But, in reality, the student is the needle. No, that’s not some obscure Master-Yoda-Jedi-training-mind-trick. What it means is that the more that college bound student, knows about himself/herself (i.e. interests, vision, goals–career and otherwise), then the narrower the field of possible colleges for both application and enrollment becomes. Plus, the six figure price tag of a college degree, whether at a State college or private university, may increase the urgency of determining the value of college. A little forethought into the “return”–life skills, job training, moving away from home, refining existing talents–you hope to make by going to and graduating from college. Given the approximately 4000 choices all over the country, today’s college bound teenager has the chance to find a campus that suits their social needs, pocketbooks, their academic interests and build a foundation for future employment. But, not without some effort and some self-reflection.
Our latest podcast gives greater insight into balancing the practical criteria (i.e. costs, future job training) for choosing colleges, without compromising a student’s dreams:
For more about how college selection can influence the costs of college, listen to our three-part podcast series, “College Selection & Financial Aid in an Era of Rising College Tuition”
