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I will admit, I am not the best student. I'm a guy that hovers right around a 3.0 GPA. But I talked to one of the advisors from Duquesne and they said if you have a 2.5 GPA you're generally good to go, and I'll definitely be above that. It's around 18K in total cost according to their cost calculator (that figured in their housing, not sure if I'd live on campus or not, although tbh it wouldn't be bad to do so for one year to meet people easier maybe?). I don't think i'd be able to gain in-state residency in Pennsylvania, I think some states are very hard to gain in-state residency in and Penn. is one of them. TBH, I could finish up my AA, work for a year, and go back and than that'd be 2 years in Penn., while also not going to school for one year, so I would think i'd gain residency, but I don't know if taking a year off would be good or not.
For community college, it's really all about the cheapest place out there. I don't think where you get your Associates really matters tbh, but preferably a decent place.
$400 or less a month would be awesome. My rent currently is $400 and i'm doing perfectly fine. Would probably look to work 15-20 hours part time (not sure how old you need to be a bartender in PIT, but that's something i'd love to do. Easier way to meet people and something I think i'd enjoy).
I went to Duquesne and graduated in 2013. It was a great school and I'm glad I went there. Since it has been brought up, because the school is private, tuition is the same for in and out of state students. What did you want to get a degree in? Since Pittsburgh is a larger area than Des Moines you will be paying more than $400 a month for rent unless you have roommates especially in the areas where other young people live.
There is also Butler County Community College (BC3.) I currently attend Community College of Beaver County and have been very happy with the majority of my classes. I am transferring in the fall to Carlow University for their Early Childhood (Pk-4) program for teacher certification. However, I am a non-traditional student as I am in my early 30s, married with kids, so different scenario = different choices.
I would definitely see about the direct transfer/articulation agreements with 4 year schools. Most of the community colleges in the area have agreements with several of the 4 year schools where the 4 year school will admit you as a junior when you graduate from the community college. I have found that transferring to a program that does not have an articulation agreement can be hit or miss about what your status will be/how long it will take you to finish your bachelor's degree.
As far as the out of state/in state tuition goes, when looking at Duquesne University, I don't see anything specific about out of state tuition versus in state tuition and I think they may not charge more for out of state students. With that knowledge, I would probably finish at whatever community college you are at now and then transfer to Duquesne. I would expect that not all of your classes would transfer but most of them should transfer and you can always take the ones that didn't transfer at a local community college at a cheaper rate.
I know next to nothing about living/residential in that area, as we live north of the city in Beaver County. Good luck!
Yeah, that's what I mean on the Duquesne front, I think the rate is going to be the same in state as out of state, so that's definitely a plus. Wouldn't feel like i'm paying anymore for the same education as others which would be kind of cool.
Honestly, i'm just impatient. Last couple years I've been wanting to make the move to a bigger city somewhere for college. I just want to see what else is out there, because I really don't think that Iowa and everything that is here is really for me. Already feels like an eternity until I get to move elsewhere being next summer/fall if I take this route, to push it back yet another year would be pretty tough for me. The CC here and a CC like you might be talking about should be close to the same cost...probably a bit more expensive but I don't think that should hinder the move.
Sorry for the pedantry, but just so you know:
PIT = Pittsburgh International Airport
Pitt = University of Pittsburgh
PGH = Pittsburgh
I'm almost certain you can be a bartender in Pittsburgh if you're 21.
Sorry man, still learning things.
Yeah, i'd imagine so. Was more so wondering if 20 would still be ok, because i'd likely want to find employment right when I got there and if I moved in the summertime it'd be a 4-5 month wait until 21.
I went to Duquesne and graduated in 2013. It was a great school and I'm glad I went there. Since it has been brought up, because the school is private, tuition is the same for in and out of state students. What did you want to get a degree in? Since Pittsburgh is a larger area than Des Moines you will be paying more than $400 a month for rent unless you have roommates especially in the areas where other young people live.
The hope is to have roommates, I don't want to live alone. I'm sure most places would be more than $400 a month though, I was just responding to that poster that said there is some housing in Oakland? that has a strong student population with decent housing and stuff going on for around that price, which would be cool. He also mentioned I would obviously need roommates.
