Help me find the right school

January 13, 2009 9:33 AM

How can I find the right school for me, given the programs I'm looking for?

So after failing college once, and kicking around for a few years, I'm back in school and kicking ass. Last semester was my first semester back after a 3-year lapse, and I got a 3.88 with 17 credits. I'll graduate with my Associates degree in the spring, and I'm shooting for a 4.0 this semester, so I should graduate with an institutional GPA of around 3.94. I mention this to indicate that I'm serious about school, and my grades won't prevent me from getting into good schools. I'm 25 and will have access to financial aid, assuming the world financial system doesn't implode before September (fingers crossed there).

I want to major in Geography and minor in Japanese. I currently reside in Minnesota, but am willing to go to school just about anywhere. My ideal school:

1) Has a geography program
2) Has a Japanese minor available
3) Has a Japanese study abroad program

Right now the University of Minnesota and the University of Tennessee are at the top of my list. If I go out of state, I'd be relocating there to establish residency as promptly as possible. I don't mind paying out-of-state for a year.

While recommendations for schools would certainly be helpful, what I'm really looking for is a site that will help me search schools based on a few criteria. Wading through university websites gets a bit tedious after a while, so a site that could help me narrow my search would be incredibly useful.

Thanks!

posted by baphomet to education (11 comments total)

Google is your friend... Plugging "search for universities by program" into Google brings up at least three possible collegiate search engines.

Plugging {site:edu "geography major" "japanese minor"} without braces gives some catalog hits, but an actual specialized search engine is best.
posted by Ky at 10:37 AM on January 13

Take a look at H-Net Geography and sign up for their newsletter/listserve (sorry I don't know the proper term). You'll get a sense of the strong schools and the field in general.

But I really want to endorse the University of Minnesota. I'm not familiar with those departments, but I have known people who have gotten BAs or PhDs at Minnesota in the humanities at Minnesota, and ended up as very successful academics. I'm also an academic who began at a big state school.

If you were my student, judging from what you've written I'd recommend: do the BA as cheaply as you can (Minnesota) at the best school you can (Minnesota). Also, get it out of the way. Finish up quickly; there's no point spending more time than necessary at a college for a BA.

If you become serious about pursuing graduate studies, that's when it really matters where you end up studying.

I wouldn't figure study abroad program into your search. Study abroad programs are moneymakers for schools, so quality is not always a primary concern. There too you'd want to do your research. There are scholarship options and well-known programs independent of US universities, run by Japanese schools. For instance, there's the Fulbright, for after you graduate, and a branch of the Japanese government (Monbusho) sponsors a number of undergraduate scholarships. You could also go to Japan after you graduate to study or on the JET program. The Study Abroad office at your future school will help you figure this part out.

Congratulations for doing so well. I teach and you are my favorite kind of student.
posted by vincele at 10:55 AM on January 13

This is not a direct answer to your question, because I don't know anything about our chosen major, but I just wanted to give a word of warning about TN. I work at a public univ here (but not U Tenn) and the state is having a MAJOR budget crisis, public higher education in the state has already taken several major cuts (I believe we had 3 in the latter half of 2008 alone), with more probably on the way. So I would just caution you to look long and hard before committing to any public institution in this state, because the financial situation is in a tremendous amount of flux, and that could possibly affect both financial aid and tuition on down the line.

Good luck.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 11:47 AM on January 13

Does your current school have an advising office and have you gone? Most schools, especially CCs which focus on transferring students to 4-year schools, subscribe to things like Barron's "Profiles of colleges in the US" or US News and World Report's Ultimate College Guide (there many other competing, similar publications-- those are just the first I think of). Books of these type include indexes of majors-- so you can retrieve a list of all colleges with geography majors, and a list of all colleges with Japanese majors, then cross-reference your list. If your school doesn't have these, your local public library or a nearby high school library may have them.
posted by holyrood at 12:39 PM on January 13

If I go out of state, I'd be relocating there to establish residency as promptly as possible. I don't mind paying out-of-state for a year.

Just so you know, many (most?) states don't let you establish residency while you're in school. You can live there for four years straight, but if you are in school and they judge that you moved to the state for school, you never become an official resident. If you want the in-state tuition, you might have to live and work there for a year (or however long they require) before starting a full time program. Most schools will have information or links to state websites to explain the details, on the page where they list their tuition. (And congrats on going back to school!)
posted by vytae at 1:04 PM on January 13

If you go to Evergreen you can study whatever you want, including Japanese (in Japan) and geography.

Like vytae said, though, you'll need to live in Washington for a year for non-academic purposes before you can get residency.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:48 PM on January 13

Minnesota is known for having a great Master's program in Geography, so I hear (my brother is a Geo major). Any school the size of the U of M should have a decent Japanese program and available study abroad too. Plus, prices aren't too bad. Good luck!
posted by JannaK at 3:35 PM on January 13

Uh, hello, University of Wisconsin and tuition remission! Can't go into much detail at the moment, but MeFi mail me and I can give you admission tips.
posted by Madamina at 4:21 PM on January 13

This site looks really helpful, I found it on Google. Your guidance office would probably have some kind of library, too.
posted by ramenopres at 7:19 PM on January 13

vincele: Thanks for your thoughts! I'm most strongly considering the U of M (they have an automatic admissions program with my community college-- if you get your AA there in the spring and have a high enough GPA, which I do, you're automatically enrolled in the U of M), but wanted to make sure I explored other options thoroughly. WRT study abroad/JET, I have been planning on doing JET for some time (that's actually why I went back to school), and wanted to study abroad to enhance my JET application. Apparently they have problem with recent graduates moving out there, getting completely overwhelmed, and dropping out of the program, so from what I've heard they give preference to graduates who have previously spent time living in Japan, such as in a study abroad. Also thank you for the compliment, that was extremely nice and very appreciated.

DiscourseMarker: I appreciate the perspective, but the state of Minnesota is currently staring down the barrel of a $5bn budget shortfall over the next two years, so its not like the situation here is really any better.

Madamina: I completely didn't think about that. Madison has the programs I'm looking for, and is now on my list of schools to apply to.

ramenopres: Thanks! That's totally perfect!

Others: Thanks for pointing out that in-state residency can't be established through student residence. I wasn't aware of that and that is going to hugely influence my decision. I really appreciate everyone's help and will keep this thread updated with my plans.
posted by baphomet at 12:28 PM on January 14

My information is outdated, but for what it is worth, I've always heard the opposite about JET: that they prefer candidates who don't know Japanese/Japan well so that they can play the part of the jolly outgoing foreigner more authentically. Times change, but when I lived in Japan many, many 20-something expats there to teach/speak English for a year or two hated the work and by extension, Japan. JET might very well have realized it is best to go with candidates who know a little about Japan and changed its policy.

Essentially JET pays you to teach/speak English with people regardless of their abilities in English so for that reason JET's a poor way to learn Japanese unless you're really motivated to move outside expat circles.

On the other hand, it can be a great experience, and you can end up making interesting, influential Japanese contacts who can help you down the road, when you return as a cash-strapped graduate student.
posted by vincele at 12:37 PM on January 15