EDUCATION can we talk about it.

[eli polite]

My daughter is entering her senior year of high school and will. (Way to soon) be entering into collage. She has not yet picked a major but has narrowed it down. Forensics or psychology / criminal psyc. Se is taking classe this year that will earn her collage credits. Here is the thing obviously I'm new to this. So any ideas on scholarships or anything else that will make this a little easier would be much aprecieated. The wife and I are doing our homework but it just seams like an endless pit.

 

[Hairball]

Is she set on going to a four year university or could she possibly go to a local community college? Regionally accredited community colleges are a good choice as she can take her pre-reqs that should transfer to a four year university on her third year and it would save you a large sum of money as pre-reqs are the formalities that all students must accomplish regardless of their selected major. 100 and 200 level classes can be taken at the community college and she could still stay home. I know, not what she would prefer as she would most likely want to go in-state or out-of-state to a four year institution. You may already have this link but this may help:

Free College Grants to Pay for Your Higher Education

 

[Sixfivesavage]

Study up on financial aid. If it looks like she will be payin her tuition it opens up more aid. Use that to your advantage.

 

[HKpirate]

FAFSA start there. CC isn't a bad option to save money either. Take a day off and make sure you and your wife are there it needs a ton of information that's where I got a majority of my money from along with scholarships have her apply to every and all scholarships. Look into what field she wants to go into my freshman year I got $4,000 from an accounting board. You can never apply for to many scholarships and some May roll over each year. She can use even the smallest amount to pay for books. Any little bit helps and now is the time to really get after it great job starting this early I wish I had.

 

[green338 2.0]

A good percentage of students often change their majors during their course of college, so I will recommend your daughter start at a community college.

Not only is tuition lower, but often times, students can get guaranteed enrollment to 4-year universities, if they maintain a certain GPA. Moreover, more scholarship opportunities will open up. In CA, the University of California system (some of the best schools in the world), oftentimes favor students coming out of community colleges b/c they have college experience-- less likely to drop out.

 

[rjacobs]

I would check into having your daughter do a week or month with somebody in the career field just to see if she likes it.

I dated a girl who got a degree in criminology(study of why people commit crimes from what I understand of it) and she got a job with a very large police department, did it for like 6 months and realized she HATED the job/career. Well her degree was so specialized she really couldnt do anything else with it so she ended up doing non-skilled jobs. Hope she finds a sugar daddy.

Those degrees are pretty specialized(nothing wrong with that) and I dont know what type of applications there are outside of those specific fields. My undergrad is pretty specialized in aviation, but I got a masters in Industrial Safety so I could basically take those skills and work in any career field that had safety related jobs(pretty much any industrial job field, transportation, etc...).

 

[MosesTheTank]

Eli,

Start with querying the financial aid department, and then start scouring the web. There are plenty of grant and scholarships that are not easy to find and some of them do not get awarded for lack of applicants or no applicants with the correct profile. Some are not connected to any particular school. After seeing a classmate put together a hodgepodge of mostly small sources of funding that all together covered the whole tab I began seeking them out. I got one for which I did not fit the profile but received it anyways because there was no one else to give it to. Churches, businesses, civic associations, alums... you will have to hunt them down and some of them are small but the leg work up front is well worth it. Your daughter will also have to get ready to start writing essays and maybe prepare for a few interviews.

I wish you and your daughter the best of luck.

MTT

 

[FALex]

Definitely community college, first. She'll have to do the exact same courses at a four year as she will have to do at a CC, but the CC is a fraction of the cost. Additionally, this will give her a taste of a variety of academics while not paying an exorbitant amount to do so.

 

[ZLBubba]

Some good advice in this thread. I'd start with the school's financial aid department. Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and big heaping of financial aid from my school, plus two jobs, got me through my undergrad program.

In terms of community colleges, three out of four times it's the right call to knock those general requirements out at a community college if possible. However, if she's looking at a top-25 school, she's better off doing all of the creds at the same school or at least a state school if possible. It's fine if your daughter has some ideas about a major, but there are very few people that have the same major when they start college as when they end it.

Finally, this is a reminder to all of us with kids that we should try to start 529 education accounts for our kids when finances allow. I've got a 6-month old daughter and getting her 529 set up is at the top of my list right now.

