Archive for November, 2009

As Thanksgiving approaches and the first semester enters its final weeks, now is the appropriate time for freshmen to take stock of their choice of a college. If you were like virtually every other student in America, you began the year experiencing some real feelings of homesickness. Not only did you miss the high school friends you no longer get to see, you found yourself missing that family dinner table.

Many a day you felt like an outsider. Not only was everyone older than you, they all seemed to know the routines you were still trying to figure out. Even so, you all faced yet another challenge, living with a complete stranger in a tiny dorm room that had you feeling that your privacy had been compromised forever.

All of it only added layer upon layer of stress to the significant academic demands of your classes.

But by now, if you are like most college students, you find you have picked the perfect place. You have had the chance to meet many wonderful new friends and adapted to the give and take of living with another student. Though you still feel a sense of wanting to communicate with former friends and family, you now have ample social opportunities and a host of people that help lessen the emotional tugs of those you have not been able to see.

Most importantly, you have a sense of the academic rigor and how to meet the educational demands being placed upon you. In sum total, if you are the typical student, you have been able to carve out a new place that should now feel like home.

Whereas in September and early October we would counsel patience, as Thanksgiving approaches if you have found that you still have not made any friends or are not feeling positive about college, it could well be that you did not select the right school for you. Here are five warning signs you may have picked the wrong college.

Feeling totally Out of Place Socially

Do you continue to feel out of place socially? Have you had real difficulty finding at least two other students who match your values and view regarding college?

Does your school seem to be a steady stream of parties with few folks focused in on academics? Or, does the atmosphere appear too stuffy and intense as everyone seems to hunker down and study incessantly?

Perhaps you have not found a single classmate that shares your particular religious views or who shares your interests in environmental or political issues. Maybe you feel out of place wearing Walmart jeans amongst folks who see JCrew as cheap fashion.

While it is natural to feel alone the first month or two at school, by now you should have come across a few individuals that match your values. If you truly have made a strong effort to find classmates yet still feel like an outsider, you may well have selected the wrong school for you.

The Wrong Physical Location

Were you concerned that your choice of college was going to get in the way of the friendships you began developing in early childhood? Or worse yet, did you select your school based on your desire to still be able to see a certain boy or girl?

And because of those concerns, did you choose your school simply to be closer to home only now to find your high school friends showing up on campus every weekend or worse yet stopping by during the week?

Perhaps it was the opposite, in a desire to be on your own, you chose a place that put some serious miles between you and your former life. But perhaps you chose such a distance that as Thanksgiving approaches you are now stuck on campus with not enough money to fly home and too far to hop in a car and ride.

Experts advise students to be sure they choose their school based on the programs it offers and their personal academic interests. If instead you selected your school based on a specific location you may well find yourself regretting that choice.

Safety

To be at your best facing the rigors of a college education, you positively must feel safe on your college campus. If for any reason you find yourself with such concerns then you likely have made the wrong choice of school.

For different students, feeling afraid comes from very different elements. Those used to an urban lifestyle may well be uncomfortable at night walking on a rural campus where there are far fewer lights and fewer people around. For those students, the rural setting appears devoid of a truly well lit path to follow at night.

In contrast, those who have grown up in a rural setting may find the noise and the hub bub of people constantly milling around very intimidating. Such a feeling can be doubly strong when combined with an urban feel where many of the people you encounter are not necessarily fellow students.

The bottom line is your campus must feel safe to you – that includes your dorm and the walkways to and from all class buildings. And while it is easy to say buck up, fears are not easily overcome, no matter how hard you try to rationalize them.

If for some reason you constantly find yourself confined to your dorm room in fear of what lies beyond, then you most definitely have chosen the wrong college for you.

Co-curricular Activities

Did you select your school based on a desire to be part of a specific athletic team or club? If so, are you finding the activity to be everything you thought it would be?

Or is the commitment much larger than you expected? Is the focus solely on winning? Is the coach or moderator unwilling to modify practice or the scheduled meeting expectations in light of your academic workload?

Are you enjoying the activity but finding the academic setting ridiculously easy or boring? Do your professors inspire you and are you learning new skills? Or do you find yourself tolerating your academics and focusing solely on the co-curricular?

