Tag: choosing a college


Class of 2018 College Acceptance Rates

Posted on April 15th, 2014

College admissions offers are out–and despite college applications being down at some colleges, it was a tough year to get into college.

Especially if you applied to Stanford. The college accepted a record-low 5 percent of its applicants this year.

Applicants to other top colleges like Yale University, the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology didn’t have it much easier. The colleges accepted 6.3, 8 and 8 percent of applicants, respectively.

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The most popular safety school in every state

Posted on April 9th, 2014

‘Safety schools,’ or colleges considered back-ups to students’ top choices, get a bad rap.

But as many students have found, attending a college that isn’t your first choice can be a great way to save money and avoid student loan debt.

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Students bypassing college degrees on purpose–but at what cost?

Posted on April 2nd, 2014

We’re so used to being able to customize everything, from our Starbucks drink orders to our perfect mates. Millennials, especially, are seen as being commitment-phobic when it comes to relationships, jobs, interests and even where they live.

But at some point, every adult (and college student) needs to make a choice–it doesn’t have to be for forever, but it has to at least be long enough to put in the time and effort to earn a bachelor’s degree in that field.

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First-generation students benefit from starting at a community college

Posted on March 24th, 2014

"This is suggestive evidence that some four-year college drop-outs may have greater postsecondary success at two-year colleges. " -- Erin Dunlop Velez

One of the knocks against community colleges has been that students who complete two-year degrees are less likely to continue on and complete their bachelor’s degree than their peers at four-year colleges. This was confirmed back in 2009, when Bridget Terry Long and Michal Kurlaender found that students who initially began at community colleges were 14.5% less likely […]

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Podcast: How do colleges award financial aid?

Posted on March 14th, 2014

"What are schools’ priorities? When they pick who gets financial aid from the institution and who doesn’t or who gets more and who gets less, they’re actually choosing winners and losers. And we want to better understand that." -- Marian Wang

How do colleges decide which students should receive financial aid and how much they should receive? Despite the increase in colleges using net price calculators and other reforms to make the process more transparent, financial aid remains a mystery to parents and students–it’s still a “apply, wait and see” type of game. Now, colleges are […]

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The wrong reason to go to college

Posted on February 26th, 2014

We’ve discussed the benefits of attending college at length, but we’re always quick to point out that even though college degrees are a good investment in your future, it doesn’t mean they’re worth going hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt for.

This funny video from YouTube personality Ryan Higa shows the downsides of college for many students and graduates: underemployment, massive student loan debt, stress, and studying subjects that don’t apply to your future career.

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6 stats that prove college is worth the investment

Posted on February 20th, 2014

With college being such a huge investment, it’s natural to question whether it’s worth the money–or whether you’re better off just working and saving thousands or hundreds of thousands on a degree.

Of course, the value of a college degree can vary depending on college, cost, major, and what the student actually does with the degree. Still, research backs up the claim that college is worth the investment.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be smart about how you spend your college dollars, but these statistics clearly prove that getting your Bachelor’s degree is a smart investment in your future.

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Why attending your safety school may be a smart idea

Posted on February 18th, 2014

We see a lot of students get their heart set on one particular college, only to end up disappointed when they realize they can’t afford it.

As much as parents may try to reason with starry-eyed students, it can be difficult for 17- and 18-year-olds to understand the long-term impact of significant college debt.

This infographic from Affordable Online Colleges shows the benefits of looking beyond your dream school and remembering that prestige isn’t everything when it comes to choosing a college.

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How to measure college quality

Posted on January 27th, 2014

"The trend unmasks a flabbergasting reality: that those expensive university degrees may not actually prove a graduate is sufficiently educated to compete in the workforce. " -- Jon Marcus

As college costs have risen, more people have questioned the educational value of colleges and whether college is worth the investment. Consequently, legislators, parents, and students have begun taking colleges to task to prove their value for the dollar and their effectiveness. To address growing concern from the public over high costs and from employers […]

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SUNY colleges offer a great value in public education

Posted on January 24th, 2014

Looking for an affordable college? Check out some of the schools in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

Even if you don’t live in New York state, these colleges offer a great value for your tuition dollar.

In fact, nine SUNY schools made Kiplinger’s 2014 list of ”Top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges.” Read on to find out which other schools made the list of affordable, quality schools for both in- and out-of-state students.

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