Colleges near Oklahoma City?
PLEASE READ WHOLE DESCRIPTION!!!
So, my name is Summer and I'm a sophomore in high school living in Tucson, AZ. I've been thinking of going to the U of A because it's a great school, conveniently close, it's cheaper because I'm an Arizona resident, and I want to major in special ed (they have a great special ed program).
The thing is, my long-distance girlfriend who means more to me than life itself lives in Oklahoma City. I know it's EXTREMELY unlikely, but is there any chance that there is a more convenient for me college around there?
A few more things:
-I could live with my girlfriend so housing is not a problem
-My parents are both lower middle class
-I don't have a college savings account that I know of
-My grandparents on both sides are middle class and would definitely help pay for college
-I'm extremely smart and have very good grades
Thank you sooooo much!!
Comments
The University of Oklahoma is about 20 miles south of Oklahoma City.
But it won't be "more convenient" than University of Arizona, and it's likely to cost you a lot more. Out-of-state tuition is $24+K at University of Oklahoma, versus instate tuition of $11+K at Arizona. Plus you are far more likely to get scholarships in-state at UA than OU.
You couldn't live with your girlfriend for the first year, at least: OU requires freshment to live on-campus. Also, you never know what will happen in future years so you can't really rely on a friend's parents for housing.
Also, if you've lived in Arizona your whole life, it's unlikely you'll be happy with the weather in Oklahoma. And living 20 miles away (or more, if your friend lives on the north side of town) will make it difficult or impossible to get to class during ice storms, etc.
But you don't have to worry about it now. Get the best grades you can, and the best SAT or ACT scores possible (don't wait until the last minute; take them in your junior year, so if you don't do well you have time to take a prep class and retake the exam). Then when you're a senior, apply to BOTH universities and ALL the financial aid possible (look on the scholarships page) at both schools. Then when you get your admissions decision and financial aid packages, you can see which is the better deal. But DON'T go into debt at OU if UA costs considerably less.
Exactly What KIND of college and how big an area around Oklahoma City ( and Oklahoma county) do you consider to be a "reasonable distance?. The University of Oklahoma main campus in Norman is about 7 miles south of the Oklahoma county Cleveland county line, south of Moore OK, infamous for how many tornadoes tear up parts of Moore.. There's an Oklahoma City College, Rose State College in Midwest City, two Moore Norman Technical Schools campuses (no this is NOT a community college. NO degree programs are offered)
"..List of colleges and universities in Oklahoma City
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oklahoma City and surrounding suburbs are home to a variety of colleges and universities, including:
Public[edit]
Langston University (Langston)
Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City
University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond)
University of Oklahoma (Norman)
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (Chickasha)
Private[edit]
American Christian College and Seminary
DeVry University - Oklahoma City campus
Downtown College Consortium[1]
Heartland Baptist Bible College[2]
Hillsdale Free-Will Baptist College (Moore)
Metropolitan College
Mid-America Christian University
Oklahoma Baptist College
Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee)
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City University
St. Gregory's University (Shawnee)
Southern Nazarene University (Bethany)
Southwestern Christian University
University of Phoenix - Oklahoma City campuses
References..
Personally both the colleges in Langston, Shawnee and Chickasaw would be a VERY long commute BOTH ways. I had a 40 mile or round trip when i went to De Vry University on the Northwest Expressway in Oklahoma city. I've lived in Norman for 37 years and it now more "home" to me than greater New Orleans. Norman is is rapidly expanding on the north side, it will not be long before you will not be able to tell where Norman ends and Moore begins, and you can't tell where Cleveland county ends and Oklahoma county begins.
You WILL experience culture shock IF you live in Oklahoma. I did the year I lived in Tucson and went to the University of Arizona. i grew up in BOTH greater New Orleans And the Oklahoma panhandle. Adjusting to new university, especially if the only University environment was private like Tulane's was and still probably still is despite the Tulane now requiring community service. probably still is. There is a reason WHY Okies have a reputation for bring stubborn and sometimes obstinate, especially if your family DID NOT LEAVE during the Dust Bowl.
Here's a list of up to 10 colleges in and around OK City:
https://www.campusexplorer.com/colleges/in/Oklahom...
Campus explorer is a good site, and I also highly recommend getting the US News College Guide as well as the Fiske Guide for your research. I started with the US News College Guide & Rankings Book back when I was your age. I adore that you're planning already.
Here's a link to the Fiske College Guide:
https://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2018-E...
and the current US News Guide:
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Colleges-2018-Find-You...
You don't have to buy them on Amazon. Just a couple of links.
Also, please look into PSAT practice guides. The Barron's and Kaplan guides seem to be well-liked, but you can also peruse those on your own as well. Don't use older issues of these guides, as the PSAT and SAT test guidelines and rules have changed as of 2016. Tests are scored differently now, in addition to other changes.
Things may change over time, and you may have to make financial choices that involve private vs public schools, in-state or out-of-state--but it doesn't hurt to research the entire USA or beyond, including Oklahoma and Arizona. US News is a great start as it will give you national, state, regional, rankings and summaries. I'm pretty sure you will be able to do the math on the differences between in and out of state costs when you get your FAFSA results and merit/financial aid award letters back. You'll clearly understand whether it's cheaper to go in-state or out, or to a private school, depending on what's important to you. Some states just have cheaper overall tuition even for out-of-staters, but usually you'll pay a lot more to go out-of-state (even if that is in loans due to your parents' income being low). You'll have to do the research but remember that loans are things you'll have to pay off and that can be hard too. Another thing to do is have your girlfriend research coming to Arizona instead when the time comes years from now.
Best Wishes!
You've already thought out the "pro" and "con" aspects of each choice, and you already realize that whichever way you decide, there will be good points and bad points. Staying in Arizona will keep you in "familiar territory," save you the cost of "out of state tuition," and let you attend a "great school," with a "great special ed program." But it would put at risk your relationship with your girlfriend. "Long distance" love affairs work fine in the movies, but tend not to be satisfactory in real life. On the other hand, if you move to Oklahoma to be with your lady, (assuming your parents are cool with it, or you have arranged alternate financing), you'll be living in an unfamiliar place, attending a school that's less satisfying, and which you aren't as enthusiastic about, and you risk the possibility that your relationship might cool, and you wake one day to discover that she no longer "means more to you than life itself." You find that possibility hard to imagine, but it happens quite frequently, particularly between couples who are still "uncommitted." Talk to her, and find out why she went to Oklahoma. I'm assuming that you knew her in Arizona, and that she, too, had the option of attending school locally, but decided her education choices upstaged the importance of the relationship she had with you. Find out why. You say she is "the love of your life," but does she feel the same way, and if so, what consideration was so strong that it caused her to put the relationship at risk by moving so far away? Having that information should shed some light on whether you are doing yourself a favor to follow after her, or whether you are better off to stay where you are, attend a school you're excited about, and find out if your love affair is actually going to survive the challenges of "distance."