If any of these options describes your setting you may well have chosen the wrong school. Remember, the goal is to obtain a diploma and position oneself for career options.

A great co-curricular program cannot make up for a lackluster academic experience – worse yet, your co-curricular program should not interfere with your fundamental reason for attending college in the first place.

Work Is Too Easy

While at first thought it may seem better to be finding the work too easy than too hard, the harsh reality is that you are paying significant amounts of money for the opportunity to learn new things.

Perhaps you were just unlucky and got a weak professor that knows that placing demands on students also means more work for him or her.
Or maybe you have chosen the wrong level of courses and the wrong area of focus for you.

However, if you are taking five courses and you find that not one of the five is challenging you or providing you with new learning, this also reflects on the school and the assignment of courses.

Most students find the college workload adjustment significant, so challenging that they feel overwhelmed at first. That is the normal setting for students – so if you find you are coasting through your first semester you should definitely take stock of your program choice, your choice of courses, and your selection of a college.

Transferring Out

Again, after two plus months of effort you should now be settling into the place you are excited about spending the remainder of this year and the next three as well. If that is not the case, then you may well have made the wrong choice of school for you.

If you are beginning to feel as if the college you chose just isn’t right for you, the last thing you should do is pack up and go home. Instead, you need to focus in on the academic task ahead to ensure you complete the semester in good standing. There is simply too much money invested to simply give up.

In fact, most experts insist you should proceed onward to your second semester even as you begin looking at alternatives. The rationale is simple, if you stay on and prove you can handle the academics, you will be able to demonstrate that you are not simply a weak student looking for an easier place to attend school.

Those same experts insist you should stay involved in your respective activities and perhaps even seek out new ones. With solid grades and a demonstrated commitment to the task at hand, you will be more able to successfully pursue an option at another school.

Remember, the goal will be to transfer to a school that you desire, not one that will simply accept you. The fact of the matter is if you cut and run, you may well eliminate any chance of transferring to your chosen alternative.

Several experts insist: “Too many Americans are going to college.”

The question, “Is college right for me?”, is a relatively simple one to pose. Unfortunately, while it is easy to construct the question, the answer is extremely complicated.

First, there is the ongoing message from a number of government officials (including President Barack Obama), that to compete in a global marketplace, we need to have an educated populace. Given the recent economic downturn, that idea translates to a more distinct message, to find meaningful work you must have a college diploma.

Backing that assertion is a great deal of data. From higher wages over one’s lifetime to greater job security during economic recessions, those with a bachelor’s degree consistently fare better than those with only a high school education.

But more and more we are learning that the above statement fails to carry the whole message. Today we know that many of those employed and earning higher wages are also struggling immensely because of the significant debt they took on while earning that degree.

Worse yet is the group that made the attempt to follow the American dream but could not complete the coursework along the way. These individuals, many also saddled with enormous college debt, now find themselves without the means to pay off the debt they accrued.

The problem with the college assertion is that officials consistently point towards the traditional, four-year bachelor’s degree program as the answer. The result is that many students who are unprepared for and thus unable to handle the academic rigor associated with such programs are pursuing access to that specific form of higher education.

Given that college has become big business, these students always find some school willing to accept them. These individuals then often borrow vast sums to pursue a degree that is not only well beyond their financial means, it is questionable as to whether they have the academic ability to be able to earn that coveted diploma.

The bottom line, according to a number of experts, is that too many Americans are going to four-year colleges to pursue a bachelor’s degree. That statement is often shortened to a more generalized assertion, “Too many Americans are going to college.”

The Experts

There are a number of critics of the assertion of college for everyone. One of the most outspoken is Charles Murray, a political scientist and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. In a recent discussion with The Chronicle of Higher Education on this issue, Murray offered this telling assessment.

“It has been empirically demonstrated that doing well (B average or better) in a traditional college major in the arts and sciences requires levels of linguistic and logical/mathematical ability that only 10 to 15 percent of the nation’s youth possess.”

The focus on the need to handle the academic rigor associated with higher education is often overlooked. The fact of the matter is that most college majors are extremely demanding, far more challenging than anything a student faces in high school, and thus many students, once admitted, are simply unable to match the curriculum demands of their program no matter how hard they try.

