4 year College Degrees in Sussex County (Wilmington, Greenville: home, dorms, high school)

[longnecker]

I thought it might interest younger families considering moving to Sussex County thay even though we only have a 2 year college (Del Tech) bachleror degrees are available right here. UofD,Del Sate and Wilmington University all offer degree courses right here at Del Tech.
www.dtcc.edu/connecteddegree

[doctorjef]

That's good for someone working who is trying to earn a degree, but it's a rather dreary, sad and second-rate way for a full-time young college student to get a degree IMO. I realise there are people who can't afford any other option, and it's good that 4-year degrees are available locally for live-at-home students, but I really wouldn't see it as the preferred option for college education in most instances.

[longnecker]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

That's good for someone working who is trying to earn a degree, but it's a rather dreary, sad and second-rate way for a full-time young college student to get a degree IMO. I realise there are people who can't afford any other option, and it's good that 4-year degrees are available locally for live-at-home students, but I really wouldn't see it as the preferred option for college education in most instances.

No disrespect intended Dr Jef But we don't all live in Greenville. Looks to me like a great way for someone who has worked their way though DelTech and obtained the Associates Degree to keep advancing. It does offer the opportunity to get a UofD.degree.

[nuts2uiam]

Not a Delawarian until March, so forgive the interloper but I have to agree with DrJef. One of the aspects of the college experience is simply to experience differences and learning through collaborative efforts with others. Not to disparage the DelTech experience at all, rather, to enhance the start you were given there.

IF there are not other options, then by all means you continue as you indicate. IMHO, it is not the ideal way to go. We have a NYC friend who has gained his masters degree through what we and he, jokingly call Matchbook U. (Years ago matchbooks advertised getting advance degrees on matchbooks). Is his degree valid, you bet it is, as he has completed the course work required either online or in a classroom and passed the required exams. That said, the college experience can't be duplicated and it is that part of the exposure to the "bigger" world that I see as an important missing link.

[doctorjef]

Thanks for that expansion on the theme, nuts2uiam. I certainly worried that I would be misunderstood. It's not a snob factor. Actually, for young people whose families are able to afford it or who can get some scholarship funding, I would urge the experience of going away for university. Delaware is such a small state that for native Delawareans I would say they'd do best to go to uni outside of state, despite the financial disadvantages of doing so. It's good to be a few hundred miles from home and in a new environment (for most young people; certainly not all are suited to what this entails).

However, this isn't to disparage local college options. My ideal would be to see tuition-free higher education universally available to those who can uphold an acceptable GPA, and I'd advocate admitting anyone on academic probation in order to give them the chance at a college education. That's not to say that an academically oriented post-high school education is what everyone needs, and the state should offer a full range of technical and vocational career programmes.

Anyway, I think it's a good thing that there are 4 year degree programmes locally available in Sussex. As I stated above, I would see these as primarily meeting the needs of working adults who are already having to be financially independent and those who absolutely cannot afford to go away for university. It's definitely a resource. I just think that for new high school graduates who have some academic talent and who can manage to swing it financially, the better option is to go away for university.

[Pine to Vine]

While I wouldn't trade the experience I got by "going away" for my degrees, it seems a bit judgmental to use terms such as "dreary" and "second-rate" for people who chose other options for their education. Until I walk in someone's shoes, I cannot begin to claim insight on the best approach for another's educational pursuits or judge these choices based on my own experiences. Whether it be for financial reasons, the need to live at home to care for a family member or because the individual simply feels a local program will best help them achieve their long-term ambitions, I think it's great that SC has ever more options close to home to get four year degrees. Over time, I expect such programs and campuses will only grow. In the meantime, it's not just these programs that are available. DSU and Salisbury State are also within easy commuting distance, so there are several options for folks from Sussex County to get 4 year degrees close to home.

[doctorjef]

I'm going to mention tangentially that tuition-free admission to UD is available to DE residents age 60 and older, and tuition-free admission to DSU is available to those 62 and older. You still have to pay the various other fees, but not tuition. You also, of course, have to meet normal admission requirements. It's really an excellent deal.

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I'm going to mention tangentially that tuition-free admission to UD is available to DE residents age 60 and older, and tuition-free admission to DSU is available to those 62 and older. You still have to pay the various other fees, but not tuition. You also, of course, have to meet normal admission requirements. It's really an excellent deal.

What's even better, is -
If you work at UD your son/daughter pay no tuition.

I'll have to agree with Jm02, regarding the judgmental comment. Any college degree, from anywhere is better than a high school diploma or GED (that's a general equivalency diploma).

Not everyone can afford to be a party animal and live the life of a dorm rat on mom and dad's tab. Was that comment judgmental? Sorry.

[DelawareLiz]

I sometimes wish I had gone away to college, just for the experience...I was seriously considering North Carolina before I graduated high school. My parents were willing to foot the bill for wherever I wanted to go at the time, but NO way was I going to deal with cigarette smoke in dorms. Dorm living was my only option if I went away (per my parents' budget). Smoke-free dorms were virtually nonexistent twenty years ago when I graduated. However, that's certainly not the case anymore. My, how things have changed--for the better.

That being said, I have degrees from both Del Tech and Wilmington University and I lived at home with my parents while obtaining my first college degree back in the day. I am highly satisfied with both the colleges and the quality of education I received. And rdlr is right about free tuition at UD if a parent works there. What a nice perk!!!

[doctorjef]

The opportunity for free tuition at UD would, I think, trump everything else. It's a good school and you just can't beat that deal. While I think it is a broadening and growth experience to go away farther for college, it is all a matter of weighted factors. I'd tend then to say definitely do undergrad at
UD and then plan to do any post-grad degrees away somewhere even more status-y if possible.