SAT and college question

amother

Taupe

Sun, Nov 04 2018, 4:18 pm

My DH is currently working part-time and learning part-time. We are trying to figure out when and where he is going to go to college. He wants to become a computer programmer.

Here's the situation: he never took the SAT in high school, since he went to a yeshiva that didn't tell them anything about it. It's a shame, since the Common Core came about in between. He's pretty bright, but not necessarily the best at reading comprehension (I'm not sure about his level, honestly).

He has a BTL, which means it's unlikely that he'll be able to get any financial aid through FAFSA or anything else like that. This leaves academic scholarships, which are largely based on the SAT. He has a very good GPA from high school, so that would definitely help him.

I have a couple of questions:
1) Which college would probably work out best for him- when weighing the cost per semester vs. how long it will take him in college? We are in Flatbush.
2) Considering that he has a BTL, would he qualify for the Excelsior Scholarship that is offered in the CUNY schools? (Our combined income is less than $120K).
3) Should he take the SAT with minimal prep just to see what he gets, and then take it again if necessary? He's probably not going to find time to prep for a while.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Nov 04 2018, 5:16 pm

Kingsborough doesn't require an SAT score to attend, just an assessment test for class placement. Their tuition is minimal I believe it's 2626 a semester. There are definitely groups of jews scattered throughout the campus.
I'm not sure about Touro, but they may have a program as well, but I don't know much about it.
I also don't know much about online courses, would that be an option?

amother

Jetblack

Sun, Nov 04 2018, 10:33 pm

From my experience as a programmer - online vs in person college isn't that different, specifically for this field. I know a few very experienced programmers who say that any college degree in this field isn't worth much anyway - they recommend bootcamps such as FullStack Academy instead if you're really interested in programming.

amother

Taupe

Sun, Nov 04 2018, 11:11 pm

amother wrote:

The truth is, my dh knows Java and some VBA. From what we've seen in his job search, though, all these tech jobs require a degree. How can you get a job in tech with an online degree or just a bootcamp?

myname1

Mon, Nov 05 2018, 4:34 am

I think he can take a practice test online to give him an idea of his level. I remember number2.com (I think) from when I was preparing for the SAT many moons again. Don't know if it's still useful, but I'm sure there's something out there.