Murray went on to add the right piece of information, that education in total is not the issue. He further stated:

“That doesn’t mean that only 10 to 15 percent should get more than a high-school education. It does mean that the four-year residential program leading to a B.A. is the wrong model for a large majority of young people.”

Yet another cautionary realist is Marty Nemko. The career counselor based in Oakland, CA was a recent participant in the same Chronicle discussion:

“Students with weak academic records should be informed that, of freshmen at ‘four year’ colleges who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their high-school class, two-thirds won’t graduate even if given eight and a half years. And that even if such students defy the odds, they will likely graduate with a low GPA and a major in low demand by employers.”

Nemko believes that most students are not provided with in-depth counseling regarding the higher education decision. Prior to application, acceptance and matriculation into a collegiate program, Nemko asserts: “All high-school students should receive a cost-benefit analysis of the various options suitable to their situations: four-year college, two-year degree program, short-term career-prep program, apprenticeship program, on-the-job training, self-employment, the military.”

This sane voice not only cries out amidst the rather simplistic assertions of college for everyone, he is willing to task those institutions wrongfully accepting students.

“A college should not admit a student it believes would more wisely attend another institution or pursue a non-college, post-secondary option,” states Nemko. “Students’ lives are at stake, not just enrollment targets.”

And as for those who insist that the failure to earn a diploma results in a lifelong sentence to unemployment, Richard K. Vedder, director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity and professor of economics at Ohio University, had this to say to folks at The Chronicle:

“The number of new jobs requiring a college degree is now less than the number of young adults graduating from universities, so more and more graduates are filling jobs for which they are academically overqualified.”

To which Bryan Caplan, associate professor of economics at George Mason University, added: “Most college courses teach few useful job skills; their main function is to signal to employers that students are smart, hard-working, and conformist.”

Shadow versus Substance

Unfortunately, we Americans have consistently sold the shadow in place of real substance. As Murray so aptly puts it, the bachelor’s degree has “become an emblem of first-class citizenship” in our country.

It is a completely misguided focus according to Murray who goes on to add, “We have a moral obligation to destroy the current role of the B.A. in American life.”

Meanwhile, everywhere one turns there is a growing consensus that America is facing a real shortage of skilled tradesman. Whether it is a reliable automotive mechanic or a competent plumber, there are a number of jobs that offer excellent wage potential without the need for a four-year degree. Yet these positions go wanting in today’s push for college for all students.

What has disappeared, likely for good, are highly-paid, low-skill jobs. To be successful today, one does need core academic skills such as the ability to read, to write, and to think. One also needs to have a strong work ethic. But one does not need to attend four years of college to obtain these basic core skills.

In addition, other skills are highly valued, but such skills can be learned in a variety of settings. In addition to the four-year bachelor’s degree option, higher education includes the vocational trades. Instead of blindly following others on the path of the four-year institutions, students should consider viable schools that teach one of the many trades. Becoming a beautician, truck driver, carpenter, mason or plumber involves learning specific skills that are available at these trade schools, often at a fraction of the cost.

Within the medical profession there are also a number of entry-level positions that offer solid career potential. Medical office personnel are in extremely high demand as are personal care assistants and other patient support personnel. Here again, a four-year degree is simply not required though students may need to pursue a two-year associate’s degree for access to the better-paying options.

Who Should Attend College?

We started with the basic question, “Is college right for me?” To answer that question, we note there are a number of students who should bypass the wrongful emphasis on a four-year degree.

First, the figures from Nemko are very telling – if you had trouble with the academic expectations set forth in high school you are truly at risk for not being able to complete a four-year college degree. As Murray notes, the level of difficulty associated with college coursework is a full shelf or two above anything the average high school student faces.

Second, you need to understand your preferred learning style. Traditional colleges rely extensively on book learning, i.e., reading and writing, to introduce material to students. While some schools have shifted to e-learning, higher tech models that offer more in the way of visual and auditory stimulus, the bottom line is much of what you learn at the university-level is done in abstract formats.

