I speak as someone with a 4 year degree from a very good school. I was there for all the wrong reasons and with no purpose. I went because it was what was expected of me and because it was what you were supposed to do after high school. I spent 4 years goofing off on my parent's dime. Had a lot of fun I must admit. I had no plan for what I wanted to do in life. Graduated with a pretty worthless degree in Psychology. Learn from my mistakes. College costs a hell of a lot more today than it did back in the late 80s-early 90s when I was a student. Job opportunities for college graduates are also nothing compared to what they were back then. Given the cost and job opportunities today for recent college grads I really don't think college is a good investment UNLESS you have a clear career path in mind (Dr, Lawyer, Accountant, etc). Otherwise you may end up flipping burgers after graduation trying to pay down a $100,000+ college loan debt.
^^^^^++++1 I was about to same the same thing, almost verbatim. I went to a small school I'm sure almost no one on here has heard of, because that school offered me a full ride for academics. It has never been an issue in the working world, to my knowledge. If you work hard and do well, and are in the top of your class, pursue the right internships, etc. you will be just fine, regardless of where you go. That being said; Hawaii would be a no brainer for me...
I feel like you're implying I dropped out or didn't go. See if you can guess what school I graduated from. I'm not talking it down but don't go blindly into an institution expecting to make $$$ fresh out of school. It's not the ticket to the good life that it's made out to be. I think there are a lot of 18yo kids out there that don't know how things work outside their parent's house and think 4+ years of getting drunk and awkwardly hooking up will teach them how the world works. I wouldn't be where I am without my college experience but the fact of the matter is I would enjoy my career more if I had a plan going into it. I've actually got a decent little career too but still have $15k of student loans to pay back. I feel like I'm getting all Archy now but the most free people I know are the ones without debt. The current system loads students up with debt so that they must go into the first job they find acceptable in order to start paying that loan 6 months after graduation. Now you're working 40+ hrs a week but you're making more money than ever.... getting deeper into the system. You buy better clothes on credit card because you want to dress for the position you want, not the one you have. You also buy a car because your paid off car just isn't cool and you've got a job, you can make the monthly payments..... Deeper. Man, that was a long freaking week! Shots! Put them on the credit card. A hot girl likes me! Let's take her out on the credit card...... Deeper. You realize you need some more money so why not an MBA? I've got good credit from paying my bills, lets get more student loans..... Deeper. Let's say everything works out and you land a better job, get married, buy a house, have kids and live the rest of your life in that system, it's really not a bad deal once you work half your life to pay off your debt and figure out how to pay for your kid's school too but they'll probably take on student loans too. The moral of the story is to have a plan and avoid debt.
The debt you may incur is a crucial aspect to take into account. I chose a public university over private, because it was cheaper, despite generous private scholarship offers. Nonetheless, financial complications (and choices) have resulted in terrible credit and a smallish debt. I have not gotten an excellent job from.my education, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As for all the people encouraging you to learn a trade instead- only consider this as a backup plan, or a way to make good money while pursuing your profession of choice. My Uncle has a successful residential flooring business, counting Spielberg among his clients, but he has to work an extra side job for health insurance now. My other uncles, masons and carpenters, are all ducked in old age because their bodies are quitting on them. Go to school, get a Masters, and incur as little debt as possible.
IF you have serious career aspirations you should definitely go to college. But if you don't know what you want to study don't go just yet. Take what the Euros call a "gap year" and get some experience. Travel the world, do a couple internships in a field you think you might want to pursue or at least shadow someone for a couple days. So many of us go to college just because it is the "next step." Many people who have a college degree (I have two) will tell you that they would have been better off waiting a year or two instead of just goofing off while figuring or not figuring out what they want to do. I got a degree in teaching and I have an awesome life. I am not rich but I supplement my income playing music and I take the best surf trips of anyone I know. Wifey and I are heading to Indo for two months next week! Read this article and it will more or less tell you all you need to know about why you need a degree! http://chronicle.com/article/Earnings-Disparity-Grows/144705/ one more thing....Hawaii ...duh!