Problem with roommates is like I said, I know no one in PGH, so I would need to either find someone looking for roommates or something. Not sure what websites are good for that, although craigslist comes to mind.
As for what i'm going for, still a bit undecided. Gotta be something that doesn't require much math though...
Okay, so, after quickly browsing this, I have a few thoughts:
-I totally understand the situation you're in. However, it sounds like you're not reaaaally into school, and you really just wanna get the hell out of small-town Iowa. Totally get it. With that said, I would STRONGLY suggest you grind it out and finish your AA in Iowa, then transfer wherever you want. Don't add additional student loan debt for community college. Unless you're in a high-demand field, the economy sucks. No use in making it harder for yourself right out of the gate.
-Pittsburgh sounds like a good fit for you. If you absolutely MUST move right now, and really want to finish a Bachelor's, look into Point Park University in Downtown Pittsburgh. It's a decent school - I briefly went there, and depending on what your major is, it might be a great fit for you. They have some excellent, competitive programs. But on the flip side, if you're just looking to major in whatever and get a degree and don't care too much about an "excellent education", it might not be bad for you in that regard. Their financial aid is generally pretty generous, especially if you don't come from a rich family. Downtown is pretty cool. Not as vibrant/young as Oakland or the rest of the East End, but it's getting there, and it's a lot better than rural Iowa.
-What are your interests, academically and hobbies? If you're not really into school, why not just make the move, get a crappy little job to pay the bills (paging SCR!), and maybe try a trade school or some type of short certification program. Pittsburgh would be a good city for this, since the cost of living is a lot lower than most cities that people our age try and make the move to so they can get out of their little towns (NYC, LA, etc)
-I know you don't want to stay in Iowa, but there's gotta be at least SOME city that's relatively hip/urban/cultural/whatever. Isn't gay marriage legal in Iowa? That's usually a sign of young/progressive, and college towns are generally a good indicator of this. Last resort, maybe, but I really wouldn't take on too much student loan debt if you don't really know what you want to do with it.
Okay, so, after quickly browsing this, I have a few thoughts:
-I totally understand the situation you're in. However, it sounds like you're not reaaaally into school, and you really just wanna get the hell out of small-town Iowa. Totally get it. With that said, I would STRONGLY suggest you grind it out and finish your AA in Iowa, then transfer wherever you want. Don't add additional student loan debt for community college. Unless you're in a high-demand field, the economy sucks. No use in making it harder for yourself right out of the gate.
-Pittsburgh sounds like a good fit for you. If you absolutely MUST move right now, and really want to finish a Bachelor's, look into Point Park University in Downtown Pittsburgh. It's a decent school - I briefly went there, and depending on what your major is, it might be a great fit for you. They have some excellent, competitive programs. But on the flip side, if you're just looking to major in whatever and get a degree and don't care too much about an "excellent education", it might not be bad for you in that regard. Their financial aid is generally pretty generous, especially if you don't come from a rich family. Downtown is pretty cool. Not as vibrant/young as Oakland or the rest of the East End, but it's getting there, and it's a lot better than rural Iowa.
-What are your interests, academically and hobbies? If you're not really into school, why not just make the move, get a crappy little job to pay the bills (paging SCR!), and maybe try a trade school or some type of short certification program. Pittsburgh would be a good city for this, since the cost of living is a lot lower than most cities that people our age try and make the move to so they can get out of their little towns (NYC, LA, etc)
-I know you don't want to stay in Iowa, but there's gotta be at least SOME city that's relatively hip/urban/cultural/whatever. Isn't gay marriage legal in Iowa? That's usually a sign of young/progressive, and college towns are generally a good indicator of this. Last resort, maybe, but I really wouldn't take on too much student loan debt if you don't really know what you want to do with it.
No, I am not REALLY into school, but neither of my parents have college education, my sister got her bachelors at Iowa (although she likes living here and is married), and I certainly know that I want a good life for me, and my future family. Because of what i've went through (not that my childhood was rough, but it certainly wasn't ideal), I do want to go to college and get the most education I can. I definitely am going to try my hardest to keep going in education.