 

[Flat Tire]

I would check into having your daughter do a week or month with somebody in the career field just to see if she likes it.

I dated a girl who got a degree in criminology(study of why people commit crimes from what I understand of it) and she got a job with a very large police department, did it for like 6 months and realized she HATED the job/career. Well her degree was so specialized she really couldnt do anything else with it so she ended up doing non-skilled jobs. Hope she finds a sugar daddy.

Those degrees are pretty specialized(nothing wrong with that) and I dont know what type of applications there are outside of those specific fields. My undergrad is pretty specialized in aviation, but I got a masters in Industrial Safety so I could basically take those skills and work in any career field that had safety related jobs(pretty much any industrial job field, transportation, etc...).

I think this is common, young people seem to be in such a hurry and our system doesn't really allow for any real job experience to see what these jobs are about.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

I informed my children that they were not getting a dime of my money for school. Sounds harsh but I explained it to them. Having a vested interest in school will make them want to succeed. It is pretty easy to party on dad's dime. Of course they were also raised to understand the value of a dollar. They were provided their needs but wants were a different story. Wants had to be earned. So the fact of not getting off easy by me opening a wallet was not new to them. Besides there are many programs out there to get a lot of funding for higher education. A quick Google search will bring up pages or have your daughter seek help from the guidance counselor at school. They should have a list of what she will qualify for. My best decision was to make them own it. They have done excellent in school.

 

[diverdon]

When dealing with the financial aid snakes be aware that they have a clever little trick of considering loans "aid". So when they are promising 25k in aid to offset 35k in expenses make sure that both you and your daughter understand how much of it will need to be repaid with interest. I would hesitate to cosign any loans although the snakes will imply that you are an unworthy and despicable lower class person if you do not.

Still I have read of cases where the student is deceased or disabled and the parent still has to repay the loan and interest. If you have to spend the money do so up front and if it is more than you want to spend then perhaps it is also more than the education is worth.

You can tell I am a Jerk, but sometimes it seems to me that these colleges are basically scamming people out of money. I would make sure My Daughter had a major that led to work that you think will make her happy before I would invest any money. Often these High School's have people leading students in direction according to their own reasons rather than the best interest of the student.

Ask Her to tell you Her dreams for how She would like her life to work out. listen (the hard part) See if her major leads her in the direction of her dreams.

 

[Strykervet]

Study up on financial aid. If it looks like she will be payin her tuition it opens up more aid. Use that to your advantage.

Try and stay away from this, she'll be in debt forever. It's a last resort!

Are you by chance 100% military disabled and didn't use up your GI Bill or Voc. Rehab (Chapter 31)? If so, talk to American Legion, they can sometimes transfer your schooling onto your beneficiaries if you can't go yourself.

She can also join the military herself, maybe MP or MPI? I think you need more training, credentials and possibly college prior to being in CID (but I don't know if they have "helpers" or whatever the fuck you call 'em). 2 years at Ft. Leonardwood in MO and she can not only get the upgraded post-9/11 GI Bill (which basically pays the entire damn thing now) but she'll also get training and hands on that may allow her to skip some of the beginners classes. Also, all 15 or whatever physical training/sports credits she'll need will be satisfied by service and go straight towards the degree, she won't have to do any of that (which really takes a load off so you can focus on classwork more). This will allow her to do it all herself and not get into any debt. She could leave the army in two years READY for school. And with training under her belt already (in her case, applicable training). You don't know HOW important THAT was for me --infantry didn't teach me any math, but they DID make me more organized and dedicated and determined to succeed. Or maybe you do, I don't know.

If you and your wife have never been to college, if you have any "minority" blood you can check off on a box or if you make under a certain amount... All of this plays into whether or not you can get a Pell Grant I think and how much it'll be worth. There are other federal programs that you also apply for, but I can't recall the names of them.

She can go to a good 2 year school (which for 100-200 level classes have MUCH smaller classes) with good professors and get a transfer degree. That's what I did to study math, 2 years at CC and then on to the university.

