♦ nivek ♦ Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Just Shut Up, Sit Down, and Pay The Facts and Stats That Colleges Don't Want You to Know by Penelope Wang When you start searching for that perfect college for your child, you might think there's plenty of information to help you with your decision. Just for starters, every college has a website that will give you all the essentials. Take Stephens College, a private, four-year women’s school in Columbia, Missouri. A quick tour of its website will tell you that the college offers more than 50 major and minors, everything from English to event planning to equestrian science. Class sizes average just 13 students. Annual costs total $32,250, but nearly all students get some kind of financial aid. And the campus looks nice. But what you won’t see without diligent searching is that half of Stephens students fail to graduate, even after six years. Not to pick on Stephens, which does mention that statistic deep in its website. Point is, little of the data that colleges provide really tell you much about the value of your investment: the quality of the education, the experience of the students, or how the graduates fare later in life. Instead parents have long accepted the value of the diploma on faith. And many assume that a college that charges $50,000 a year will give their child a better education than one that charges $25,000. That may be about to change. As tapped-out families realize they can no longer borrow more and more for expensive colleges, they are increasingly focusing on lower-priced schools. As two college officials recently warned, higher education may be the next bubble to burst. Many experts are even questioning the value of a college degree in an economy where B.A.s are competing, often unsuccessfully, with high school graduates and those with vocational training. Read the rest of the article July 13, 2009 Copyright © 2009 CNN Money Find this article at: http://www.lewrockwe...genbach3-1.html Copyright 2009 LewRockwell.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpheliaGinger Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I will always tell people to go to a community college first. I only have one issue with my community college, but that (a teacher who intentionally makes students fail) looks like it may have been resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I always told people in the town I grew up to go to the community college in the next town instead of the university in our town. It was less than half the price, the classes were smaller, and you got a lot more hands-on learning. Then the credits would transfer to nearly any university if you wanted to move on to a higher degree. The one that really flamed me was the Nazarene church pushing NNC (now NNU) in Idaho on gullible teens in our church. $300-$500 per credit versus $69 per credit at the local college. And they went like lemmings, only later understanding just how expensive a path they chose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulQ Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Community colleges are the obvious answer, but so is taking personal responsibility. Do your research and homework before plunking down the money. Make sure it fits with an overall plan. Remember, it's up to us humans to plan our lives, because the plans of the mythical god (or gods) ain't gonna pan out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpheliaGinger Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Also, if you don't put the effort into your school work, you can fail even in community college. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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