CAR:  "I see college as taking your medicine; you may not like it, but it is necessary- so you better figure out how to get through it in one way or another."

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I disagree completely.  College is not for everyone.  I think it is a horrible misconception that every high school senior should go to college and should go right after high school.

I went to a prestigious university right after high school and did not do well.  Several things were wrong with the situation, most notably that I was not properly motivated to buckle down and work on my studies.  I dropped out after a semester and a half and worked for five years in unsatisfying jobs while I waited for the financial aid to be determined by MY income.

After years of photocopying, filing, typing, retail jobs, and food service I was much more motivated to work.  I had seen what my life could be and decided to make a change -- to work toward a job that actually used my brain.

When I was 23 I went back to college, this time better equipped to succeed.  In addition to the increased motivation, I had learned time management skills, organization, and teamwork.  I aced college the second go-round and have made friends and memories that I will never forget.

College is wonderful -- if it suits you and if you are ready to work.  Any other situation will end up wasting time, money, and effort.

That's my opinion, take it or leave it.

   -- So Says Sunny

[ http://sosayssunny.com/ ] 

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FYI:  Consider a small college

I received my degree from a college very different from my first attempt right out of high school.

For one thing, there were a total of 500 students in the entire college (compared to 18,000 in the university).  The average class size was less than 25; my smallest class had two students in Quantum Mechanics.  Compare that to lectures given in huge auditoriums with students you never sit next to twice;  my largest class at the university had 300 students.

At this small college, you could ask questions in class.  Every one of my professors spoke English and had a PhD (no grad students).  These professors prided themselves in being teachers rather than lecturers, they knew each student's individual academic struggles, and they were readily available for office hours.

The college I ended up getting my degree from was one I had never really considered because it was a women's college (I was a science nerd and all my friends were boys) and it was entirely too close to home (literally across the street from my high school).

A friend's happy experience there really changed my idea of what a college should be.

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Some people thrive in the huge university environment but it wasn't for me.  If you do choose a large school, you really have to take the initiative in finding study-buddies:  On the first day write down the names and phone numbers of the students sitting near you.