She can even attend CC at her own cost (CC classes aren't that bad, say $4000 per year roughly here in WA with resident tuition, that's 15 credits or three classes per quarter for a total of 12 classes per year). University costs much more with much larger classes, so like I mentioned above, the smaller classes and more elementary studies combined with good professors likely yields better results. For instance, at CC there are about 30 people in a calculus 124 class. At university, expect an auditorium with 250+ kids, each broken up into sets of 25-50 under one of the professor's grad. students. Grad. students aren't good teachers, they have their own problems and tend to go over the heads of folks new to the material. You ONLY see the professor for the 2, 1 hour lectures he presents each week. At CC, your professor deals directly with you and you get a 1 hour lecture daily. And one on one office time. Free tutoring. CC is the way to if you ask me, get a transfer degree and THEN go to university. The 300+ level classes thin out too (well, for math they do) so she won't get stuck in too many auditorium type lectures for long after transfer.

Transferring to a college also has the benefits of you never "getting into the college life" meaning no frats, no parties, just studying. Because CC doesn't have this and because they generally have an older population, and because by the time you get to university you'll already be halfway through, those college party lifestyles just won't seem so appealing. By 300 level classes, classmates start acting more like adults in class, which is nice. Expect higher grades this way, I graduated CC with a 4.0 and kept it up to 3.8 at university.

For CC, keep it close. For her school of choice, she should maybe look into Tennessee Volunteer --don't they have the body farm? Anyway, that's the premier school, best in the world, for forensic sciences. Set up residency prior to school starting so you don't pay out of state fees.

You NEED to go to a CC or university or whatever is closest and make an appointment with financial aid's office. Not to get a loan, but to talk about your choices. They have ALL of the relevant info and can help you immensely. They want her there bad in order to make money, so they'll exhaust all available options. Keep that in mind. They'll make her go there before starting classes anyway, so why not do it now when you need the information most and can use it? They'll be able to go in depth about all I mentioned above, and they'll know the program names and know what they do better than I do.

There's no reason you should have to pay for her school and there's no reason she should be strapped with school debt for the next 20+ years like my brother in law (closing in on $500,000 by the time he graduates). He was stupid: he had the GI Bill, didn't use it and was injured enough to receive Chapter 31, but nobody could get him to do it. Now instead of making good money as a pharmacological scientist (inventing new drugs) he'll net about the same as his technicians do once it's all said and done. My sister, she let my mom pay for it, who took out loans. She'll be paying on it forever and will never be able to get a nice house. There's too many ways around it. School can be liberating and broaden horizons, or it can shackle you down worse than you are now.

Dude, I hope this helps you some. I've been to school, both parents, my sister and her husband. My wife has some college, but was never able to get the time to finish even though I told her I'd pay it with my VA check. My mom never was able to go back to school to get her graduate studies. So you kinda wanna knock college out early in life or after military service, because those are the two best times that come with the best options and opportunities.

If both of you aren't opposed to military service, and if she's still real young (like 20ish or even under?) 2 years in MPI, which is the investigative part of the MP's, or if the military has a forensic unit now, that'd be the way to go. After that and after college, a CC transfer to the body farm maybe? she could easily get a job at the FBI I'd think (if she does well in school and passes their muster). That's the job you want in forensic science if you ask me.

Good luck to you and her both!

 

[eli polite]

Well she is planing on local community collages for her basics. We have within a 35mi radius. Delaware teck, del state, university of Delaware, Delaware university, wesly collage and Sailsburry university in Maryland. Because of our location there are a lot of schools within a 2 hour drive Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, New Jersey, Verginia beach. 3 hour drive gets us to New Yourk city. The FBI was a thought.

I know that collage is no guarantee to a great career. Collages are one of the most profitable businesses in the country. Kids are brought up thinking if you don't go to collage you don't stand a chance. What a great sales tool. I love Mike Roe's thoughts on collage. I do understand the need for it in a lot of professions but idiots graduate every day no smarter than when they went in. I want her to to be successful. I guess every father does

 

[DocUSMCRetired]

I have an engineering degree, and I will say this. I took 2 years of school at a community college, before transferring to a 4 year school. The professors at the community college taught me a lot more. The smaller classes meant I was actually learning, and understanding. Not just studying for a test, or my next paper that was due. Once I transferred to a 4 year school, education seemed distant and more robotic. We had fun at community college. We joked in class, we interacted with our instructors. Once I made the move out, it was show up to class, study for the test, move on to whats next. I still remember a lot of things I learned before that, but afterwords it became a check in the box whats next kind of deal.

Thats just my experience, but I remember my professors, their personalities and a lot more what I learned in community college, than I do from a UT Dallas.

