Advise for a teen really wanting to go to a Catholic College

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Hey, I am a Junior in High school and I have always wanted a Catholic Education! In fact my dream is study Theology and Philosophy at a Catholic School. I am currently enrolled at a public school. I have been to two public schools and one absolutely made me so horrified that I transferred back to my hometown. After seeing how messed up some of this stuff has gotten. I find myself Catholic College! My Dad and Mom are supportive, but don’t want me to go in debt for life. I am an average student with average grades. Most likely the next summer will be the most strenuous I have ever had with trying to get my classes requirements met. I play football and I run track. The school I have been looking at like Franciscan University is one I get really get excited about! Also I looked at St. Benedictine Lewis University a little, University of St. Francis, St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Marquette, and Holy Cross College.
So my question is do you have any advise on how I afford a Catholic College?
Thank you and God Bless you for your patience in reading this.
God Bless
 
Get your grades up above just average! You should contact the admission offices at the schools you are interested in attending and inquire into any grants or scholarships that you might qualify for and consider getting a part time job during the summer to save up for your future. Your parents are correct; the last thing you want is a decade worth of student loans to pay off when you are just getting started in your adult life.
 
Do it, believe me in the long run, you’ll be glad you made that choice and stuck with it.
 
You should also consider not going to college at all, or getting some work experience first and going later if and when it becomes necessary to advance your career.
 
This may sound really cheesy and generic but try to apply to as many scholarship as possible.
 
Benedictine and Fanciscan are well known for being quite Catholic. If that is what you really want, I would recommend going there. Being a Junior in High School, myself, I have also been looking for colleges. St. Thomas, which you mentioned, is probably number 1 on my list right now, but it is fairly pricy (in the $40,000-45,000 range). I know they have St. John Vianney Seminary on campus, but I am not sure how much one would be able to interact with it if they are only attending St. Thomas University (I know SJV students take philosophy courses at St. Thomas). I guess it also depends on what kind of environment you want. St. Thomas is pretty urban. Steubenville is smaller and less urban. There are a lot of factors to think about.
 
You could always get your AA at a junior college, and then finish up the last two years at a Catholic College. Thats a lot cheaper. Though, depending on the college, they might not accept transfer students. Thats something you’ll have to check into.

Or another option, if theology and philosophy is what you want to study. (That’s what I’m studying by the way, good choice 👍 ) is to check out Catholic Distance University. This is what I’m currently doing, and they’re VERY affordable, because it’s all online. They’re theology program so far has been pretty good. Although, I haven’t taken any philosophy there yet so I can’t give an opinion. Their website is cdu.edu. (pretty simple :))

Of course, if what you want is the university experience, (which is something I miss, but it doesn’t look possible right now.) that wouldn’t be the best school. But it is certainly more financially accessible.

Regardless, you still have time, and I would work on getting your grades up, you could earn a scholarship from the school you want to attend if you have what they’re looking for.

Hope that helps and good luck at wherever God leads you!!
 
You’ll need to get your grades up to as close to perfect as you can. There are preparatory academies in most towns and cities that will help you improve your grades and then prepare for SAT or an entrance exam.

I went to DePaul and love that university. But if you want a university that is extremely Catholic, then I think you would want one of the smaller liberal arts colleges.

As far as funding… that will be difficult since Catholic universities are private. You should get a catalog of potential scholarships and find anything possible. Look for grants as well. There are a lot of little philanthropic organizations who grant money towards tuition. Then there are student loans, which can turn into a nightmare down the road. But if that’s the only way you can go to college, then that’s all you have left. But if you do that, I suggest being extremely careful about what you study and look for something that is very likely to result in a well-paying job.

If you remain single, another option is to join the Peace Corp after you graduate. After a few years of that, the government will pay some portion of your student loan debt. I think it’s probably four years, similar to military service.

