Information about NC State College degree requirements, registering in a technical degree program to develop job skills, and taking free practice tests online. Which college degrees will give you the best chances of finding employment after graduation? Some students select a major because it offers practical training that will be valuable in the workplace. Other students choose their major simply because they enjoy the subject material. The most popular college major is business administration, split evenly between men and women. On the other hand, men make up the vast majority of computer science and engineering majors. For women, the fields of education, English and liberal arts dominate the list.
Online courses foster faculty innovation in teaching, by requiring professors to develop new course materials. Students can participate in group discussions with a live professor via Google Hangouts, a free video-conferencing application that you can access via gmail. If you so choose, online education gives you the opportunity to take difficult courses that won't show up on your transcript. Alternatively, you may be able to complete online credits for a grade. Advanced Placement exams (AP Exams) are offered in a variety of subjects, offering college credit for classes that you have taken.
Test yourself with free practice exams, before visiting the College Board website to register to take your actual AP Tests. If you earn a score of 3 or higher on an AP Exam, you may be granted advanced placement in college.
Online Courses - MOOCs
The best college for a student is not necessarily the highest ranking school in the Forbes or US News listings, but the college that offers a student rewarding career chances. If you remain true to your career interests, not just going after salary, your overall job earnings will increase as you gain experience. However, if your focus is more on salary alone, there's a higher risk that you'll suffer early signs of burnout, and be forced to change careers later on.
Technical
training programs are a low-cost alternative to attending a regular four-year college, and still you may earn good money as a highly-skilled, technical specialist. By taking some of your required degree courses online, you may be able to graduate earlier, thus saving money on tuition. If you're currently employed, you can take online courses in your spare time to advance your career. Massive Open Online Courses are known as MOOCs, utilizing cloud-based software, interactive platforms such as Blackboard, and mobile apps.
An
online degree may be just as marketable as a college degree that was earned on campus. Udemy online learning is a new startup with backing from the founders of Groupon. Similarly, Khan Academy now offers over 4,000 micro-lectures served through YouTube. Coursera, a competing software platform, has millions of enrolled students from around the world. Recently, MIT announced that it's open courseware platform will be available to students and instructors at no cost.
Admissions Statistics
As the NC State College admission's office has to analyze many applications, your goal is to stand out in a good way. Keep your admissions' application brief, and stick to the point when answering questions. If a high school student is passionate about going to a particular college, but doesn't have the grades, he or she may try to apply for a
degree major that is less popular, or harder for the school to fill. Job offers aren't tied to a particular major, so work on getting good grades from a solid school instead. Depending on the schools you're applying to, the admissions process can range from a simple formula that weighs grades and test scores, to a subjective review of your whole application.
2,149 Students
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Undergrad: 2,149
Graduate: 0
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81% Accepted
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Graduation
within 4 years: n/a
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Most colleges accept either the SAT or ACT, and have formulas for converting raw test scores. Colleges use these standardized tests because there are substantial differences in curricula, grading, and difficulty among US high schools. One benefit of the ACT test is that it allows the test-taker to select scores to send to specific colleges. The SAT test is more focused on testing reasoning ability while the ACT is a content-based test of achievement. On average, over half of students retaking the SAT saw improvements in their scores. Further, Advanced Placement exams are offered in a variety of physical sciences, offering you college credit for honors-level classes that you have taken while still in high school.
Test yourself with practice exams online, before visiting the College Board website to register to take your actual AP Tests.
Recent developments in college admissions include higher numbers of applicants, more foreign students, and increased use of online application forms. High school grades are the most important factor in gaining
admission to the college of your choice. Therefore, maintaining high grades is particularly important for the fall semester of senior year. An ideal academic record is one of increasingly better grades, in courses of progressive difficulty. About half of colleges use a waiting list, and many community colleges have agreements with four-year universities, so that the transfer of credits is ensured.
Financial Aid Information
Government scholarships and grants, combined with private scholarships, only account for a third of total college aid. Loans, earnings, and savings make up the remaining two-thirds. Please note that financial aid deadlines are strictly enforced, so submit your application early. Millions of students that would have qualified for some financial aid didn't even apply for it, or were late in submitting required forms. The official FAFSA website is
www.fafsa.ed.gov and is free. Filing taxes early is recommended, but using estimates for FAFSA from previous years is possible provided the correct data is updated later after taxes are filed for the current year.
The IRS suggests that parents maintain accurate financial statements, including tax forms and business records, for use when applying for student financial aid. Most private loan programs are tied to one or more financial indexes, such as the BBA LIBOR Rate, plus an overhead charge. Because private loans are based on the credit history of the applicant, the overhead charge may vary. Tuition rates and fee statistics follow below, including both in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees. Where data is available, students can anticipate the following educational expenses.
In-State Tuition
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Undergrad:
tuition: $2,610
fees: $504
credit hour: $87
Graduate:
grad tuition: n/a
graduate fees: n/a
grad credit hour: n/a
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Out-of-State
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Undergrad:
tuition: $5,220
fees: $1,008
credit hour: $173
Graduate:
grad tuition: n/a
graduate fees: n/a
grad credit hour: n/a
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Federal Direct Student Loans, also known as Direct Loans, are funded by the US Treasury. Alternatively,
student credit cards may seem like a good short-term solution, but the interest rates are high, and credit cards often carry an annual fee. You can get a credit report online by submitting a credit card application, whether you are approved or not. The College Board Scholarship Search service advertises several thousand sources for possible scholarship funds. Volunteer organizations offer scholarships or grants to students whose background or chosen field overlaps the field of the organization.