Are there any college students on the forum?

[amcardon]

I don't remember what it's like not to be in school... Kept changing my major for a couple years and eventually finished up a degree over in Colorado. After working for a year I decided to start over and do med school. Did my 4 years undergrad over again and just started my junior year of med school. My first year of undergrad I did 21 credits one term and thought that was crazy as **** intense... I'd go back to that in a heartbeat!

I have a lot of respect for guys/gals who go back to school. I completely understand that it can be difficult to say the least, especially with a family (we just had our 3rd last week). I'm a firm believer in "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life." No matter where you're at, if you find what you love (and if its feasibly in any way) I say go for it. I know that for a lot of people it's not the drive to do something you love that brings you back to school but more out of necessity, I just hope its a field where you can really see yourself being happy.

Good luck!

 

[del_and_bones]

I'm a physics PhD grad student at OSU. I'm currently a TA and I'm sorry if any of you have to suffer through physics labs with me.

 

[svarterwyrd]

Currently a undergraduate at Central Washington University, love the country out here ; )

 

[Nickp]

I went back in 02 and got my AA/S in Criminal Justice, and then transferred Evergreen (Pothead U) got my Bachelors. I would say earned my Bachelors but I quickly found that Evergeen State College is a glorified degree mill.

My only advice if your going to college is be very careful of community colleges that hard sell some of the AA degrees. I have friends who were sucked into IT not realizing that the good jobs are gone and low paying tech assist jobs are whats left to compete for. Cjus isn't bad but most likely you'll get geared to the adult cage kicking industry which is fine but if you go in buying the hard sell about going into CSI careers you'll be disappointed. Your better off just taking the biology, chemistry, and psych courses and avoiding Cjus altogether.

Stay far away from anything resembling a liberal arts college if your going for your bachelors. For all their claims about teaching critical thinking, all the they really do is train people to be great bullbubblegumters so they can go out and become middle management suckups, or lazy state employees.

Evergreen is what you make of it. Like any college, there are ways to skate and do little work to graduate but I think if you tell anyone in the the advanced sciences or other intensive programs that they are at a "glorified degree mill" you'll be met with laughter. I do around 30 hrs/week of class work (this last week it's been more like 50) outside of attendance plus an internship and the work that entails plus my now-part time dayjob. I work most of the time (as in, I do work of some variety everyday every week) and I am really gaining an education because of the time my professors have put into the course paired with the hands-on knowledge the internship provides. I really like Evergreen, others don't like Evergreen. It is what it is and it is geared best for guided independent learning above-all. Some people attending would be better suited at a state school because they up floating around without that daily structure.

Congratulations for the others going back to school- I'm in the same boat and I understand how hard it is to return (or start) later in life.

Also to the dude talking about mooching off the system: I'm paying loans with interest while taking out loans with interest. How is this mooching? I finally received a Pell grant for the first time in my life and the amount is far less than the loan interest I paid last year.

 

[Trlsmn]

My son graduates this year from HS, he had full scholarship offers from University of Puget Sound, Babson, and Syracuse, he ended up accepting Syracuse offer since that was the only one that also offered him into a Scholars program.

We visited UPS a couple weekends back but he wasn't interested, hope he likes 10 feet of snow a year!

 

[sandman1212]

I am currently in my last classes to finish my AA and then on to my BA...looking forward to it!

 

[coastal steelheader]

Evergreen is what you make of it. Like any college, there are ways to skate and do little work to graduate but I think if you tell anyone in the the advanced sciences or other intensive programs that they are at a "glorified degree mill" you'll be met with laughter. I do around 30 hrs/week of class work (this last week it's been more like 50) outside of attendance plus an internship and the work that entails plus my now-part time dayjob. I work most of the time (as in, I do work of some variety everyday every week) and I am really gaining an education because of the time my professors have put into the course paired with the hands-on knowledge the internship provides. I really like Evergreen, others don't like Evergreen. It is what it is and it is geared best for guided independent learning above-all. Some people attending would be better suited at a state school because they up floating around without that daily structure.

.

30 hours a week seems kind of light. Are you part time? J/K, some of those programs are murder.

They can laugh if they want, unlike them I actually have worked in my degree field and found out quickly that TESC degrees are not taken seriously when held up against others in the State. The reason they are not taken seriously is for two very good reasons; one most employers know that noone fails at Evergreen, and two a good portion of TESC grads are flakes.

