While we’re on the topic of student loans and the lifetime of debt college grads will face, here are some informative articles and resources to peruse (find a paper bag and try to remember to breathe slowly and evenly).
Obama is upgrading the higher education system in this country (we hope), starting with an increase in Pell Grant award amounts. What does that mean for Pell Grant applicants? Who qualifies and for how much? Basically, the results of the FAFSA number-crunching are what determine a student’s eligibility.
…there is no “one size fits all” recipient.
Keep in mind, the Pell Grant is awarded to undergraduates with a high degree of unmet financial need; most Pell money goes to students with a total family income around or below $20,000. But, students whose families have a total income of up to $50,000 may be eligible too. In 2005-2006, students with family incomes of less than $20,000 accounted for 57% of Pell Grant recipients.
…Pell Grant qualifications can be affected by a student’s enrollment status as well as income earned through employment, too. Think about it – if you are enrolled half-time, your tuition is less and therefore you will require less aid. Undergraduates who work while they are enrolled are more likely to have incomes that decrease their eligibility for federal need-based aid (ahh, didn’t think of that, did you?). Some low-income students may even find themselves ineligible for Pell Grants because they are enrolled part time at very low cost colleges, or they work while they are enrolled, or do both. More…
Below is an excerpt from President Obama’s State of the Union Address 2010. I’m not on board with his primary and secondary education reform plans, which may be smarter than Bush’s NCLB Act, but are also more evil.
However, so far his plans for higher education look to be an improvement. I’m especially liking the Pell Grant increases, the lessening of student loan malevolence, and the attempt to have colleges and universities knock it the hell off already with the insane tuition increases.
Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. That’s why I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. (Applause.)
To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. (Applause.) Instead, let’s take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. (Applause.) And let’s tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years — and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college. (Applause.)
And by the way, it’s time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs — (applause) — because they, too, have a responsibility to help solve this problem.
Redirecting your thought process is difficult on a good day. Redirecting your post-high school plans is nearly impossible, especially if college has been the one all-consuming thought you and your parents have had since you were exhibiting sheer finger-painting genius in preschool. The farther you’ve driven, the harder it is to turn the car around.
Even though eighteen-year-old me would never have listened to any advice involving my not going to college, that doesn’t mean I was correct in my closed-mindedness. Whether or not it’s advice you want to take, only fools assume their way is always right and disregard all other input and information. (That was directed at me. I’m the idiot. Or, I was the idiot. I’ve made so many horrific blunders that now I’m wise beyond all measure.)
Penelope Trunk of Brazen Careerist has an excellent piece about college education and what it really means in this day and age. It’s difficult to open one’s mind up and really consider what she says, especially if you’ve grown up thinking the way I do about higher education. But that’s part of growing the hell up and learning to examine all options and relevant information when making a decision. Penelope tends to think outside the box, and the more miles you walk through this world, the more you’ll realize how valuable that quality is.
Good news for FAFSA applicants: the 2010 version will be easier to apply for. The form is simplified and is no longer written in a language incomprehensible to even students with 4.0 GPAs and off-the-charts SAT scores. As an added bonus, volunteers will be available to help parents and students fill those suckers out.
While the total amount of grants and scholarships likely to be handed out this year won’t be anywhere near enough to meet most students’ needs, at least it will be easier to apply for aid. The online version of the notoriously headache-producing Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is the scholarship application used by the federal government and most states, charities, and colleges, has been streamlined and simplified. Even better: There is a growing network of volunteers who will help anyone fill out the FAFSA free of charge.
Volunteer financial aid experts will be stationed at more than 800 YMCAs, churches, colleges, schools, community centers, and other locations around the country in January and February for College Goal Sunday events. The aim of the nonprofit events: to help students and parents get their aid applications in on time. Originally, College Goal Sunday events were held the Sunday after the Super Bowl. The program has grown so much in the past few years that many states now have several events on various days throughout January and February, says Marcia Weston, director of the program, which is funded by the Lumina Foundation and operated by the YMCA. Some states, such as California, use a different name for their volunteer event. But the College Goal Sunday website lists the times and places for events in 47 states plus the District of Columbia. Some sites will also provide transportation, she says. More…
While high school juniors and seniors are in full-on panic mode because the college application and acceptance process is hitting the fan in earnest for both groups of students, I’m hopeful everyone can manage to remember that college is not a life or death situation. Every adult involved in the life of an upperclassman tends to make it seem as though it is, but I promise you it’s not.
Breathe, people, and read this post in the NY Times education blog, Mom U. Regular columnist, Caren Osten Gerzberg, had her daughter write the post. Nicole is a high school junior and makes some excellent points with regard to the college admissions process and how it relates to the grand scheme of things.
Seriously, you are a single, unimportant speck in the universe. No one actually gives a rat’s ass which institution of higher learning chooses you for matriculation. And in ten years, neither will you. Perspective is a priceless tool.
1. Observe yourself.
2. Become familiar with your internal guidance system (IGS).
3. Use your imagination.
4. Look for your cultural match.
5. Take one step at a time.
6. Use your team.
7. Confront your fears as you go.
8. Maintain your privacy.
9. Don’t take college admissions advice from your friends…ever.
10. Be proud of who you are.
The little nuggets are worth the 3 minutes it’ll take you to read the post. Even preschoolers know to prepare before battle.