 

[eli polite]

My son has interest in engineering be a pilot. I suggested aeronautical engineering that what my grand father did. He a smart kid and has already one 1-$1000 scholarship his freshman year we will see what he does this year

 

[DocUSMCRetired]

My son has interest in engineering be a pilot. I suggested aeronautical engineering that what my grand father did. He a smart kid and has already one 1-$1000 scholarship his freshman year we will see what he does this year

A number of colleges will cut you some slack on fees if your on the Deans List.

 

[green338 2.0]

I have an engineering degree, and I will say this. I took 2 years of school at a community college, before transferring to a 4 year school. The professors at the community college taught me a lot more. The smaller classes meant I was actually learning, and understanding. Not just studying for a test, or my next paper that was due. Once I transferred to a 4 year school, education seemed distant and more robotic. We had fun at community college. We joked in class, we interacted with our instructors. Once I made the move out, it was show up to class, study for the test, move on to whats next. I still remember a lot of things I learned before that, but afterwords it became a check in the box whats next kind of deal.

Thats just my experience, but I remember my professors, their personalities and a lot more what I learned in community college, than I do from a UT Dallas.

My experiences as well. Other than community college, graduate level courses are the only small size courses you'll ever get (other than advanced religion or Art classes)

 

[green338 2.0]

Well she is planing on local community collages for her basics. We have within a 35mi radius. Delaware teck, del state, university of Delaware, Delaware university, wesly collage and Sailsburry university in Maryland. Because of our location there are a lot of schools within a 2 hour drive Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, New Jersey, Verginia beach. 3 hour drive gets us to New Yourk city. The FBI was a thought.

I know that collage is no guarantee to a great career. Collages are one of the most profitable businesses in the country. Kids are brought up thinking if you don't go to collage you don't stand a chance. What a great sales tool. I love Mike Roe's thoughts on collage. I do understand the need for it in a lot of professions but idiots graduate every day no smarter than when they went in. I want her to to be successful. I guess every father does

I understand your argument. Both my partner and I have over $160K in student loan debt. I have an MS degree in Criminology and my partner has an MA in Psychology. It's very competitive here in the SF Bay Area. There's countless students coming in from all over the world, to work here. Today, we own a Concrete company and 99% of our clients work in IT (i.e Google, Facebook, Apple, among other software companies). We're mostly working in million dollar homes, and i'm telling you 99% of the time they just have a BA/BS degree in Engineering, but the degree is not what landed them the job, it was their network. They knew somebody in the company, that help them get a job.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

Try and stay away from this, she'll be in debt forever. It's a last resort!

No she won't. Paying her own tuition and looking like she's paying her own tuition are two different things. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of financial assistance is based on your income. Lower shown income leads to more aide. Another thing is see if any classes line up with a different degree that gets in state tuition. Maryland doesn't have dairy science so my wife went to Virginia tech for in state tuition and took the human versions of the dairy science classes. Got in state rates for three years in till she had to take the specialized classes for a human nutrition, foods and exercise degree.

 

[David S]

My daughter is entering her senior year of high school and will. (Way to soon) be entering into collage. She has not yet picked a major but has narrowed it down. Forensics or psychology / criminal psyc. Se is taking classe this year that will earn her collage credits. Here is the thing obviously I'm new to this. So any ideas on scholarships or anything else that will make this a little easier would be much aprecieated. The wife and I are doing our homework but it just seams like an endless pit.

Hi eli polite,

I work in higher ed, actually, and there are two things to which I can personally attest:

1. Many students/families that qualify for financial aid fail to get it just by dint of not knowing it's available. Way too many people, upon hearing "fiancial aid," automatically think "loans." Don't. Instead think "grants/scholarships," as there are more of those around than folks realize. Quick consultation with an admissions rep at any reputable 4-year school should put you on the path to your lowest possible price, no matter where she goes.
2. Direct negotiations with the college/university are very, very effective. It's a total buyer's market these days, so don't buy into the notion that the sticker price is the price, and you just have to get loans to cover it. Very few people who enter direct negotiations end up paying sticker price. Like, almost none of them.

Yours,

David

 

[leagle2]

Eli, Del Tech has a program that may be just what she is looking for.
https://www.dtcc.edu/admissions-financial-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/types-aid/seed

Del State has a program for pilots that your son may be interested in.