A friend of mine did a year at University of Hawaii. He was an avid bodysurfer so it wasn't a question for him. He came back to the mainland after a year, though, and finished his studies but the experience was worth it. If you love it there, your grades will be good. You'll need good LSATs and/or GRE scores to get into a good grad school as well. I'd go for Hawaii without a doubt. Do Asian studies and marine biology. Worst case scenario is you transfer to UC Santa Cruz or UC San Diego. Don't miss out on the experience.
Join the military have get your college paid for if your worried about debt. But if you want to join better have a better reason than college money.
cjsurf everything you said true. clemsonsurf i'm gonna guess clemson (if right, now YOU guess how i got it right). i know i kinda called you a dropout but that not my intent which was merely to beware educational advice from those not doing (education) it. its everywhere; ya hear it all da time; and its just a load of horsepoop. your moral worth repeating: THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS TO HAVE A PLAN AND AVOID EXCESSIVE DEBT. CJSURF - dif subject…beach WOWWOWWEE WAS WACKIN TODAY…were u there)
Hawaii. No brainer. This in Hawaii. Then pre-law, then become a patent/trade/other lawyer/businessman working in Asia. Learn Chinese and possibly Japanese. As a (I assume) white person willing to work in Asia and with a passable command of one of the languages, you will make bank and have your choice of locations if you don't manage to stay in Hawaii. You can probably find a corporate office in Honolulu where you can work on international commerce during the day and surf before and after work. If you can't stay on the islands, Taiwan and Japan are great for surf and also just excellent places to live in general with tons of opportunities for someone educated in the states who has multiple languages. If Rutgers will leave you with less debt, you can consider toughing it out for 4-6 years, but better AT LEAST get your Master's because you'll need extended credentials to land a job away from the flat East Coast and somewhere in the world that actually gets waves. The most likely reality is that UH will give you the foot-in-the-door to find a permanent job in Hawaii (or on the Pacific somwhere) where you can pull two no-wetsuit sessions every day, even if you're working long hours. You might struggle to afford a house/family if you want to go that route, but you'll make it happen and not really care that you're not eating caviar because you get to effing surf epic waves nearly every freaking day, with more awesome spots in the Philippines, Indo, etc. just a short flight away. Rutgers will probably leave you stuck in Manhattan, Philly, or some awful center of commerce working a job you hate. A move to Hawaii will be an impossible dream or too much of a step-down in pay, so you'll forego it. You won't have learned much about Asian language/culture/trade so you'll miss that boat and be stuck in the decaying Eastern Seaboard. Your big paycheck will let you maybe swing a few days out of the year to go to CR, PR, or Indo. You'll grovel in frozen ankle-slappers once or twice a month when you can get away from the office. Family (parents/siblings or spouse/kids) will keep you away from even that many-a-time. You might be able to retire early to a paradise, but you'll still be at least late-40's or older so your prime surfing years will have been spent behind a desk, and you might get saddled with family obligations that push your surfing retirement even further back. I saw this trap, and almost fell into it. I bailed out of the EC just as fast as my little brain would carry me and now I live a mile from a classic surf break, and I surf an even better break on my lunch. I couldn't give a crap if I have to work until I drop, because I can get shacked off my nut every day whether I am working or sitting around sipping Mai Tais.
Undergraduate degree doesn't affect law school applications as much as you think. Rutgers is more prestigious than UofH but I am willing to bet good grades and good LSATs from Hawaii will make you eligible for the same law schools. I got my undergrad from ****ty ass Salisbury and several of my fellow seagulls went to reputable law schools.
I wouldn't say that a school with less academic prestige should scare you away from going there. Go, where you will be happy and inspired to do well. At the end of your program, it is till up to you to make something out of your degree. If you go for something like marine biology, there will be nothing stopping you from your next step. Attitude, motivation, and skills are more important then the degree label. A chance to spend 4 years in Hawaii is amazing. I think the financial cost of college is a factor, but if I"m correct, Rutgers is really high, right? Maybe not if you are already in state.