I am a huge sports fan, huge part of my life. Follow the NFL, MLB, and NBA very closely and trying to get into NHL. I would love to get into something in the sports industry, whether thats writing for a newspaper, actually working inside an organization, etc. I definitely don't want to "just get by" in life, I want to have a good quality of life.
I mean I'm in a suburb in a suburb of des Moines atm, it's better than where I'm from, but there still isn't much to do at all. Maybe i'm just struggling to find it...I don't know.
I'm somewhat of a pariah on City-Data because I've eschewed every sort of sound logical advice given to me by the "experts", yet somehow I'm still living life (mostly) happily ever after, much to their chagrin.
Growing up I did everything I was supposed to do. I had very strict parents that ensured I graduated with honors with distinction from our mediocre public school district in the suburbs of Scranton, PA---in the opposite corner of the state. I commuted from my parents' home to a college fifteen minutes away in Wilkes-Barre in order to save on room and board. Given my dad's unemployment situation at that time (laid off from IBM), coupled with my sister and father both being alumni of that same institution of higher learning, I also received generous scholarships and financial aid to the point where I now only still owe just over $10,000 in student loan debt and have a B.S. in Accounting.
I only interviewed for a select few positions, mostly outside of my very economically-depressed native area, and I snagged a job offer in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. While apartment-hunting with my parents I didn't really like the feel of the area, which was mostly suburban, middle-aged, and materialistic, but I told myself the job opportunity would be enough to outweigh the negatives of living in an area that just didn't quite feel "right" to me. Wrong! The ~$41,000 salary the job offered sounded like a ton of money given the stagnant area I grew up within, but when adjusted for the cost-of-living disparity I found myself truly struggling economically paying well over $1,000/month in rent, an annual tax on my car that was in the hundreds of dollars, high utility bills, high car insurance, and much, much more. The only thing that I found to be reasonably-priced were groceries (those are quite expensive in Pittsburgh for some reason). I ended up utilizing my credit card irresponsibly and extravagantly whenever I wanted to do something fun with friends, even if it was just grabbing a cheese steak at the local tavern or a mixed drink at a happy hour. So I was living poor in an area I hated, AND the job opportunity turned out to be falsely-advertised---no "mentor"; a mentally-unstable boss (so many of those in the Federal government, but I digress) who would scream profanities and throw things across her office if a new hire asked her a question; poorly-timed training opportunities; etc. I didn't even have a seat and had to use a makeshift one in a "LAN" room in between massive computer terminals and all sorts of wiring. Couple that with being back-stabbed by people whom I thought were my friends, and needless to say I was EXTREMELY miserable living there and needed to get out ASAP for my mental health.
I did what I had to do. I found someone to take over my lease. I abruptly quit my job when I found out a requested transfer to Pittsburgh was being delayed. I pounced on what would turn out to be an unbelievably good deal in Pittsburgh---$550/month for an airy 1-BR loft in a safe neighborhood within walking distance of Downtown. I immediately snagged two menial jobs that would be "beneath" most people, but when accounting for the lower cost-of-living here vs. Northern Virginia I was actually living more comfortably---nicer digs in a nicer neighborhood in the heart of a thriving major city near young people vs. a dive apartment in a bland community a half-hour outside the city replete with middle-aged foreign IT workers.
I'm still "underemployed" and work in a profession many of the people on here disrespect me for. With that being said I have so much optimism and idealism back in my life that I'm hedging my bets and opening my own business venture in this growing city that should be netting me six-figures annually within five years of opening. I've learned that I'm better off being my own boss since I've burned bridges in the corporate world upstaging superiors and being bold with my critiques of management styles. I drive a 2013 sedan, can dine out/order in once per week, can see a movie every month, can take day-trips at least once per month, am paying off debt to improve my credit score after the damage I inflicted upon it living above my means in Northern Virginia, etc., all while being "under"employed to the people on here who can't understand why a college-educated male wouldn't want to sit in a cubicle for 40 hours per week listening to aging colleagues whine about the "Stillers" all day.
