Choosing an academic major, or a set of college courses in a particular speciality, is not simple. Students often equate “academic major” as “career-training“, yet academic knowledge doesn’t always immediately translate into “job”. Often, students will still need to understand their aptitude, so they can find an application for what they know, or “to get a job.” So, during college,…
Tag: College decisions
“I feel a change coming on…”
University enrollment has annually grown, despite four digit percent increases in the costs of college over the last three decades, seemingly making an inelastic demand for college eduation. Yet, for the 2020-21 school year, for the first time, there may be a a shift in the supply/demand equation given the changes in the recruitment for the newest class of students,…
Middle Class Wealth Erosion Set to Continue
The above chart depicts that the wealthiest and upper middle class have not only regained their wealth previous to the 2008 recession, but gained greater wealth, at the expense of the middle class and poorest classes. And, now, middle class and poorer families are facing an even greater economic downturn that has yet to be even defined in scope, though…
Opportunity amidst upheaval
The continued COVID-19 health crisis, and its impacts both economically and socially may have wide-ranging consequences for colleges throughout the United States. Families confronted by an array of changing circumstances are recalibrating their educational decision making processes, especially for high school seniors choosing between multiple colleges or deferring enrollment, as well as continuing college students choosing to re-enroll or take…
More Economic Difficulties for Gen Z and Millennials
Graph courtesy of The Wall Street Journal Current college students, many who find themselves at home though would rather be finishing their school year on college campuses around the country, will be confronting along with their older colleagues who graduated college in 2019, 2018, a possibly more complicated problem that of protracted unemployment. In addition, the long term economic outlook…
Extended Enrollment Deadlines For Incoming First Year College Students
May 1 is traditionally the national college enrollment deadline for newly admitted first year students. However, given the widespread closures of college campuses and economic uncertainty possibly affecting students’ confidence to enroll in college, many college admissions officers have extended their enrollment deadline to June 1. The following is a list compiled by ACCEPT: Admissions Community Cultivating Equity & Peace…
Student Loan Payment Pause
On Friday, March 27, 2020, Congress and President Trump passed the CARES Act [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act], and millions of student loan borrowers gained a temporary reprieve from making payments until September 30, 2020. Additionally, as President Trump promised two weeks ago, student loan interest is also waived until September 30, 2020. Mark Kantrowitz of SavingForCollege.com, recommends:…
College Online = Digital Instruction + Childhood Redux
In a recent interview with Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, I shared what one one second year college student now attempting to continue his studies in Northern California not in Boston, called a “bizarre” situation. Tens of thousands of other college students who also returned home from their college campuses are now experiencing: a virtual college experience. Back…
The Contagion of Senioritis
Typically, high school seniors experience some form of senioritis. They’re exhausted after applying to college, anxious about where they’ll be admitted, grieving when they’re not admitted to a top choice school, dreaming about life after high school, AND lacking motivation to continue managing everyday high school coursework. Yet, Class of 2020 seniors, living through a global pandemic, are experiencing even…
How to Prepare for Potential School Closures Related to COVID-19
As novel COVID-19, coronavirus, continues evolving, parents and children can become more anxious about their health and well-being, as well as how their education may be affected, especially when U.S. Health Officials are suggesting possibly closing schools to stem the spread of COVID-19 in areas where the virus may become endemic. This past week, U.S. Health Officials, Nancy Messonnier,…
Selecting a College vs. Being Selected by a College
Worries about “not being accepted” to a college are common, since most parents and students believe they’re at the mercy of an admissions officer’s decision. Often, students think, “How do I make my experience, like GPA, test scores and extracurricular activities, match the “right” selection criteria of (insert name of college)?” Few students turn the question around and consider: “At…
The State of A College Education, Part 2: The (Un)Fulfilled Promise of a College Degree
As I posited in Part 1, although an exact date is impossible to state, sentiment amongst college graduates is set to decline (as seen in the graph above), testing and possibly exceeding the 2009 lows. As the last of the Millenials graduate college this year (2019), many are disgruntled that the financial prosperty promised by previous generations is not their…
Guest Post: It’s Okay to Not Know
By Spencer Batute I’m not quite sure how to write one of these personal journey blog posts, as I still don’t feel like I’m at some end goal or vista point that I can look down from and spew some all-seeing knowledge. And I don’t know if I ever will be. But I think that’s the point, and the significance…
Is College the New Speculation?
Often students earn college degrees to increase their likelihood of future financial stability. Yet, as college costs are rising, students and their parents subsequently are borrowing more to earn said degree, thus students “spend” the equivalent of a few years’ of post-graduation wages while parents may delay retirement, the question is, “Is college worth the cost?” According to a recent…