For some of you this will seem like a worthless post but I have several friends that are unfamiliar with formal educational system. So I am going to do a quick run down for those of you who have asked on how to register for college, request financial aid, and start getting your education. Now I have to admit it was not until after my semester at school that I knew the difference between an associates and bachelors degree. I come from a family of farmers and carpenters. School is not something we took very seriously. That however is starting to change. College is at least 10 X better than high school. So do not worry about if you liked high school or not. College is what you make it. Another note is that I have only registered at Dixie state college and Southern Utah University. Bother are small regional schools with low bars for acceptance. This process will be different at different schools and more complicated the nicer the school is you want to enter.

Terminology

Major- the area of study you decide to focus in for example: nursing, business, psychology, medicine ect..

Minor- a secondary area of study. So you could major in business management and have a minor in computer networking. This means you are mostly trained in management but you also have quite a bit of study in networking and are capable in that area as well.

Associates degree- two year degree composed of mostly general education courses. Its a lot like an extension of high school, only more options, more in your control, and more expensive.

Bachelor's degree- four year degree of more focused study in an area of your choosing. There will be some broad knowledge classes but they will be much more related to your major.

Masters degree- six year degree more specialized still.

PHD- this one I still don't get completely but its like a 8-10 year degree that is highly focused. You get to be called doctor (not a medicine doctor), write books, and teach. Other than that I am still not clear on why you would take the time to do this.

Grant- Money given to you from the government or a business or something to go to school that does not have to be repaid ever. There are usually strings attached such as maintaining a minimum GPA, or taking a certain number of classes each semester.

Scholorship- Money awarded to you for something like athletics, smarts, race, demographics ect. This money is given to you to help pay for school and does not have to be repaid. There are usually strings attached such as maintaining a minimum GPA, or taking a certain number of classes each semester.

Subsidized loans- Student loans the government pays the interest on until you graduate. This means no interest will accrue until you graduate and you will only owe what you borrowed.

Unsubsidized loans- This is like any other loan, the interest begins to accrue as soon as you get the money. The only difference between student loans and other loans is you usually don't have to make payments until you graduate. This is good because you don't have to pay, but terrible because the interest will accrue and compound on itself greatly increasing the amount you pay back.

Step 1

Find a School you want to attend. If you are just getting started I recommend going wherever makes the most sense with living and work conditions. Find a local college that won't require a move or a job change if possible. Those things can be done later, its more important you start now. If you are looking for a change of scenery go for it, I am just trying to emphasize the need to do it now. Where you get your associates really does not matter unless you are going to some high dollar school in the future. If you are reading my blog the odds are kinda low, but if you are, good for you, but you need better advice than mine.

Step 2

Get registered. Go into the registration office or the new students center or whatever there is and tell them you are new and would like to register for classes. They will give you some paperwork and some admissions criteria. Fill it out and get your stuff in order for them.

Don't worry about making a commitment or not being able to get out if you don't get financial aid.

Step 3

Get financial aid if possible. Some of you can get scholarships based on high school gpa and athletics and whatever else. If you can, more power to you, it will help out a lot. This can still apply to you for additional financial aid. If you have no scholarships, go to the finance dept and ask them what possibilities there are. Most will send you first to the FAFSA. This is for federal student aid, it can provide three things. Grants, subsidized loans, and unsubsidized loans. The order of goodness for financial aid is 1. Grants/Scholorships because they don't have to be repaid. 2. Subsidized Loans because the government pays the interest until you graduate, at which point you can hopefully get a better job. 3. Unsubsidized loans or regular student loans because the interest will compound and grow exponentially making what you have to repay much much larger than what you borrowed. Take all the grants and scholarships you can get your hands on, its free money to help you get through school. On the loans I would suggest some serious contemplation and budgeting to see if it is necessary and if you can pay it back before taking any debt on.

As a side note the money given to you for school can be used for living expenses as well.

Step 4

Sign up for classes. If you are just getting started its easy, you have a big list of classes you have to take at some point for your associates such as math, English, and history. You also have options to choose many of your classes to try different things and see what you want to do. You can take a psychology class, a business class, a political science course... see what strikes your fancy. If something catches your eye take another class and see if it really does interest you. If you know exactly what you want to do go straight in. I would suggest talking to a councilor about class sign up. They know the programs when classes are offered, and other ins and outs that can save you time. They are free and helpful why wouldn't you go to one?

Step 5

Buy books. There will be a book store on campus where all of your needed book are sold. They are very expensive though. If you have a scholarship sometimes you money is sent to the bookstore so you have no choice. If not buying books online at amazon.com, half.com, and textbooksrus.com can save you a ton of money. Not only that but you can sell them back to the bookstore at the end of the semester for 1/2 of the bookstores price. I almost always break even or make money since I started buying online and selling to the bookstore. You can sell them online as well.

Step 6

Go to class and study hard. You are paying for this stuff now. Even if you are paying with grants or loans it is coming from you taxes. Don't waste your time and education in college like most of us did in high school. You can get a lot of mileage out of a good professor and learn meaningful things. Take advantage of every opportunity you have.

That is just a quick run down. Let me know if you have any other questions. Feel free to add on anything I missed.