If your preference is to learn by doing or by using your hands, then you may want to consider something other the traditional four-year, higher education model. Otherwise you could become frustrated and disenchanted over time by the book learning process. The last thing you want to have happen is to become one of those negative statistics, five and half years of higher education, tens of thousands in debt, yet still without a diploma in hand.

Most importantly, unless you or your family possesses unlimited means, you owe it to yourself and to them to carefully think through the concept of college. The fact of the matter is that too many students are mortgaging their future by borrowing huge sums to be able to pursue that bachelor’s degree.

Today the average school-related debt for college graduates tops $20,000. That figure does not include other debt students might soon incur, whether it is in the form of a credit card, the purchase of that first automobile or ultimately buying a home.

If you are one of the people who will need to borrow such sums, then you must take the time to do the cost analysis described by Nemko. Taking on such a debt level requires a full cost-benefit analysis based on potential future earnings you can expect to receive upon completing your diploma. In too many cases, students have taken on debt levels that require such large repayment schedules that they essentially crippled the very future they were hoping to secure.

College Is Not for Everyone

There is a growing consensus that college, specifically the traditional four-year bachelor’s degree option, is not for everyone. There are many other viable options of higher education that can lead to promising careers, options that feature solid earnings potential and job satisfaction.

As a student, it is imperative that you do not get caught up in the rhetoric or the idea that the only path to career success in America involves a four-year degree program. Instead, assess the various options according to your skills, your interests and your means, then select the path that is right for you.

On Wednesday, America will pause to recognize our veterans. Given the recent events at Fort Hood in Texas and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is only right that we all find some time to recognize our military brethren this week.

In accordance with that day and the chance to get you thinking about the sacrifices these individuals make on our behalf, we offer a few poignant tributes.

This touching video is the perfect kick off – the back story is at our sister site but the basis is quite simple – honoring a moment of silence is not easy for some:

A reminder of the reason why we went to Afghanistan in the first place, sung by Alan Jackson and featuring a mashup of some of the most powerful images recorded:

Sadness and pain so easily tossed aside unless you are witness, yet another mashup featuring the haunting voice of Sarah McLachlan.

While there was a time when many of us may have been without a connection, today most of us have been touched and this is a great reminder that these military folks are our family:

And the amazing Marine Corps cadence, featuring the likes of “if I die in the combat zone, box me and ship me home.” It gives you a sense that these soldiers understand just what is asked of them:

And despite the demand, “mama don’t you cry cause the Marine Corps motto is do or die,” she couldn’t help herself. And neither could you. If you have attended a funeral of a loved one that served, it is virtually impossible not to shed a tear during the presentation of the flag amidst the most moving 24 notes imaginable:

Please, take some time to remember on Veterans Day.

A college degree can be affordable

Justin Pope, writing for the Associated Press, pulled no punches regarding the ongoing increase in college tuition for 2009-10. With costs rising anywhere from 4.4 percent at private schools to 7.3 at community colleges, Pope stipulated that colleges were handling the recent recession by simply passing “much of the burden of their own financial problems on to recession-battered students and parents.”

Those ever-increasing costs, consistently higher than the rates of inflation, have a number of folks questioning the value of a college degree, especially as students pile up exorbitant amounts of debt in their pursuit of a diploma. While we agree that absorbing significant debt while earning a diploma is a bad idea, we do still believe there is great value in obtaining your degree.

One only need examine the recent numbers from the economic downturn to find the necessary support for our assertion. While millions of young people are out of work, the percentage of those unemployed who have a bachelor’s degree is about half that of those without a degree.

But the ultimate key is to find a way to earn that sheepskin without mortgaging your future in the process. Scholarships and grants can certainly help students on the funding side immensely, but for those with a mindset, there are a number of ways to dramatically reduce the overall costs of earning a college diploma.

Reducing College Costs

The first aspect of controlling your college costs is to simply examine the cost of tuition by school categories. Here are the numbers as reported by the College Board:

• Average tuition at two-year community colleges: up 7.3 percent to $2,544.
• Average tuition at four-year public schools (in-state): up 6.5 percent to $7,020.
• Average costs at for-profit institutions: up 6.5 percent to $14,174.
• Average tuition at four-year public schools (out-of-state): up 6.2 percent to $18,548.
• Average tuition at private four-year institutions: up 4.4% to $26,273.