 

[997/2man]

I have an engineering degree, and I will say this. I took 2 years of school at a community college, before transferring to a 4 year school. The professors at the community college taught me a lot more. The smaller classes meant I was actually learning, and understanding. Not just studying for a test, or my next paper that was due. Once I transferred to a 4 year school, education seemed distant and more robotic. We had fun at community college. We joked in class, we interacted with our instructors. Once I made the move out, it was show up to class, study for the test, move on to whats next. I still remember a lot of things I learned before that, but afterwords it became a check in the box whats next kind of deal.

Thats just my experience, but I remember my professors, their personalities and a lot more what I learned in community college, than I do from a UT Dallas.

Read this post again. First 2 years are usually the same for BS degree ( the prerequisite courses), and with an AS in hand, she can get into 4 year schools that might not take her as a freshman. In state WILL save you a ton, so will living at home.

Don't buy her a degree she will never use. Friend's son was an engineering major, ended up in Theatre after working a summer in the city. Laugh, if you want, he is lighting director in NYC, makes close to $150k. He's 25.

Student loans are o.k., for Grad School/Law School/Med. School/specialized tech. or med., etc. Art History, not so much. You/she should be able to get a BS/BA and owe very little, if you play it smart. I would have no problem with my dot taking out a couple of student loans for a MS, in Nursing, for example.

Someone else suggested that she spend a little time actually doing something in her chosen career field, sage advice. How do they fucking know what they want, if they have never been exposed to it?

Good Luck.

 

[lawofsavage]

You probably still have time but if you don't mind her going to a state school and she is above average intelligence and has good work ethic just sign her up for a top notch SAT/ACT class. If she does her job then she should do well enough to get tuition covered.

 

[997/2man]

My son has interest in engineering be a pilot. I suggested aeronautical engineering that what my grand father did. He a smart kid and has already one 1-$1000 scholarship his freshman year we will see what he does this year

I've got a degree in Aviation from ERAU. Cost a fortune. Here is what I found out:

He will compete with the .mil pilots who have a fuck-ton of time from the military. Large, heavy a/c, turbine time. No way can a civilian compete against that, unless government sponsored (Like UAE, SA, Singapore, etc.) Now, if your brother works as a Senior VP for American, Delta, US Airways…


A degree in Aeronautical Engineering may get him a job, prob. not in the cockpit. And a $1k scholarship is really nothing today. It will help, a little.

My best man got a twin major from ERAU, Air Science/A&P, got him on at Evergreen, then ATA, then at the age of 34, he failed his 1st class med., eyesight out of correctable limits. Now he works for the FAA, with a bad attitude.

If your son wants to fly, get a job in medicine or engineering, and buy his OWN plane…

Aviation isn't what it used to be.

YMMV and Good Luck.

 

[thrusty]

I have a bachelors in Computer Science from a private college. The education was top notch, smaller classes and I loved the time I spent there. But...it was expensive as hell.

My parents made just enough to be told by FAFSA that they make too much money to be provided any assistance...but completing the FAFSA forms are one of your steps.
If you can narrow down your list of schools...the best thing to do is to contact their admissions departments early. They will provide you with information you need to begin...at least with the funding and scholarships.
I had scholarships based off of my grades and also worked on campus as part of a work study program. That only covered about 50% of the tuition.

If you are looking to save money -- many find that going to a local community college in order to get the general education credits out of the way works well. The hardest part is convincing your daughter that she has to give up 2 years of being with her friends....who are likely conspiring now to all try go to the same school. One thing you have to be EXTREMELY careful of is to first ensure that the credits from your community college will transfer to the school she plans to complete her undergrad at.

Funding and government assistance is based off of income. If you no longer claim your child on your taxes, have her completely independent and paying all her own bills and she goes it alone and works part-time there may be a bit more assistance. That's all I'm saying about that....

