Is college education a public good or a student-centered model for individual development or both?
Tag: Financial aid
Middle Class Families Concerned about Affording College
Real wages haven’t increased, at the same time as pension values are decreasing, state budgets uncertainties are reducing funding for public universities and children are maturing into college age. What a perfect confluence for many middle class families and contributing to nervousness that the lifelong dream of a college degree–demonstrated through multiple honors and Advanced…
Why Teens Don’t Always Apply for Scholarships
Shifts in the views of parents with children aged 16 or younger about when adulthood financial independence should begin coincides with parents concerns about paying for college. In Creative Marbles experience, parents expect to shoulder the majority of college costs, at the same time expecting children to contribute toward their education. However, the shift in…
What I Did for Summer Vacation: College Tours
With summer breaks, many families are busy planning vacations that include college campus tours. The expense and time families invest in visiting colleges can be more valuable, with preparation by both parents and students. Here’s a few tips:
College Tuition Rises and So Does Demand
As the University of California Regents debate a 6% tuition increase for Fall 2012, see how tuition has changed at California colleges, since 2001. (The database provides information for 2 and 4 year colleges, both public and private.) While students and their families are concerned about rising tuition and student debt is at $1 Trillion…
College costs more than 4 years of tuition
Student loan debt is future income brought forward. To an 18 year old college Freshman, with little experience in financial responsibility, this concept may be foreign. Financial literacy is only part of the resolution; students and parents need foresight and continued roll-up-their-sleeves effort to pick colleges that will give them the greatest value for their…
Will continuing tuition increases eventually cool demand for college?
Total student loan debt hit the $1 Trillion mark this week and continues growing. Congress is debating to stop the increase in the student loan interest rates from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1, 2012. And, UC’s are considering an additional 6% tuition hike on top of the 47.6% tuition increase, since 2009. With more…
ACT & SAT Scores Can Affect Financial Aid, Too
Many families ask Creative Marbles about preparing for the ACT and/or SAT, as a way to boost a students’ competitiveness for admissions. There’s another reason to prepare. Merit aid scholarships can be awarded on a sliding scale, based on ACT & SAT scores and GPA–as scores and GPA increases, the amount of merit aid increases.…
CA College Freshmen Moving Out of CA: A Shift or Temporary Reaction?
Since 2000, 90% more California resident high school grads are choosing to enroll in out of state colleges–both public and private. While speculation from budget uncertainties in California to affordability of out-of-state tuition is circulating as reasons for the trend, Creative Marbles asks, “Are families and students simply approaching college as a consumer purchase, and…
The $1 Trillion Inheritance
The Student Debt total reached $1 Trillion today. What are the costs for future generations and its prosperity? Since student debt is future income brought forward, Creative Marbles suggests thinking carefully about career and major choices to know if a student would be able to afford the monthly loan payments. Also, students need to consider…
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…
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…