Ya bud if your plan is asian studies or marine bio., i dont see a better option as a surfer than hawaii. And do it while ur 18. Im older now and in an extension campus on maui and man if i was 18 roamin the halls. I can only imagine what the official oahu campus is like. Plus it sucks trying to squeak a living and go to school at the same time. And i dont know who told you the office stuff is slow. So far they've seemed pretty on it. Not to mention they want the students to grad asap. It looks better for the hawaii education program in general if they can get people to graduate. So they are very helpful.
Life is short brother, get off the east coast and head to paradise. You can surf, learn, and live in a place most only dream of. If you have the opportunity go for it. Like MakeItStop and Thunderpossum said before me, if you work hard, do well, and have your priorities in the right place you’re going to be just fine in life. And you can come back to Rutgers for grad school after you finish undergrad in Hawaii if you so desired. You'll have two degrees from two schools on your resume. Along with having a good education being well-traveled and well versed looks very good to future employers. UHM is affordable too, not to mention the priceless experiences you will have if you go there versus staying here. I was very close to going to UHM to study engineering but ended up staying (for many various and very stupid reasons I let hold me back) and going to county college. I say it all the time that if I would have went I probably never would have come back, and it’s probably true. I know I’ll make it out there one day, but I missed out on that opportunity of a lifetime and I have a decent job now working in a corporate office 9-5 but I’m in debt and can’t afford the time or costs to go back to school for a further degree until I get some bills paid off. I would trade being a corporate zombie any day for the opportunity to go back to school, especially in Hawaii. If you’re driven and have the motivation, you’ll succeed no matter what school you go too. Think about what will make you the happiest, and go with that for your decision and don’t let anyone else sway that choice. Good luck man!
If you go to Rutgers you can do study abroad programs. Also, don't feel like this is your last big chance to travel. I quit my job at 26 and did a year kicking around the world with a backpack.Also, consider your family situation. Are you in a crappy situation where you want to start anew? Do you have a great big tight knit family that you might miss? Just something to consider. Rutgers or Hawaii - both great options. I want to echo some of the suggestions mentioned above that are not actually part of the main question: 1. Learn another language. Even if you have no idea what career or major you want, learn a foreign language. It will make you invaluable to employers in so many fields, from politics to business to science. If you have no idea what you want to major in, major in chinese, japanese, russian, arabic, spanish, whatever. It'll also help you on surf travels (and meeting women) Best skill to have bar none. 2. College is the easiest thing you will do for the rest of your life. Manage your time, do the work on the syllabus, get your work done before you party and you'll be fine. It blew my mind to see kids dropping out of college when all it took was like 5 hours of work a day. Maybe it was because I had a real job doing building maintenance for a while before I went and college)
Is this really even a question? Have you ever surfed Hawaii? What we have here are not the even same species of wave. An average to not so great day out there is as good as a day we might refer to as "going off" "super fun" or "epic." I wanted to go to UH for law school, but couldn't quite afford it. Settled for a school on the coast of Florida instead, but all good. GO TO HAWAII, you'll have time to get a grad degree from an east coast school after your time in paradise. You will improve your surfing alot and have memories to last a lifetime.
Go to Hawaii while you're young, you will talk yourself out of it later. Don't get involved in the Sciences unless you are VERY passionate about them. Avoid becoming yet ANOTHER lawyer, unless you're passionate about it and you're in it for other reasons than your WALLET. One bit more priceless info I will share (and I am not one who stuck to this mantra, much to my dismay) is, make your job your passion and make your passion your job. The money will come in time. Plus, live simply.
So I'll add my two cents. I was born and raised in NJ. Left after college in RI and moved to HI to surf. Best move of my life -hands down! That said its not for everyone. If you plan on going there four 4 yrs of school and then rotating back to NJ after graduation that's a bad career move. People who stayed in NJ for college will be better position. B ut, if you plan to stay in HI,and create a professional life there after college_GO! I surfed hardcore for 6+ years after college, was a deckhand with some waiter gigs.then off to next degree and next life as a professional. 20+ years in HI was a good run. So the queastion shouldn't be where to school. Should be where to live?