You can find other scholarships from your local organizations if you are part of them...Rotary, Lions Club, Masons...etc, etc. Sometimes it's just an essay that needs written why it's deserving.
Of course, instate tuition is going to be less expensive...unless you go to a private school

If you a looking into loans, I would personally stick with the Federal Student Loans ( Federal Direct Loans )- I found that going to private lending institutions tend to not tell you the full story.
Depending on your income, you'll either be going with a subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford Loan. https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized
Pell grants are also available if you're eligible (income based again): Federal Pell Grant Program

 

[jcm331]

Lots of good advice in this thread.
A couple things I would add.
1. If your daughter decides to go the community college route make sure the 4 year school will transfer the credits. The 4 year school should be able to provide you a list of all the approved courses from the local cc.
2. In terms of picking a major encourage your kids to go for a practical BS/BA, something like computer science, engineering, accounting etc. These degrees (comp sci, engineering) really cross cut a lot of fields. For example, if your daughter wanted to do psychology, let her minor in psych and major in comp sci. Then she can go to grad school for psychology if she wants. Having a technical undergrad degree will be an advantage both in the job market and graduate school.

 

[jrassy]

Good luck, going thru the same with my son, he starts at the U of M after Labor Day.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

I think you should have a long discussion with your daughter about what she wants to study, where she thinks that will lead her in the work force, what her understanding of the opportunities available in the work force are, what she thinks she will make as an income vs what she will really make, based on where she wants to live (and what the cost of living is in that area) and then contrast that against the debt she will accumulate. It really all needs to be distilled down to an amortized amount based on future employment.

What your describing is someone who in one way or another is going to be connected to law enforcement. OK - great. What role does she want to play in all of that? The next question is what is the minimum amount of school (cost) she needs to acquire before getting hired, and if she is hired will that organization then pay for the rest of her schooling?

I think if more folks sat down and worked out the entire financial equation related to advanced schooling - there'd be a lot less 4 yr degrees in general studies and more in the way of focused study or 2 yr tech programs.

One thing is for sure - if she just goes and gets a communications / sociology / I'mnotreallysurewhatthefuckImspendingmoneyon Degree the 'job' at the end of the rainbow generally involves a phone and a lot of hustle. In most cases the person would have made more $$ over the course of a lifetime by strategically picking off courses at a community college while working, finishing via an online program, and seizing opportunities where the employer picks up a portion of the costs.

Starting out $40,000 - $100,000 in the hole is a pretty big hurdle.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

I would have a long discussion on financial management.

 

[HD-Ghost]

As a high school counselor, I suggest that HS seniors spend their year looking for scholarships. And not the $40k ones, but the $2k ones. There are more of them, and easy to get; and they are FREE money.

Jiffy Lube offers $2k for writing a paper on "Why I like to drive". Another gives you $2k if you live in a trailer house. The corporations get their tax break, the kids get free money. Nothing like the '70s when I was growing up.

As to your daughter's career choice, I hear this all the time. It is all the CSI TV shows that has the kids thinking this is a real career. CSI is make believe. I too have a Criminology degree. After the military, I did not want to have anything to do with the government (though I'm in it again). But my interest in psychology has brought me back full-circle, prevention. The law background allows me to teach CCW.

Good luck. Raising kids in this society is tough. Hope you have taught her common sense. It is not common any more (and it is not taught in public schools).

 

[Mike_Honcho]

FYI Major Course Work and the Odds of Future Employment:

Feeling Worthless? The 10 Majors Most Likely To Lead To Underemployment | Zero Hedge

 

[bornhunter04]

Do community college if possible. I did. First two years including books were free with scholarships. Talk to the guidance counselor they should have a list of local scholarships to give away. These will come from banks, local families and churches. The town I grew up in had a highschool population of about 300 and my graduating class was 65. On average they give away between 300-500k in scholarships every year. They're are options out there. Just have to apply.....its the best money that can be made for the amount of effort it takes.

I got my BS in IT for about 10k out the door. If she goes the cc route call the follow on university and get the guidance counselor for the major department on the phone and make sure the classes taken at cc will transfer over. I had to take stats twice. Because the one at the cc was a 200lvl and the one at the 4 year was a 300lvl. We covered more material and had better instruction at the cc 200lvl class...... Go figure. Instructor had to slow it down and take more time because of all the rejects from Chicago.....

I made it out in 4 years but barely, had to take 18 hours a couple of semesters.... Also, I think best thing is to save all the major specific classes for the main university. All my classes were in one building and had the same professors a lot. Makes life easier that way. Besides no sense in paying double for some fluff class you could have taken at local cc for free..... Good luck. Hope she doesn't fall into the trap of huge student debt without a quality education.