Then there is the armed forces. The GI Bill is actually an excellent deal, but if your not cut out for that, then don’t do it. That said, if you join the military for four years, then you will separate with the ability to go to a university and receive a decent monthly stipend for about six years. It probably won’t cover the entire tuition and residence fees, but it will make a huge dent. Then you can seek veteran grants.

Many state universities have strong Catholic presences as well. Don’t discount them too much. I have seen a state university in Chicago with a very active Catholic ministry. Meanwhile, I have seen a Catholic university with almost the same sexualized culture that exists at that state university.

If I could do it over again, I would still go to a Catholic University, but I would graduate single and join the Peace Corp. Four years military, followed by four years college, followed by four years peace corp. Then I would go to graduate school at age ~30 with very little debt.
 
StephenL said:
So my question is do you have any advise on how I afford a Catholic College?
Thank you and God Bless you for your patience in reading this.
God Bless
Click to expand...
I’ve sent my oldest two children to two different private colleges (one Catholic, one Lutheran) at a lower cost than they would have had to pay at an in-state public college.

Your goal - make yourself someone the college really wants. Most colleges have a variety of scholarships they can award incoming students. Some are not advertised. They may not be much individually, but they can add up quickly - then add in work study, part-time jobs, a little money from parents, some small loans and it can be done.

Suggestions - get your grades up.

Take / Retake the SAT and/or ACT - get books from the library first on tips/tricks for taking the test. Do practice ones online. Do not pay for tutoring (save that $ for college - the test taking guides will help and are available free at the library).

How well do you play football and run track? If fairly well, contact the coach(es) at the college and express your interest. Even if the school doesn’t offer sports scholarships, if you fill a need, there are ways they can boost your standing in competition for other scholarships.

If you are more on the participant level - let one sport go and use that practice time to earn money at a part-time job.

Make sure the college knows your future major and why you are passionate about it - see if you can arrange a visit to speak with someone (dean, counselor, etc.) about your major. Just like in job hunting, networking is very important! Make yourself more than just another application.

Apply on time for everything - one missed deadline can and will hurt. Apply as early as you can for scholarships, financial aid (FAFSA), admission, etc. Apply even if you think you’re not going to get anything. Always apply.

My current college student has scholarships for academics (and she wasn’t a straight A student), for her major, for show choir (she’s was in it in high school and fortunately the Catholic college she picked was just starting a college level one and were giving out small scholarships to help grow the program), and this year she’s also one of the school mascots (picking up another small scholarship for that, and earning free travel if the team goes to any championships).

In addition, she works (worked) part time at McD’s, and picked up a full-time summer job, to cover her expenses and part of her tuition in addition to a small amount in loans.

She also received grant money from our state (automatically applied for by filing the Federal Student Aid forms if filed on time). So overall, her financial aid packet has like 18 different scholarships, loans, grants, contributions, etc. It’s complicated but it adds up to something that works.

Basically be the best YOU, you can be - and let the college see who that is. If they decide they really want you, it’s amazing the amount and variety of financial aid that is out there.

Never let the “list price” of a college keep you from applying. Pray, trust God, and work as hard as you can … then see what happens. My advice is to apply to at least 4 colleges - their financial aid packages will turn out to be completely different from each other (even the Federal grant money was different amounts for each of the schools my daughters applied to).

Decide based on what the final numbers say in YOUR situation - don’t let fear or what others ended up paying - determine whether you believe you’ll be able to afford it. In my experience, things have a way of working out - for my oldest, it meant that she couldn’t afford to go to the college that was her first choice - but the school she went to instead turned out to be the very best experience for her.

Good luck, God bless!
 
Hi Stephen. I agree with Robyn about going to a junior college first. I entered Michigan State with 20 credits from a community college. I made sure they all transferred.

I am a former community college teacher and tutor, and classes at junior colleges tend to be smaller and taught by actual instructors, not TAs. The class size at my college was 28 students max.

While at Michigan State, I became a Catholic. We had a Catholic parish a few blocks away which served the students. In addition to the sacraments, we had student retreats and social activities.