These numbers are definitely the first ones to analyze, but when looking at ways to reduce this cost, there are two critical elements to these figures.

First students must look at the cost per credit hour. When examining the published cost, students must look carefully at both the published tuition per credit hour and the latest college invention, fees that are generally listed as added costs that can raise the price burden per credit hour significantly.

Second there is the credit hour issue alone. Most degree programs require 60 hours of study for an associate’s degree and 120 for a bachelor’s. If you can reduce the number of credit hours you must pay for you can significantly reduce your cost of overall attendance.

Step One – Reducing Costs per Credit Hour

For 2009-2010, the tuition and fees at public two-year community colleges would produce a per credit hour average of about $85.00 ($2,544 in total costs divided by the average course load of 30 credits). In contrast, we see that the average cost per credit hour for in-state students would be $234 for public schools and $876.00 for private.

So the first step to controlling costs per credit hour is to examine the best way to obtain your desired degree. Simply-stated, unless you have unlimited funds for school, a well-to-do uncle or grandparent, forget about those expensive private schools.

While private schools may boast of providing a better product, it is important for prospective students to understand that college is what you make of it. In fact, many of today’s top business leaders graduated from public institutions: Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. H. Lee Scott, the CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, attended Pittsburg State University in Kansas while James Sinegal, the CEO of Costco Wholesale attended San Diego City College.

Therefore, the first way to manage you college costs is to attend a public college, generally a campus of your state university system. I know: that just might not sound so exotic when you are discussing the topic with family and friends. But it is important to realize that exotic costs bigger bucks.

Second, if you truly want to minimize costs yet obtain a diploma, the most cost-effective road would be to earn your first 60 credit hours (years one and two) at a local community college, then transfer to a public state university school for your final 60 hours (years three and four). Even attending community college for one year would represent an enormous reduction in college costs.

There would no doubt need to be some initial homework to determine which community college credits would be transferable upon matriculation at a state school. You might even have to do some negotiating, but many of the mundane course requirements of any degree program could certainly be addressed at a community college. And if you find a course will not transfer, don’t take it. Save your funds for later. All total, with a little effort you could knock off more than a year’s worth of the higher-priced tuition costs.

Step Two – Reducing Credit Hour Costs

The second way to dramatically decrease your college costs is to reduce the number of credits you must pay for at the required tuition rate. There are almost an unlimited number of ways to reduce the number of credits that you must shell out funds for, but a good many of them must be accessed while you are still in high school.

For example, taking Advanced Placement courses can result in potential college credit. Such courses are often available at your local high school either by direct instruction or through the school in online format.

Students gain access to college-level curricula and upon completion of the material may take an exam to determine mastery. Passing that exam can provide college credit at a large number of colleges across the country.

Students may also take the College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) tests in 34 different subject areas. These exams, at $72.00 per test, can provide anywhere from 3-12 credits at certain colleges at a fraction of the cost.

Today, many local colleges also offer courses to high school students in their area free of charge (referred to as early college). Again, given the cost per credit hour, students should investigate such options extensively and take advantage of what is available.

In all instances, including the possibility of seeking life experience credit for a work portfolio, the key is to do one’s homework up front. That means sitting down with college officials to review what credits the school will accept when a student does enter that respective institution.

For example, some schools will not accept AP classes whatsoever. Others will allow credit only provided students score a four or five on the exam (even though a three is considered a passing score).

While in college, another very distinct option to reducing credit-costs is referred to as the co-op or internship experience. Here again, the concept is dependent on the school one attends.

Co-op and internships provide students practical learning skills in a specific field through the use of work placements. In such programs, students may receive either pay or course credit for their time. If the experience is in your field of study, the work-related insight one gains is incredibly valid for one’s future career.

At the same time, many such experiences also offer college credit when students combine the proper reflection and academic review to the work experience. In certain instances, these experiences serve as a triple benefit, providing some cash to help pay the bills, some college credits to reduce the number that must be paid for, and even the possibility of potential job placement opportunities that can form as a result of the connections one makes while performing their service.

