[throwawaygh]

I am from Missouri and still provide a lot of advice to first gen college folks in that region.

I don't know anything about Berea, but I cannot recommend College of the Ozarks.

I can't be more clear: this is a submarine about a terrible college that no one should attend.

First, and most importantly, College of the Ozarks generally has a really terrible educational product. Really, TERRIBLE. It's difficult to over-state how bad the educational product is. Go look at their CS faculty. Almost all community colleges have way better faculty, to say nothing of other four year colleges.

Second, the work program is generous but not amazing. It's an $11K tuition waiver, which comes out to 15 hour/week job at $20/hour. Room and board is expensive, and off-campus living isn't as cheap as other options in Missouri.

Third, for students in Missouri, Truman State is an infinitely better product at roughly the same price point ($12K, and no one is stopping you from getting a part time job on or off campus...). It's a "public LAC" so the product is in the same category, but infinitely better.

Especially in CS, students are MUCH better off going to Truman State and working part-time. They'll make up the (SMALL) difference in part time job earnings through a combination of lower living expenses and way better internship placements. I'd be astounded if the average Truman CS student doesn't come out financially ahead of the average CofO student at graduation, and will eat my shoe if the Truman CS student isn't better off after 1 year of work.

Fourth, better not be homosexual or you'll be expelled / forced out. Always worth mentioning because many students don't realize this until too late.

But, again, I cannot overstate how bad of a deal CofO is compared to state schools (Truman, UMSL, Rolla) for Missouri residents, especially in high-demand fields like CS. The cost isn't that dissimilar and the faculty and educational quality at the state schools are infinitely better. I mean, go compare the CS faculty. Truman and UMSL have real CS programs staffed by real CS faculty. Rolla is a proper research university. CofO, on the other hand, has one faculty member whose industry experience is closer to "IT" than "SWE" and their curriculum is out-gunned by most community colleges. Honestly better off getting industry certs through a community college program.