:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Japher
College credit is not worth figuring out (it's like the points on "Whose Line is it Anyway")... Just plan on at least 4 years of school (5 if your an engineer or like to party, 6 if your an engineer and like to party or love to party, 7 if you get stoned out of your mind everyday, 8 if your dumb enough to become a doctor).

Just Take enough courses to declare you at least "full time" whatever they mean by that (quarter system was 12 or 11, don't remember), which will equal to about 3-4 classes, with labs and/or discussions. Just keep taking classes until someone called a "guidance counciler" tells you that you need to work towards a "major" or until they give you a diploma. If they tell you to work towards a "major" they mean something to get a degree in... Yeah, I know, this was knews to me too...

If that is you; go get a copy of your transcripts at the registars office and a course catalog (generally available at the bookstore), look through these to see what degree you are closest to getting a degree in and then just start taking a lot of those classes.

Then you might get a degree..

Oh, yeah, you don't get more credit for taking a class twice unless you failed the first time... even if you like the class or the cute chick failed last semester.

Spoken like someone who's spending his parents' money instead of his own...

FrustratedPoet · August 13, 2003, 05:30

But isn't Japher like 50 years old or something? Or have I got him confused with someone else?

/edit:

His profile says he's late 20s.