Parents want what’s best for their children. Yet, what is the cost of “the best” for both parent and child? A recent Ameriprise Financial study found the following amongst Baby Boomer Parents (born between 1946-1964) 55% allowed their adult children to move home rent free 71% paid college tuition Yet, 34% say that helping children…
Category: Education
California’s Budget Shortfalls: Consider the Immediate and Long Term Effects
Although California’s budget is challenging CSU officials to “live within it’s means” in the short term, forgoing expenses today can affect the long term quality of education and how the CSU educates students in the future. Delaying purchases on library materials today can affect the resources available to future students, and coupled with phasing out…
Student Loan Debate in Congress Continues
It’s partisan politics as usual in this election year, as Congress continues its debate on student loan legislation. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Republicans on Tuesday blocked the Senate from considering a measure to keep the rate on subsidized federal student loans from doubling amid suspicion of Democrats’ motives as they seek to court…
Dropping wages = shrinking prosperity?
According the the Economic Policy Institute, from 2002-2012: For male workers: With a college degree: hourly wages dropped 11% to $21.68 With a high school diploma: hourly wages dropped 10% to 11.68 For female workers: With a college degree: hourly wages dropped 7.6% to $18.80 With a high school diploma: hourly wages dropped 9.2% to…
The Neverending Reform in Education Coming to a College Near You
In a recent article by Richard Pérez-Peña of the New York Times, “Trying to Find a Measure for How Well Colleges Do,” we are beginning to see what might be the next chapter in the near obsessive effort to measure the performance of education: this time with colleges being in the cross hairs.
California’s Budget Shortfalls: Opportunity for Improvement?
The reported $3 Billion shortfall in tax revenues for California may mean: Increases to tuition and fees at community colleges, CSU and UC campuses–expanding the overall cost of a college degree in California Continued cuts to services, like counseling and librarians, for K-12 schools. Families may have to increase their volunteer hours to fund-raise for…
College Will Payoff in the Long Term, Right?
Graph Source: Wall Street Journal 4/27/2012
College Degree’s Changing Value
As an update to a recent post, several recent studies show a growing number of children who earned less education than their parents, reversing the trend since 1876. Does this current trend mean a decrease in the living standard of Americans overall, since currently people with bachelor’s degrees earn more over their lifetime, than those…
Lower Student Loan Interest Today = Future National Debt Costs?
In an earlier post, we mentioned the continued political debate about maintaining the current student loan interest rates at 3.4%, instead of the increase to 6.8%, if Congress doesn’t come to consensus before July 1, 2012. Mark Kantrowitz of FinAid and the Wall Street Journal debate whether the short term gain of low student interest…
House Votes to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Low for 2012-13: A Good Move?
The Wall Street Journal reported that the House today passed a resolution to keep the current interest rate on student Stafford loans at 3.4% for the 2012-13 school year. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a similar bill on May 8th. Without Congressional consensus, student loan interest rates will increase to 6.8% for the…
Fall 2012 UC Admissions More Competitive for Freshmen
The University of California released their admissions numbers for Fall 2012 Freshmen last week. The uncertainty in the state budget and record number of applications or Fall 2012 Freshmen admissions created additional competition and subjectivity in the admissions process. UC Davis Chancellor, Linda Katehi, recently stated: UC Davis refused [Fall 2012] admissions to 1500 or…
Quality in Education isn’t an Entitlement
I recently read an archived article written by John Fischer in February 1965 for Harper’s Magazine titled, “Is there a teacher on the faculty?” Being a former classroom teacher, I am still fascinated by this idea of quality teaching. What is a quality teacher? Are the skills that make for a quality teacher inherent, or…
Passion + Effort = Success
There is no single action that vaults us into success–only a series of decisions, that may seem unrelated at the time, and continuous effort that define any achievement. In a recent presentation at UC San Diego, Conan O’Brien suggests from his experience: My advice is to find out what your passion is and go wherever…
More on Financial Aid & College Affordability
Here’s a few tips when choosing colleges for application and enrollment, and simultaneously determining how your family will afford the costs: Calculate all 4 or 5 years of costs when determining the affordability of college, not just the first year. College costs during a student’s senior year in college are likely to be at least…
Financial Aid: There is No Free Lunch
There is no-magic-bullet-one-time-conversation-painless-and-costless solution to paying for college. Increasing the amount of financial aid–either need based or merit based–are multiple year efforts that extend through a student’s entire college career. Basically, there is no free lunch. Moving equity from one’s home to a life insurance policy or rolling all savings into retirement accounts are strategies…