Expert: Todd Johnson - 3/12/2009

Question
I have been living in this country for about 8 years now, copleteted my GED and its hard for me to find a job. Im 21 years old, and currently living in my parents house, my parents dont speak english very well, so I guess its up to me to find my own way.
Ive been desperatly trying to get out of this household, and it seems like the older I get the harder it gets. Im still undicaded what my major would be, but I want to go to college so I can move out and get a decent job, and be able to support myself.
I live in Chicago IL, and it wouldnt matter where would I go to college, but i do prefer urban settings, prohaps in a warm climate.
I also have trouble to find a financial aid, so I guess im  hoping to find a college that would help me out with that as well.
I dont really care for people partying, but i would like to be around people that stay focused on their school work, not just going out and getting drunk.
When it comes down to religion i prefer christian, but i would mind going to non-religion school.

Answer
Jacob,

Thanks for writing. I have several suggestions on how to go about finding the right college for your needs. First, go to my web page about what you need to know. Here is the link. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/

Second, look at the page on Financial Aid basics. That page can be found here. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/financial-aid-ba...

After you have some idea of what you are looking for in a college,then go to the College Navigator website. http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

On the left side of that website you can put in the information that describes what you are looking for and it will give you a list of colleges that meet your needs.

Generally I don't worry too much about what a student wants to major in before they go to college. The first two years of college is a time to take many different classes to see what sort of things interest you. Then in the last two years you can focus on whatever major you have decided on.

Good luck and I hope this information gets you started on the right track.