Expert: Rolland Puckett - 6/16/2000

Question
Rolland,

Hello, I`ll be a junior in high school next year, and I have a few questions about college.  First of all, I live in West Virginia, and would do anything to get out of this state - though it is a little hard, because of the out of state tuition to go to school elsewhere.  I`ve found a very interresting university - it`s in Montréal, Québec, Canada.  I would love to go to school there to gain more of an international perspective, and to get first-hand practice at the French langauge...something I work hard to achieve excellence at.  So, my question is, if I could somehow gain enough financial aid and scholarship money to help with the tuition enough to satisfy my parents, would you see attending college out of country as a good or bad idea?  Any advice would help.  Thanks!

Jennifer
xx.....

Answer
Hi, Jennifer!

You're very wise to begin consideration this matter very early.  The competition is great, and you will have to get catalogs and forms as quickly as they're available!  Do not put all your eggs into one basket (what an original metaphore!) by applying to one school.  No way.  Competition just to get into so many schools is daunting, so get into the application fray by applying to at least three or four.  Eight or ten applications from one student is quite common..

Don't be too hard on the state of VA.  Every state has its positives and negatives.  You just can't wait to get out into the wide world, making your own decisions, and into the world of intellectual pursuit.  How well I remember!  So, read on.

You almost certainly have to get a master's degree.  It's as common as sand to get a baccalaureate degree, so to compete you'll have to go on for another two years.  Money will be tight during all that time, but that's not a bad thing at all.  One goes to college to acquire knowledge and skills.  The second reason for going to college is cultural-societal growth, to learn about other people and yourself.  The result of these endeavors is that your persona will amplify, and as your intellect expands and refines, you'll become more and more aware of the depth of everything you encounter.  

As long as you have a place to hang your hat, have some food, some clothes, and a little extra for an occasional session at a coffee house, things should go well as far as finances are concerned.  Also, a huge issue for another discussion, if the school is a good one you will have to be tough!  You will be compelled to organize your time, to prioritize, and to get enough sleep.  Neglect any one of those necessities and you will not do well in college; you will get into academic trouble very quickly!    Just this mention about the worst offense a student can commit against himself or herself in college (which is otherwise known as boy/girl heaven):   if one "falls" in love in college it will most likely ruin one's academic career.  Exceptions?  Ha!  Don't even think of being an exception.  That's just the reality of it.  I've seen so many academic careers ruined by what the poor victims thought was love.
 
You and I share a love of the French language.  You will, however, get something of an international perspective at any good school.  There will be students from many other countries there.  Notice, however, that I stated "a good school."    A local state university close to me is huge, has marvelous facilities, but many of the faculty are second or third rate, and the quality of the student body is very provincial.  A quarter of them flunk out annually, as well they should because they come there to party, having no inkling about study, about intellectual pursuit.

Canada isn't very far from you, and it's certain there are some very good schools there.  I have no idea of the cost or tuition or the types of financial aid they offer.  Do your research and do it now!  Call them to request a catalog of courses, and also request forms for scholarships and other financial aid.  Also, there are software programs which are not expensive, programs which will really help you in your search for scholarship money.  such programs even generate forms!  You've probably heard it said that there are a great many scholarships out there which go unclaimed because no one knows about them.  Many of them have special qualifications - open to offspring of workers at some company or veterans' children, etc.

Above all, start early!  Start as early  as they will send you the forms.  Many students lose out on marvelous opportunities because they apply too late, or they're sloppy in filling out the forms.  Institutions have a set amount of money, and when it's gone, it's gone.  They usually require that you write a short essay about what you want to do with your life, and perhaps why you feel you're right for that school.  Write that essay carefully!  Then, revise, and then revise again.  Have a teacher look at it.  BE NEAT!

Canada?  Perhaps.  Europe?  Not now.  Perhaps for grad school.  The states around you have marvelous schools, and they have lots and lots of scholarship money.  Some schools such as my alma mater in northern Ohio have a policy that any scholarship student will also be required to take out a loan from the college (at very low interest) which is equal to the amount of the scholarship.  This makes the student much more serious about academic intentions and effort, and it is not a requirement to begin repayment of the loan until after graduation.

Something tells me you will get an international perspective no matter where you go to college.  There is much to the statement that an intelligent, determined student will get a good education no matter where he or she goes to school.  I do hope, however, that you will avoid the type of institution I described earlier.  A fine school in Montreal would certainly be a great opportunity for you, and so would a fine school in, say, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, etc.  

Just prepare to work, work, and then work more.  No one much cares these days if you went to college.  They want to know if you just made it through studies or if you were outstanding.  The very best mentality that will get you into the latter category is a real love for the kind of knowledge you're seeking.  Just do not fall in love.  It will be deadly for your academic career and for your happiness.  People in our society are not into delayed gratification, sad to say, and there's a lot of needless suffering among students because of it.

College is very different from anything that goes before it.  You will be so much more independent.  College is demanding.  Those who are lazy, procrastinate, have a lackadaisical attitude toward studies and deadlines will do very poorly, or they won't survive at all.  That's a promise!  Those who are energetic, serious about their future, about learning, will find college a real rush, absolutely exhilarating!  Keep in mind that most freshmen are not emotionally prepared for leaving home (much less for the rigors and expectations of a good school!), and the first semester for them is very frequently traumatic.  (I got on a bus and went home: my parents let me stay for a day and put me back on the bus!)  They get terribly homesick, but much worse is the situation with those students who are maladjusted and simply cannot interact with the student culture.  The homesickness will pass in a few weeks.  A good many students are so lacking in discipline (order, good sense, wise self determination, etc.) that they find themselves unable to cope with college, and they will fall by the wayside of society, asking, "Do you want fries with that?"  Great for high school, but not when you're forty.   

First and last, Jennifer, DO NOT trust your emotions, or they'll keep your mind scrambled.  It's time to think, think rationally, not with your feelings, but with your objective common sense.  Find a good counselor to speak with if you have any difficulties in that department, or at least two faculty members.  They've been through it all!  Study French (and everything else) with all your intellectual resources, with real determination, with blazing tenacity.  Right now, it doesn't matter that much if you go to Canada or someplace closer to home.  You WILL get an international perspective at some point - probably in summer programs in France along with other American students at first.  Life isn't that short.  You can go to France and the other European countries later.

Wherever you go, Jennifer, the very best to you!
Rolland Puckett