Many families worry about affording college. They fear that with rising costs and impacted course offerings that their children are going to be stuck in debt (forced to take student loans) and will take longer to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. One unique solution I came across is called 13th grade. Some high schools are offering what is now referred to as 13th Grade. This extra year of high school is integrated with college. Essentially the high schoolers enrolled in this type of school take college courses throughout high school and with their 5th years they take all college courses. It allows students to graduate with significant college credit (and Associate’s Degree, in some cases), and enables them to get free college. It’s pretty incredible….
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Be Careful Taking Advice Online
Today I read an article entitled “Your Income May Disqualify Your Child for College Aid Regardless of Your Assets” on Forbes.com about income disqualifying families for college aid. In the article we learn how a common college planning tip (moving money out of a custodial account) may not benefit a family with financial aid at all, and in fact it could hurt the family in the long run. Well, I was a little perturbed by the article. It was short and gave general advice on a topic that cannot be made so general. Every family has a very unique financial situation, and more care should be given when recommending ways to secure financial aid and fund college. For example, the author of the…
College Counseling: Under-resourced
I read an article today in the Huffington Post about the lack of college guidance for bright students in low income areas. The article focused on the many hats guidance counselors must wear in a public school (behavioral interventionist, career adviser, scheduling pro, and study skill instructor), and their workload. They stated that the average workload of a guidance counselor in the U.S. is 476 students. As Huffington Post so articulately put it: it’s crowd control. The trouble is that smart kids in areas that are less affluent typically don’t come from college-going families, nor do they plan for college or seek college advice. They get left out of the college prep game because their schools don’t have the resources to prepare them and their…
How to Get the Best Financial Aid Package
It’s that time of year. Seniors are about to commit to college, and financial aid award letters have arrived. So… what do you do if you have not received the financial aid offer for which you were hoping? As we posted previously in “5 Things You Must Know Before Appealing” some families turn to the appeals process. This is a negotiation process with the school for a better deal. Colleges can give you a better award for the right reasons. Do those reasons include an edit from an “A-” to an “A” on your transcript? No, they don’t. But if your family has extenuating circumstances then the school should know. As CBS News reported earlier today, there are reasons to appeal. If you have…
College Admissions Re-Write
The Washington Post published an article today about the inefficiencies in college admissions. With our current system, millions of students apply to college after being recruited heavily and/or hearing of schools through T.V., friends, and family. At College Planning Experts we are lucky to work with families who begin thinking of college picks earlier than most, and we can give much needed guidance and direction to find the right fit; however, many students don’t have that service. They rely on themselves. This got us to thinking. If you could re-write the college admissions process in the U.S., what would you do?
7 Tips to Reduce College Costs
USA Today published an article yesterday that shared 7 strategies to reduce college costs. We had to share it. Enjoy! http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/22/paying-for-college-7-tips-to-reducing-costs-and-getting-more-financial-aid/
College Pay Day
Too often we meet students who want to attend college simply because “they’ll make more money.” While it is true (studies have shown) that a college graduate makes roughly $1,000,000 over his/her lifetime, that is an average. If you really want to capitalize on the marketability of your Bachelor’s degree then you MUST have a direction. If you’re going to invest a significant amount of money and time into your education, know its purpose. Time Magazine put out an article today about the average salary for a fresh college grad. If you want to know, the average salary is $45,478 (table below). That is just a little over $21 per hour. While that is a starting salary and would be expected to grow over…
Debt Free College
It goes without saying; college is expensive. Do you think government should get involved? Do you think we should move for a debt free college initiative? Check out this article, and let us know what you think!
College Funding Woes…
Gallup recently held a survey to discover what financial obstacles U.S. families were facing and the results are in: people are worried about paying for college. Check out the survey results, and let us know what you think. If you’re one of those worried about finding money to send your child to college, call us. We know how to make college affordable! (661) 295-9946 http://www.gallup.com/poll/182537/parents-college-funding-worries-top-money-concern.aspx
A Bachelor’s Degree Worth
I read an informative article today, and I wanted to share it with you. There is much debate these days over the value of a college education. As tuition and fees rise some speculate that the investment one makes in a degree is not worth the monetary gains over a lifetime. This article shares that not all college degrees/ experiences are created equal. It’s not enough to go through the motions and get a Bachelor’s degree; you have to invest in the experience. This article shows how students who engaged in certain activities were far more successful than those that did not engage. Those activities are: Had a professor who made them excited about learning Had professors who cared about them as a person Met…
