College degree completion has been a problem for some time. In fact, barely half of the students who begin a four-year degree program will ever complete it in their lifetimes. That said, students (and parents) should not regard the attainment of a college degree (or the place that issues the diploma) in itself as a necessary credential for success. Such a perspective to college planning tends to be rather passive and perfunctory and will yield unsatisfactory results in like of the financial commitment. Rather, a college education must be regarded as an investment in the future—an investment that is pursued diligently and with purpose. In particular, students need to focus on finding colleges that are good fits for their goals and learning styles—places that will value them for what they have to offer and will demonstrate a commitment to investing in their success. College visits are critical in order to discern the potential fit. During visits, students should ask for data (over the last five years) that reflects college completion rates for all students as well as those graduating from the academic programs that interest them. Colleges should also be able to provide data showing placements (and, where appropriate, starting salaries) into graduate schools, PhD and professional degree programs and work environments. Students should also make time to visit academic departments where they can delve into the culture of the programs with professors and students. While the attention to access and completion statistics understandably focuses on cost and affordability, the latter tend to be the leverage points when other aspects of a college experience aren’t working well. The keys are to focus on fit from the outset and then be determined to make good on the investment—to squeeze everything you can out of the opportunities that present themselves. bit.ly/1w1wpqZ
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:21:56 +0000
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