High school juniors: It is time. You and your parentals have probably been working toward this moment since preschool. The college application process of doom is about to begin. Hurl if you must, then pull it together and start thinking about which colleges you might want to apply to.
Maybe avoid doing what I did. I plunked my little self down in the high school counselor’s office and answered her “Which major?” question. She had gallons of information about the plethora of schools available to me. I waved them all away impatiently and asked for the helpful grid the California State University system sends out. Printed helpfully upon it is a list of every degree offered, with a dot next to the campus(es) that can deliver the goods.
I wanted simple: In-state tuition; close but not to close; far but not too far; no big-name schools; and I wanted my decision to mostly be based on academics, not on a school’s reputation for politics or parties. Three schools had my program: Long Beach (too SoCal), San Francisco (too close to my Machiavellian grandparents), and Fresno (perfect).
Sadly, not quite, as it turned out. The one drawback to Fresno State is that it’s in Fresno. Yes, Fresno did produce the Fresno Poets, and I’ll admit to the importance of that. But aside from a handful of people who can write interestingly, one has to dig deep to find culture. Also, I would generally advise against living in a place where the dust kicked up by farm machinery on the 80 million raisin-grape vineyards contains mold spores that can kill you. I like an exciting life as much as the next girl, but dying from dust is just dumb.
My attempt at simplicity, frugality and pure academic focus was noble. That being said, if I had it to do again, I would have chosen a school based mostly on academics, but also upon location. Because you don’t just study while away at college, you have to live there, too. If I had considered that, there’s a chance I may not have fled.
My 2nd-grade daughter and I were out for dinner recently. In the booth behind ours, two educators were dining. From their loudly voiced conversation, the entire restaurant was able to put together the facts: The man was a local and was hosting the visiting female teacher, who was in town for some sort of work-related meeting or conference or something.
She was polite and did her best to maintain socially acceptable conversation at a tactful volume. He was a total pain in the ass. Teacher Man spent the better part of an hour spouting off about what’s wrong with public education today. While I didn’t enjoy trying to maintain my own conversation with my kid over his unnecessarily loud mouth, I was forced to admit that I agreed with most of his pronouncements.
And then he made just the worst wrong turn. As he and his acquaintance were paying up and juggling coats and take-out boxes, he told the story of an unpleasant parent/teacher conference he’d had. I saw my daughter stop her description of her latest invention as her ears practically turned backwards to better hear what the jackass behind us was going on about.
Basically, the mother of a particularly annoying student came in for her conference and immediately launched into an explanation of how bright and gifted her child was and wanted to know what Teacher Man planned to do about special learning opportunities for her son. Teacher man guffawed out loud(er), and as he walked past our table on his way to the door, he choked out: “That kid was as dumb as a post!”
My daughter, who worships all teachers, opened her eyes so wide I could watch the panic light her up inside. This was followed immediately by one of her little lights going out as disillusionment set in and an unfortunate deeper understanding of adults pushed its way into her heretofore fully-illusioned mind. Teachers were capable of mean thoughts and there was a chance they didn’t like her as much as they professed to. I closed my eyes and tried hard to convince myself that punching Teacher Man out in full view of my kid would be a worse moment for her to witness than that chucklehead’s words.
Not every kid is gifted or talented. I know it must suck to be an educator in this day and age, and having to deal with annoying-ass parents must blow. Everyone thinks their kid’s a genius and most kids are just normal. I have never shoved my kid down any teacher’s throat. I let the educators do their job and as long as my kid is happy and is obviously learning, I’m good. But my child, who loves people first and asks questions later, did not need to hear a teacher shout out what he really thought about a student’s intelligence. Unacceptable.
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and I would never assume that teachers are perfect and don’t have mean thoughts. Vent all you want, let it out. Being a teacher can’t be easy. But for the sake of all things holy, do not express your frustration loudly in a restaurant 20 inches from a kid.
I didn’t catch which elementary school Teacher Man works his magic in, so no angry letter can be sent and no surprise classroom visit can occur. But I remember what he looks like, and Seattle’s a smaller town than one might think…I promise I’ll only smack him down with words.
For years the only goal of a prospective college student and his/her parents is to get into a college or a university. Based solely on the blood, sweat, and tears that were involved with that quest, the youngsters in that scenario will be surprised at how quickly the adults get over their intense relief, massive pride, and welling tear drops and move right on in to the “What are you planning to major in?” line of incessant questioning.
This makes the almost-adults want to scream “Oh for the love of all things holy! Will you people just shut the hell UP?!!!” Additionally, this is how the parental units make dead certain sure that junior will do everything in his/her power to never ever have to live back at home. Everyone’s a winner!
While there is something to be said for just picking something to ward off parents, teachers, extended family and the guy at the post office, in the end it’s helpful to have put some thought into the final decision. To help the soon-to-be-college-students out with this process, Professors Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman made a list of the 10 Questions to Ask Before Picking a Major.
Short Version:
1. Why do I want this major?
2. Do I know enough about this major?
3. What are the requirements for this major?
4. Is my college strong in this major?
5. What are the career opportunities for this major?
6. Is this the right–and only—major for my career path?
7. Have I talked to someone in this major?
8. Am I good at this major?
9. Do I want to pick a traditional major at all?
10. Is it the right time to declare a major?
