The Class of 2015’s graduation celebrations may be short-lived. A graduation is often called a commencement, or beginning. So, what can the Class of 2015 expect for their new beginning? 1) The highest average student debt of any graduating class in the last 23 years – $35,000 per student loan borrower. 2) In addition, a…
Tag: College selection
Internships: The New Entry Level Job
Go to college. Then, get a job. The old adage may have passed its time. Now, the meme may be more like, “Compete to get into college. Go to college; work unpaid internships every semester starting your freshman year, and each summer take more internships, then, hopefully, you’ll get a job by graduation.” According to a…
The Work of Innovation
“…the core skill of an innovator is error recovery not failure avoidance.” – Pixar University’s Randy Nelson Innovators simply tweak a relatively ordinary experience to seem new. Think: Howard Shultz, Starbucks CEO, repackaging coffee (a substance humans have been drinking for thousands of years) building a whole new market. Think: Steve Jobs of Apple, building…
Student Debt in Seven Charts
Not all student debt is ruinous. However, borrowing can be complex. Loans spend tomorrow’s income today, and for college students, a promise of tomorrow’s income is spent to pay for expenses in the present day. Understanding recent growth in student loans and the challenges of repayment can help potential student loan borrowers consider both the benefits and the risks before borrowing.…
Ahead of the Curve: All About Financing A College Education
Thoughts from the news: Flip Side of Reducing Student Debt Is Increasing the Federal Deficit, New York Times, February 11, 2015—for every benefit, there is a cost Looking At Student Loan Defaults Through a Larger Landscape, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, February 19, 2015—student loan defaults are not only increasing, but also occurring earlier in…
“Situational Awareness”
Violence periodically erupts throughout history, and college campuses are not exempt from these episodes. Yet, our human tendency to forget painful events as soon as possible can cause us to be gullible and irrationally fearful. However, when we understand the epidemic of violence, we can become proactive agents in our everyday lives, through developing a…
Where the Young Live
The following graph shows the top American cities with growing populations of young adults and recent college graduates – indicating growing jobs and features attractive to today’s generations. As cities gain popularity, college applicants may be wise to research the location in order to determine the potential job opportunities and quality of life for after…
A College Education May Include More Than You Think
“A college education” can simultaneously help teenagers transition to adulthood, prepare for a career, as well as gain academic knowledge. When researching colleges, finding information related to all three aspects of a college education can help families choose the most fitting college in the end. A campus academic environment can be compared with the culture…
To Learn Is..
To know yourself, in order to not be overly edited by others. Photo credit: unknown
College Confidence?
The following chart shows wage growth (or lack of) 60 months into the most recent economic “recovery”, which is at the lowest point since World War II. Furthermore, the employment situation is no more rosy: “The bottom line is, we’re a million miles from full employment,” said [David] Blanchflower, a Bank of England policy maker…
College Tuition Up 1225% Since 1978
As has been previously discussed, college tuition is increasing annually, and shows few signs of abating; however, at some point college education will be subject to the law of supply and demand. As demand for college education continues growing – seen in each year’s record numbers of applicants, with total student debt growing beyond the record breaking $1.2 Trillion mark…
College Worth vs. College Worthy
A single ‘C’ grade in a high school class is not the security guard blocking the door of admissions to college, nor is an middle-of-the-road SAT or ACT score the reason to abandon all college plans.
Ahead of the Curve: August 9, 2014
Inspired by CMC Clients: OMG College ESSAYS! College essays are often feared. Topic selection can confound students, who’re under the impression that a traumatic-dramatic-life-altering experience makes a compelling college essay. However, choosing the “perfect” topic is not necessary to begin writing. Simply start putting words on the page. Then, students will have some thoughts to edit and…
Sometimes You Gotta Go Slow to Go Fast
Parents are often afraid that summer vacation will render their children’s minds into mush. Plus, the indulgence in what can be considered mindless activities, like playing video games, for hours on end is a seeming threat to a kid’s long term college admissions competitiveness. Realistically, most students brains, nor their chances for college admissions, were…