Reducing Miscellaneous Expenses

In addition to the tuition costs, students face a number of other related expenses while working towards that diploma. Such costs include room and board, books and supplies, and travel expenses.

The bottom line is these costs cannot be categorized as mere incidentals, certainly not when repeated over a four-year period. Once a school is chosen, tuition costs are set but students still have decisions that can greatly reduce the incidentals that accompany tuition costs.

Step Three – Eliminate the Room and Board

One way to reduce your four year college outlay is to rethink the idea of room and board. While many cringe at the thought, it is imperative that students understand the current going rate for room and board is now $8,193 at public colleges and considerably more at some private, elite schools.

Examine that number carefully – it is more than the average cost of tuition at four-year public schools. And it is more than triple the average tuition costs at a two-year community college.

Now spread that out over four years – a total of more than $30,000!

The simplest way to reduce this expense is to live at home. Such a decision becomes a possibility if you consider the community college/state university combined four-year plan we mentioned earlier. It certainly becomes viable if you consider community college for the first two years at a minimum.

If your home residence is simply too far away, you also need to carefully assess the school rates for both the housing and the meal aspects.

It could well be far cheaper to lease an apartment or house, especially if you can find others to share that cost.

In regards to meals, most school plans represent a significant cost per meal. In addition, missed meals seldom produce anything in the way of refunds if you do not access them. So when purchasing any meal plan, be sure it is a plan you will access.

There is no doubt that living at home limits one of the indirect benefits of college, the activities available and the connections made on-campus. To obtain those experiences, students will have to work harder at this element. But the experiences are available to all students, even if you are not residing on campus.

Step Four – Distance Learning Courses

Once available primarily at for-profit institutions, online learning is now available at a multitude of schools including state university systems. Completing one or a number of online courses can greatly impact your miscellaneous expenses.

We noted earlier the need to take into consideration fees when calculating tuition costs. Online courses often allow students to be exempt from a number of facility and campus-related fees such as student activity, campus access and technology fees. At one Florida school that lists tuition costs as $50.00 per credit hour for in-state students, those costs move to $150.00 per credit hour when all the fees are factored in.

In addition to potentially eliminating these on-campus fees, online courses also eliminate travel expenses and room and board entirely. They also can be a key component of our final savings step.

Step Five – College in 3.5 or 3.0 Years

While tuition costs are per credit hour and programs mandate a specific number of credits, miscellaneous expenses occur each semester. So one of the simplest ways to reduce total outlays is to reduce the number of semesters you are at school.

That reduction can of course come from the aforementioned reduction of credits needed. It is for this reason that AP courses, CLEP tests, Co-Op programs and Internships compound your savings, reducing costs at both levels.

But it can also come from taking additional courses each semester. Taking one extra course, either via online methods or simply taking another traditional class, for just five semesters will reduce your program from 4 to 3.5 years. Taking two online courses each summer and one extra traditional class each semester could reduce your college program to 3 years. Prerequisites can make this a challenge but with a little effort you can reduce the standard four-year program.

Remember, such steps would carry tuition costs per credit hour, but they would greatly reduce the costs of room and board and those incidental traveling expenses associated with attending school.

Control Your Expenses and Earn Your Degree

While costs are growing substantially, it is important for students to know that out-of-pocket costs have trended down in recent years. In fact, while tuition and fees have risen as much as 20% since 2004, the average net price of college has dropped over the last few years.

The reason is the greater availability of grants, financial assistance and tax benefits.

Of course such developments make it all the more enticing to consider our steps to cutting the costs of college. According to a recent Time article, the increased aid development means that the “average student at a two-year college or university pays nothing in tuition and fees and collects about $500 toward living expenses.”

Of course, marketing is what drives the business world – if you package your product well enough, people will seek to acquire that product at all costs.

Generally speaking, all colleges have taken advantage of this concept. But some, specifically those elite private schools, have done so to the extreme.

The result is far too many students are being enticed, taking on ridiculous levels of debt as they attempt to obtain a diploma from a school they simply cannot afford. It is time that students, as well as their parents, went back to the old school adage, finding a quality product at a price they can afford.

With a little work and a certain level of sacrifice, students can earn that coveted diploma without mortgaging their entire future in the process.