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Question for my American friends - story research
What age do children go to college?
Do they have to pay for college?
What sort of things do people study there?
Can you go when you're older if you had to miss out for a couple of years because of money?
Do they have to pay for college?
What sort of things do people study there?
Can you go when you're older if you had to miss out for a couple of years because of money?
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They can study almost anything: English, drama, engineering, sciences of all kinds, art...etc.
And yes, if you get accepted you can go to college any time. There are a number of older students these days. I'm thinking about going back to finish myself.
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Pretty similar to the UK, applications are done in last year of High School (i.e. age 17-18).
Yes, depends, and no. In that order of importance. There is financial aid for tuitions fees etc., but it varies, from state to state, on circumstances, depending on college being attended (e.g. in state or out of it, type of college, how well supported itself through endowments, etc.) but I believe is rarely 100%. There is state aid, federally funded student aid, endowments and scholarships, all of varying coverage, plus of course there are student loans too, which are I think are common for most students.
Pretty much the same as you would expect here in the UK, though there are opportunities for more broader based, pick&mix, curricula. Remember
Yes, but you are much less likely to receive financial support.
See, watching all those movies like
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College
1. What age do children go to college?
The typical age for kids to go to college is immediately after they graduate from high school, so most are 18 years old. Sixteen would be young, and would likely indicate that the kid tested out to skip a grade or two somewhere along the way. It wouldn't raise eyebrows to see a freshman as old as mid-twenties, but that is far less common.
2. Do they have to pay for college?
Depends. College costs have sky rocketed over the last two decades and ways to pay for college haven't kept up. Usually, kids from lower and middle class families will be expected to work in addition to any government or school aid. Kids from upper middle class and upper class families are far less likely to work, with their families usually paying for most of the costs. Most aid is based on family income and student need, though scholarships may not be need based but rather merit based.
A very few kids will get complete "free rides" - scholarships from a variety of sources and government grants. That is quite rare, and competition for scholarships is intense.
Government grants continue to shrink; Pell Grants are the most common and are family income: theoretically, the lower the family income, the more aid, but the Pell grants will not pay for all costs, not by a long shot.
There is also work study, where the government aid is tied to a job. Again, the aid is tied to family income. Work study basically guarantees the student a job, though you have to interview for the job and the wages offered vary. So if you get $1000 in work study, that could be achieved through a job paying $6 an hour or one paying $10 an hour. The jobs are through the college, so students often try to work in the department they want to major in - depending on the jobs availabe and the pay rate. The college benefits because the government is subsidizing the job costs, and the student gets to work on campus.
There is also a government student loan program. In the past, the loan program was more heavily utilized by grad students than bachelor degree students. It used to be rare to find bachelor degree students with large loan debts, but now that is increasingly common.
If you are in a specialized graduate program, like medical school or nursing school, there are other programs to help but most do not cover all costs. Medical students of all stripes typically end up with debt ranging from $20,000-$100,000.
3. What sort of things do people study there?
Anything and everything. Seriously, most accredited four year colleges have a huge range of subjects available. Some private colleges will let students design their own inter-disciplinary degree.
Vocational schools or trade schools or technical schools (mechanics, plumbing, refrigeration, construction, etc.) are not usually considered "colleges" - though colleges have tracks like mechanical engineering that cover some of the same areas. There are some IT schools (information technology or computers) that offer degrees, but most are not accredited by the same groups that accredit most four year colleges and universities. As a result, credits from computer schools don't usually transfer to regular colleges or universities. Computer school degrees are typically considered a lesser degree than that obtained from colleges and universities who offer degrees in computer science and information technology.
Is there any topic in particular you are concerned about?
4. Can you go when you're older if you had to miss out for a couple of years because of money?
Absolutely. Some colleges have special programs for what are called returning or mature students. These programs usually are aimed at people in their 30s or 40s who are returning to finish a degree abandoned years earlier, or who need a degree for career advancement. There are also many more programs these days aimed at working professionals, where classes are offered at night or on the weekends. Distance learning (AKA internet courses) are also rapidly increasing in popularity. There has also been an increase in retired people who are going to college, though that's a small percentage of the typical student pool.
Community Colleges
In addition to four year colleges and universities, the US also has "community colleges" or "junior colleges" that are heavily targeted by lower income students. Community college costs are a fraction of the costs of major universities, in part because community colleges do not offer on campus housing. Students often live at home and commute to classes.
There's debate about the quality of classes available at community colleges; generally it is considered not quite as good as a four year college. Community colleges used to only offer two year programs with an associate degree, after which a student was expected to transfer to a regular college or university if they wanted to obtain a bachelor's degree. But these days, some community colleges are offering four year bachelor degrees, though this isn't common.
Community colleges tend to focus more on non-traditional, minority, and lower income students, with an emphasis as a staging platform for a four year degree at another institution and emphasizing "practical" degrees.
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Yes - they have to pay (although scholarships and financial aid is possible).
They can study just about anything they wish although it's a LOT more open than in the UK.. while here you choose one subject, there you do not generally decide your major until quite later on (I believe usually late in your sophomore year).
Yes, you can go when you're older, perhaps even far more easily than you do in the UK.
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What age do children go to college? Not nearly soon enough.
Do they have to pay for college? For the rest of our natural lives.
What sort of things do people study there? Nothing that will make a decent income -- anthropology and such.
Can you go when you're older if you had to miss out for a couple of years because of money? Yes, but you're still not going to study anything useful.
Okay, sorry, I couldn't resist and I was bored.