Category: Choosing a College


Video: Does it matter what college you go to?

Posted on March 16th, 2019

In the wake of the recent college admissions scandal, many people are wondering whether it actually matters what college you go to.

For these parents, it was extremely important that their child got into a prestigious school at all costs. Clearly, they didn’t go about it the right way, but the pressure to have their child attend an “elite” college was great enough to motivate them to take drastic measures.

But does your school even matter? Does attending an elite college actually lead to better outcomes after graduating?

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Elite colleges still aren’t worth the cost for most students

Posted on April 5th, 2017

"After correcting for a student’s pre-existing talent, ambition, and habits, it's hard to show that highly selective colleges add much earning power, even with their vaunted professors, professional networks, and signaling." -- Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

True or false: A good student who attends Yale will have much better outcomes (higher salaries and more job opportunities) than a good student who attends a state university. If you answered true, you’re wrong. And this widely-held belief is one of the main reasons families and students end up overpaying for “elite” universities. Up […]

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5 reasons not to attend a for-profit college

Posted on July 26th, 2016

Getting into college is exciting–receiving the envelope and imagining your future. But not all colleges are created equal.

For-profit colleges, in particular, have been criticized for being dishonest about graduate employment statistics and leaving students with lots of student debt. Some have even gone bankrupt after being fined or sued for misleading students.

To help students better understand the risks, NerdWallet and USA Today College put together a list of 5 things to consider before choosing to attend a for-profit college.

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The best colleges for African-American students

Posted on April 13th, 2016

Choosing a college is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your life. College has a huge impact on you financially, emotionally, socially and academically–and can have a large effect on your future job prospects and earnings.

But no college is right for everyone, and everyone has different ideas about what makes a college best for them.

To make it easier for African-Americans to find colleges that fit their needs and preferences, MONEY collaborated with Essence magazine to analyze more than 1,500 four-year colleges to determine which ones offer the best value for African-American students.

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How much will you earn after graduating from an Upstate NY college?

Posted on March 30th, 2016

When choosing a college, it’s important to be aware of graduate outcomes from that college and how much you can expect to make once you leave school.

While we wouldn’t recommend choosing a college based on average graduate salaries alone, expected salary is definitely a factor to consider when determining how to pay for college and whether you’ll be able to afford your student loan payments once you graduate.

For students considering college in Upstate New York or our hometown of Western New York, Buffalo Business First put together a list of average graduate salaries from 43 local colleges.

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SUNY schools rank high in list of best public schools

Posted on February 24th, 2016

Being based in Western New York, we write a lot about the affordability and quality of schools in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The SUNY system has been acclaimed for its high bang for the buck for both in-state and out-of-state students.

And a new list of rankings released by Business First backs up the assertion that SUNY colleges are among the best public colleges in the U.S.

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The top colleges that pay you back

Posted on February 4th, 2016

We write a lot about evaluating the return on investment of a college when deciding where to attend.

With the price of college rising each year, it’s an extremely important factor to consider when choosing a college and spending thousands of dollars to attend.

To help you figure you the real value of college, The Princeton Review put together a list of the colleges that provide the best return on your investment.

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The best online colleges for your money

Posted on December 4th, 2015

While most students opt for the traditional residential college experience, an online degree can be a good option for someone who’s also working full time while earning a degree, or for older, non-traditional students.

Of course, not all online colleges are created equal. Before investing in an online degree, it’s important to make sure the college offer a quality educational experience and consider factors like faculty credentials, student services, and tuition costs.

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NPR ranks colleges on salary, upward mobility & graduate outcomes

Posted on November 3rd, 2015

There are plenty of college rankings out there based on all sorts of different factors–quality of student, price, return on investment and more.

In light of President Obama’s decision not to provide federal rankings for colleges in favor of a College Scorecard, NPR took matters into their own hands and released their own set of three different college rankings.

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How to be a successful college student

Posted on October 2nd, 2015

We write frequently about the importance of making the most of your college investment.

Given that college is so expensive, it’s crucial for students to maximize their experience and take advantage of opportunities in order to put themselves in the best position come graduation time.

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