I just want to provide you with encouragement that sometimes there ARE risks worth taking. You only live once (YOLO, as the young'ins are calling it nowadays). Why spend any more time than you absolutely need to being miserable? Why stay somewhere because you're being told "it's the proper route to take..." when it's eating you up inside emotionally? If I was "doing the responsible thing" I'd still be chugging along living alone and paying $1,300/month for rent in Northern Virginia making a $70,000 salary, yet I'd feel so empty, worthless, depressed, and soul-crushed in the process. I make less money in Pittsburgh. I live better, though.
People on City-Data tend to skew more affluent and more educated than the norm, not to mention more materialistic in many circles. You're not going to find many other people advocating that you take risks/chances while you're this young vs. those with the "stay the course" mindset because for most on here the only sensible/logical decisions you should ever make are the ones that will improve your situation financially. I've found those with the latter attitude, though, will find themselves old and harboring much angst and regret for NOT taking the road less traveled when they were younger and still having a lot of unanswered "What If?" questions.
A lot of people I knew in Northern Virginia HATED it there just as much as I did, but they were "toughing it out" in order to retire wealthy in their 60s and then travel. Those people thought I was foolish for relocating and giving up that "good" job (on paper). Some of us would rather take greater risks while young to ENJOY our formative years since there's no guarantee you'll live far past retirement, anyways (at least not in good health). Take it from someone whose mother and father are only in their mid-50s and are battling cancer and heart problems, respectively. Life is short. Life is precious. Don't waste it being afraid to make a big move or to chase your dreams. NEVER stop pursuing your dreams. NEVER.
P.S. Pittsburgh is one of the few remaining exciting, hip, urbane cities in this country where young (and old) people CAN migrate here, find menial work, and survive comfortably with roommates. I like to tell people I live a "Sex and the City" or "Friends" lifestyle, but while earning a fraction of the money and spending a quarter of the price. Rents have risen very considerably in Pittsburgh over the past several years due to all of the positive national press we've received, which has led more migrants here, while apartment construction was stagnant during the Great Recession. The total number of housing units in this city DECREASED from 2000-2010, while the young people moving here was INCREASING, leading to a rental shortage that placed upward pressure on pricing. Newer apartments here tend to rent for $1,400/month+ for a 1-BR.
Nevertheless my partner and I split $700/month in rent for a no frills 1-BR (only $350/month each, excluding utilities except for trash removal), and we live in the sort of neighborhood that is affording me the opportunity on this rare Tuesday off to soon hop into the shower, walk out my front door, and go for a run around Downtown and its environs. I'm then going to shower again (I'm a hygiene freak), change, and walk down to an adjacent neighborhood to check out a history museum I have free admission to as a perk of being a member of our neighborhood association. On the way back I'm planning to stop into the public market to browse for cheeses and a new bakery and buy some pastries for the home. I may also head across the street to a new gourmet deli/market to buy some organic Pop Tarts and organic Acai Berry juice I've fallen in love with. Dinner tonight will be Peruvian quesadillas picked up from a locally-owned and -operated restaurant in that same neighborhood. I'm only considering even TOUCHING my car today to take it for a good vacuuming. Otherwise I'm going to be able to enjoy a day I never would have been able to enjoy where I moved here from. My total budget for the day? $40. That would have been our dinner budget alone in Northern Virginia, and the cost to ride Metrorail back-and-forth to the District for both of us round-trip probably would have totaled half that amount, too.
I can at least vouch that Pittsburgh is very different from Des Moines; I've only been there a couple of times, but unless they were anomalies I've never witnessed such a dead downtown area; seriously I could go a couple of blocks without seeing another human being. The only livelyness was the farmers market on Saturday morning (which is very cool).
If you're looking at Duquesne, most of the students living off campus live in the south side neighborhood which would be a good fit, but is also fairly pricey & multiple roommates would be a must.
I would probably shy away from Oakland unless you were attending one of the schools there as while its student heavy it lacks any nightlife which you seem to be looking for too.
Good luck
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