Wow. In a time when it seems every 5 year old knows what “self-esteem” means, David McCullough Jr. reminded us of our basic human equanimity. “…even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you. ” Boy, that either fries your hide…
Tag: Planning
What’s Unemployment Got to Do With Picking Colleges for Application?
Forecasting job prospects based on location of the college is another criteria for prospective applicants and their parents to consider, before deciding to apply. If unemployment in general is high in a particular state, does a student and family want to invest their limited capital and 4-5 years of effort in a college, when they…
Financial Aid 101: Are You Financially Literate?
Paying for college seems out of the ordinary, given the total amount, which creates the “wake-me-up-from-a-dead-sleep-gasping-for-air” feeling. However, with some foresight, families can approach college expenses together and with less nervousness. Art Baird, Creative Marbles CEO and financial aid expert, and Jill Yoshikawa, Partner of the Educational Division at Creative Marbles, recorded a recent conversation…
College Reputation: The Inheritance of Graduates
A recent promotion (see below) on the University of San Francisco’s Facebook page got me thinking about the reputation of the college in relation to career prospects, especially since many students (and their parents) seek college degrees for greater future job security.
Will the $10 Billion Deficit in Pension Obligations Affect the Quality of UC Education?
The perfect storm: increasing numbers of qualified high school graduates for UC admissions, baby boomers maturing to retirement, who were promised generous pensions–which UC administrators did not fund for 20 years starting in the early 1990’s–and current reductions in state funding for higher education–all put pressure to increase tuition–while at the same time real wages…
“Careers, college majors, financial security…oh, my!”
Here’s an updated database showing average salaries in the Sacramento region can help prospective college students and their families in making decisions about majors and careers. The database is an easy way for teens (who by age are limited in experience) to be exposed to the diverse range of jobs, within their interests and talent.…
Prudent Fiscal Planning (Part 3):You can’t always get what you want
In the third part of my ongoing series on Prudent Fiscal Planning, let’s discuss the often bugaboo topic of expenses. After following the suggestions from the last article in the series, you should now have drafted at least your income scenarios for the short, immediate, and long term. Now, you are ready to look at the other…
College Application Advice for Rising Seniors & Their Parents
“OMG, I’m going to be filling out college applications in the fall!” Rising seniors (and their parents) can react on a scale, somewhere between total avoidance and frenetic activity to get it all done. Here’s a few tips to prepare for Fall applications:
“College is too expensive” or Is It?
Multiple kids maturing to college age, shrinking retirement funds, loss of home equity, loss of personal wealth, plus annually rising college tuition and costs…no wonder middle class families are concerned about financial aid. When families assume all children will graduate from college, the question is, “What is the family’s collective (this includes all siblings, not…
What’s Planted in the “Garden of Your Mind”?
Mr. Rogers, an oldie but goodie, teaches us once again….
Arrrgh! What Information about Colleges Should Be Paid My Attention?
The most recent U.S. Department of Education statistics about the states the Fall 2010 freshmen class comes from is telling for prospective applicants and their families, when seeing the data from different views.
What Successful College Students Do
No student starts college expecting to NOT graduate; yet the most recent statistics indicate the college completion rate is 55% within 6 years of enrolling full time in a 4 year college. So, what does make for success in college, including a timely (and actual) graduation?
To Take AP or Not to Take AP…
The number of Advanced Placement (AP) classes being offered and the rates of passing scores on the tests are increasingly being used as one criteria to rank high schools. (Washington Post, Newsweek) As parents become more savvy about the college admissions process, many know that the number of rigorous courses offered at a high school…
A University for the Students?
Is college education a public good or a student-centered model for individual development or both?
Prudent Fiscal Planning (Part 2): Income’s importance in Fiscal Planning and its Effect on Our Standard of Living
In the first post of the series, I discussed the need for prudent fiscal planning in these difficult economic times. Although it may seem that the economy has turned the corner from the most recent, yet severe economic downturn (recession), there are many storm clouds looming on the global economic horizon that could have a…