Search Results for: blog college affordability

Education Blog in Review: December 1st Through December 14th

Do you know exactly what goes on at your child’s school? You might be surprised. Look for future posts about this topic. Meanwhile check out the blog posts from the past two weeks. December 1st Education Blog in Review: November 17th Through November 30th Stay ahead of the latest in Education with the Education Blog. December 2nd Education Blog Month in Review: November By November, students have settled in to the routine of school. The month of November brought with it lots of education news, from sex education and ethics in the classroom to upcoming policy changes that may affect … Continue reading →

State College Costs Unaffordable

Public colleges and universities are often more affordable than private institutions, but according to a report by the Associated Press, even public four- and two-year colleges and universities flunk the grade on affordability. Only one state out of 50, California, actually can claim that they have affordable colleges. This is thanks to affordable community colleges. How bad are college costs? Increases from 1999-2000 are as high as 16 percent in some cases. If your income falls in the lower median, expect to pay as much as 55 percent of your income just for college tuition, books and other fees not … Continue reading →

Free College Level Classes

With two kids in high school in the fall, I’m starting to think about college credits. We’re probably going to be in that middle area when it comes to loans and grants. Too poor to pay their tuition outright, too wealthy (ha!) to quality for financial aid. Of course I have hopes that there will be scholarships, but since I don’t really want my daughters leaving home to go away to college, the opportunities will be a little more limited. Our state has a program for high schoolers to take community college classes in their junior and senior years. That’s … Continue reading →

High School Students Taking College Classes

A growing trend for high school students is to take college-level courses at their local junior college during their junior and senior years of high school. This provides a great opportunity for students to get a jumpstart on their college-level general education requirements. Generally, students take mainly general education classes such as math, English, and science during their first two years of college. Getting these classes out of the way early can provide any student with a solid foundation. While I would not recommend doubling up on classes for those students who are already struggling to keep up with their … Continue reading →

Fuzz Therapy at School

There’s an old Calvin and Hobbes comic that I’ve always loved: Calvin comes in after a long, horrible day and finds Hobbes (his stuffed tiger) snoozing on the floor. Calvin buries his face in the tiger’s tummy and sits up with a smile on his face. “Ahhhh… fuzz therapy,” he says. Studies have shown that pets are great when it comes to relieving stress. Whether you’re old or young, healthy or infirm, a pet can be a huge mood booster and stress reliever. Pets who live in assisted living facilities help residents come out of their shells. A new study … Continue reading →

Choices for Higher Education

We now live in an “I want it now!” society. We can no longer wait on meals from scratch. McDonald’s is timing its service and Domino’s promises pizza in less than 30 minutes. Pregnancy tests compete for who can deliver the earliest response. Children cannot appreciate the value of a savings bond because of its delay in pay-off. The same is true with our education. Two-year colleges and vocational schools are becoming society’s most popular forms of higher education. More students are choosing two-year or vocational colleges over four-year universities. The schooling is shorter and the moneymaking is quicker. Some … Continue reading →

Twenty Somethings Drowning in Debt

There was an article a while back about debt being a main concern between parents and their children. Seems like parents don’t like the kids getting in over their heads – because they never did it themselves. It’s true. I don’t remember my parents being in a lot of debt when I was growing up, and my grandmother – never. It would have been unheard of for her to take on debt of any sort,except maybe her house. I’m sure my parents and grandparents didn’t buy their first house in their twenties, – they worked and saved and bought one … Continue reading →

Single Moms Going Back to School – Part Four

I truly hope you feel encouraged to move forward with college – I know from firsthand experience that being a single mom is hard. Although it is not impossible, being a single mom puts a strain on your time, finances, and patience. If you think about it, finishing your college degree so you can earn a better income is exactly why I want to recommend you do everything possible to better yourself One of the biggest decisions you will have is where to attend school. Now, you might be interested in attending a traditional school, you know, the brick and … Continue reading →

Education Savings Plans

Did you know that September is officially “College Savings Month? With the costs of college soaring each year (See my previous article titled College Affordability for more on this subject), most parents are going to need more than one month to save! All kidding aside, making September College Savings Month is an attempt to help make parents aware of different saving options and the value of starting to save early for their children’s college education. One of the most popular options, the 529 plan, recently got even more enticing. Last month President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act into law. … Continue reading →