college
Last year, I found myself back in the classroom after several years in the workforce, taking science classes to prepare for veterinary school. I quickly discovered I wasn’t ready for the mind-boggling buying options and jaw-dropping textbook prices I encountered at the college bookstore. My confusion usually begins once I register online for classes and am given a way to look up required texts. The textbook’s full title and 9- or 13-digit ISBN number (International Standard Book Number, usually listed by the bar code) may or may not be noted. Two or more identical-seeming options may be marked as “required.”...
At last … if you’re one of the millions of students who go to college part-time or transfer to a new school, the feds who track graduation rates are going to quit ignoring you. This week, the U.S. Department of Education announced it will soon start adding part-time and transfer students to its tricky graduation-rate calculus. Just how soon remains to be seen. The Chronicle of Higher Education rightly points out that this overhaul is not going to be easy: “Now begins the arduous task of figuring out exactly how to capture those transfer and part-time students in the data-collection...
Going back to school takes dedication. Fears about not having the time, money or energy–or all of the above–to get your degree can keep you stuck in a rut, especially if your schedule is already packed with family and work responsibilities. But if you’re paying close attention, you may find glimmers of hope in unlikely places, such as in reports about trends like high dropout rates. The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative public policy think tank, has done some interesting number-crunching on the issue of low graduation rates at the country’s community colleges. First the bad news. Researchers found: Only...
Whether you’re thinking about going back to school, or paying the slightest attention to national news, you’ve surely heard that student loan debt in America has grown to gargantuan proportions. Estimates vary, with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reporting that America’s outstanding debt in private and federal student loans appears to have topped the $1 trillion mark. Sobering news—especially if you’re currently trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for school. Consumer Reports just released some helpful tips about keeping student debt in check, including: Starting out with small repayment amounts that increase every couple of years. Signing...
Almost one-third of all students transfer schools at some point during their post-high school education, according to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a nonprofit organization based just outside Washington, D.C. With a demographic that big, you’d think the higher education system would’ve figured out a way to keep track of them all from start to finish. Nope. “Standard institution-based reporting tends to ignore these students … focusing only on those who enter as first-time freshmen and treating students who do not receive a degree from their first institution as dropouts,” the report says. In other...
One peg in President Obama’s multi-pronged college affordability agenda is scorecard that would give an at-a-glance breakdown of costs and other key benchmarks. The White House has released a sneak peek at its work-in-progress scorecard for 4-year programs. It features five categories: Cost Graduation rates Student loan repayment rates Student loan debt Earnings potential The scorecard would be added to the U.S. Department of Education’s online College Affordability and Transparency Center. It’s not ready for prime-time yet. The White House wants the public to weigh in on several questions, including: What information is absolutely critical for choosing a college? How...
You might be surprised to find out just how many millions of Americans have gone to college, but have no degree to show for it. A whopping 37 million, or more than 20 percent of this country’s working-age population, according to the American Radio Works series Some College, No Degree. If you’re one of those people, consider these two facts American Radio Works calls out in The Value of a College Degree: Nearly 60 percent of all jobs in the U.S. economy require higher education. The wage gap between people who have bachelor’s degrees and people with only a high...
If I take anything at all away from my years in journalism school, it’s the lesson my first reporting teacher taught me on the first day of my very first class: Don’t believe everything you hear. “If your mother says she loves you, check it out,” she said rather pointedly. That warning didn’t send me running to the newsroom to call my mom, but it did teach me about the importance of researching the claims made by institutions and authorities. Is the XYZ company really the first one to make this product? Probably not. Does Fred’s School of Radiologic Research...
We know you’ve got a lot on your mind during the holidays. After all, you’ve got parties to go to, food to prepare, presents to buy—and you might be anxious about how you’re going to pay for it all. But if your New Year’s resolution includes going back to school in 2012, now’s an important time to start thinking about how you’re going to pay for that, too. We know it’s not as fun as putting up your holiday decorations, but this is when you should start preparing to file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Over two-thirds...
Once you’ve made your decision to go back to school, it’s never too early to begin planning your budget. We all know school is expensive, and even if you’ve managed to wrangle federal financial aid by filling out your FAFSA, scoring a scholarship or grant, or finding a work study program to ease your cash burden, there are still some things you’ll need to adjust for. Besides airfare, rent, residence or dorm costs (if you’re living away from home), tuition, textbooks, computer and technology fees and school supplies, don’t forget to factor in these often unexpected costs: 1. Campus parking:...
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The All Allied Health Schools blog covers what you need to know about preparing for a career in health care today, whether you’re just starting to think about your new career or you’re ready to enroll in school.
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