I live in a suburb of Mpls-St. Paul and it is a nice area (although winters tend to be a bit tough).

Try to avoid a lot of student loans if you can as you may have a hard time getting a job after college.

Good luck!
 
I live in the Minnesota Metro area. Saint Thomas is a good choice, though like someone mentioned it is very urban and your housing will be pretty expensive if you live off of campus. The Twin cities in general are pretty “liberal.”

Depending on the experience you are looking for I would also suggested Benedictine College in Kansas, I hear they are highly orthodox. My parish priest is going there to begin his life as a monk. I myself went to a Benedictine college, and while the theology wasn’t great, I enjoyed the Benedictine spirituality, daily Mass and LOTH with the monks was great. And they tend to be in more rural areas. I know where I went to school, we were on several lakes, had awesome woods to walk through and a chapel on one of the lakes. However, since you want to study theology and philosophy I will not recommend my college (Saint Benedict’s/Saint John’s University). 😛

Get your grades up, and study for the entrance exams (take them twice to get a better score, if you need to). I got a scholarship that put my tuition close to state collage tuition, and it was a pretty standard scholarship.
 
When I hear all about the Peace Corp and military options I wonder why no one has said anything about a vocation to the priesthood and going to a seminary instead. This is a much more permanent decision much like getting married, but it is possible that the other doors are shutting because you are not hearing this calling. Be truly open to it before you say yes and also be sure this is not your calling before you say no, but do give it prayerful discernment and an informed decision. Ask your priest for more information and what help might be available from the Church.
 
StephenL said:
Hey, I am a Junior in High school and I have always wanted a Catholic Education! In fact my dream is study Theology and Philosophy at a Catholic School. I am currently enrolled at a public school. I have been to two public schools and one absolutely made me so horrified that I transferred back to my hometown. After seeing how messed up some of this stuff has gotten. I find myself Catholic College! My Dad and Mom are supportive, but don’t want me to go in debt for life. I am an average student with average grades. Most likely the next summer will be the most strenuous I have ever had with trying to get my classes requirements met. I play football and I run track. The school I have been looking at like Franciscan University is one I get really get excited about! Also I looked at St. Benedictine Lewis University a little, University of St. Francis, St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Marquette, and Holy Cross College.
So my question is do you have any advise on how I afford a Catholic College?
Thank you and God Bless you for your patience in reading this.
God Bless
Click to expand...
Have you considered the priesthood?

:newidea:
 
I have discussed it and with my Priest who said at this time. It is not for me. I admire the Priest so much. My Mom have a conversation about Faith daily and my peers said I would be voted most likely to become a Priest. I still here a call to help people! My Priest says I have an awesome Fire but with no direction. I am meeting with my Priest nearly every week now to direct this fire! The question to military people earlier I have thought about it and I must say if I am going to do it. It would be for an assistant to a Chaplain. Right now the military is one of the last resorts,
 
StephenL said:
I have discussed it and with my Priest who said at this time. It is not for me. I admire the Priest so much. My Mom have a conversation about Faith daily and my peers said I would be voted most likely to become a Priest. I still here a call to help people! My Priest says I have an awesome Fire but with no direction. I am meeting with my Priest nearly every week now to direct this fire! The question to military people earlier I have thought about it and I must say if I am going to do it. It would be for an assistant to a Chaplain. Right now the military is one of the last resorts,
Click to expand...
I’d suggest praying about the assistant to the chaplain idea. I had coffee with my women’s small group from church yesterday and during our conversation one of the women, whose son is active military, said that being a chaplain’s assistant is a dangerous job as the job is basically to protect the chaplain.

Since you say the priest says you have no direction, what about taking a year off between high school and college to work and explore options? Maybe you could do some volunteer work as well.

When I was teaching, I found in general, older students were more focused; they knew what they wanted to do. I took a year off between college and graduate school to work (I knew what I wanted to study; I just wanted a break). That was very beneficial for me.
 
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. Whatever I do in my life I want to do it for others.
 
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