Keep in mind I was in the much hyped Psychology programs, and found out that 90% of what I was learning was a total waste of time. I was already working for the State at a very well known state run juvenile facility, and not one thing I studied at TESC was applicable there or at any state or private facility. In the end all those in my year long program ended up paying for was a lot of navel gazing, with an occasional yoga class thrown in - keep in mind this was the premier psych program at TESC. Across the quad your experience might be different.

I graduated in 2008 and was already working in my chosen field prior to attending TESC. Of my 60 or so program "mates" two are working in their field of study, and the rest are lucky to be flipping burgers. Of my friends who were in the advanced sciences, none of them have found anything since graduating in 2009.

The only experience I can say I actually gained was in my two quarters studying Hellenic and Latinist Philosophy. If someone needs a twenty page essay comparing and contrasting Plato's Republic and Aristotles Politics I can probably whip one up in two or three days.

 

[Nickp]

Again: it is what it is. I know plenty of people who have great careers now because of their degree, and I know plenty who don't. (I also used to work there calling alums and like an college, it's hit or miss) On the same coin, I know plenty of people with much more expensive or specialized degrees who are having the same hard time trying to find a decent job in their field, or any field for that matter. It's not 1998 anymore, unfortunately. In my opinion, after having been around the campus for several years, the best fields TESC specializes in are: environmental studies, biology, computer sciences, women's studies, political science, sociology, gender studies, and preparation for a graduate program geared towards environmental studies, public policy, or teaching.

TESC degrees in the field can be tricky, but just as many employers covet them as have some bias against them. I've talked with recruiters from Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, and many other large, well-paying companies that not only know about Evergreen but have great success in hiring graduates.

I think a lot of people mistake college for trade school. Liberal arts school is far from being a job mill. College is a place first and foremost to gain knowledge and explore areas of expertise. Careers are something you maneuver after or during your attendance with the skillset provided. You choose the tools and use them.

With that being said: I've taken a bubblegum course or two at Evergreen. I know now what to look out for when picking classes. Talk with the professors and other students who've taken the class.

 

[coastal steelheader]

It's kind of hard to disagree with you since you keep proving my point especially in regards to employers. I'd wager that few Evergreen grads will get hired by any of the recruiters you talked to, and just the fact you admit there is a bias against grads proves my case.

The problem with TESC is that there is way too much bubblegum, taught by professors who have a hard time crossing the street by themselves. What TESC excels in is teaching its students to become excellent bullsh*tters, destined for low level state jobs in DSHS, and Worksource and not much else.

 

[Nickp]

It's like that with any school. I've heard bias against colleges like WSU for crap reasons, same with NYU, Reed, or Brown.
1. Most of the professors I have met have been incredibly intelligent and knew how to teach. The small student to teacher ratio is great.
2. Excellent bullbubblegumters? I would think someone with an education such as yours (and the intelligence you boast of) wouldn't go around making crap blanket statements.
3. There's nothing wrong with social work, it's a regularly thankless much-needed position.

I find it funny that you hated Evergreen so much you decided to graduate from the place.

 

[coastal steelheader]

It's like that with any school. I've heard bias against colleges like WSU for crap reasons, same with NYU, Reed, or Brown.

I haven't heard much bias against WSU, but I know grads from TESC. Strangely they are on the same page I am

1. Most of the professors I have met have been incredibly intelligent and knew how to teach. The small student to teacher ratio is great.

Smaller student to teacher ratio - I had only one program like that. The rest of my programs averaged about sixty per three professors most of whom were hardcore Marxists who never once worked outside academia.

2. Excellent bullbubblegumters? I would think someone with an education such as yours (and the intelligence you boast of) wouldn't go around making crap blanket statements.

I never said I was smart, and being I was dumb enough to go to Evergreen should prove it. Back to the topic of bullbubblegumters - so just what are seminars and workshops for really?

3. There's nothing wrong with social work, it's a regularly thankless much-needed position.

Obviously you never worked in the field. Its tends to be a worthless money sucker that does nothing but perpetuate the very things it claims to solve

I find it funny that you hated Evergreen so much you decided to graduate from the place.

I went because it was cheaper than St Martins.

Speaking of which try transferring over to St Martins from Evergreen and see what they tell you. Unless you have your degree its not easy.

Keep drinking the Kool-Aid, and let me know a year after you graduate how you feel about TESC.