How to Pay for Community College as a Single Parent
Life as a single parent is tough enough without the added burden of going to school. If you’re already shouldering the load of parenthood by yourself, you’re probably hesitant to add more to your plate. Furthering your education, however, could provide opportunities both for yourself and for your children that could change your lives for the better.
Getting a degree can open doors for you, but it does come with its own challenges and many of those challenges are financial. Raising a child is expensive, and so is going to school! Student loans are available for single parents, but they may not be the best option.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of community college in particular for single parents and we’ll provide some tips for making it more affordable.
The Benefits of Community College for Single Parents
Whether you’re starting college for the first time or continuing your education, community college provides many unique benefits over traditional 4-year schools, especially for single parents.
The way community colleges are structured is much more flexible than the typical college or university. Many community colleges offer both in-class and online courses with tuition prices that are much lower than traditional schools. Classes are offered both during the day and in the evening, making it easier for busy single parents to find a class schedule that fits their lifestyle. Plus, this flexibility enables single parents to keep working while attending college.
Another benefit of community college for single parents is that you can customize every aspect
Whether you’re planning to attend an Ivy League school, or you want to start out at community college, it’s important to find the right fit. There are so many colleges and universities out there that there’s no reason you can’t find one that suits your needs and preferences.
But how do you go about choosing the perfect college?
You have to start somewhere, so talk to your high school counselor, do some research online, or ask around with your friends and family to start making a list of colleges you may be interested in. As you go deeper with your research, you’ll start to get a feel for each school, and you’ll start to get an idea whether you would fit in there.
Once you have narrowed down your list to a few top picks, it’s time to take the next step – college visits. In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of college visits and how to do them right.
Why Is It Important to Do College Visits?
The college application process is very time-consuming, and it can be stressful knowing that every detail of your application could be scrutinized. When you work that hard to put together the perfect application, you want to know that it’s being sent in the right direction. If you don’t take the time to visit and learn about the schools you’re applying to, it could be wasted effort.
On the other side of things, completing a college visit can help you get a better feel for
The world of higher education is a wide one with many different options. Whether you choose to attend community college or a traditional college or university, there are a number of different degrees to choose from and each one offers unique potential in terms of your future career.
Before you apply to college, you should consider your field as well as the type of degree you intend to pursue. Not every job requires a college degree, but many do – there are also many careers where you are unlikely to succeed without an advanced degree.
Keep reading to learn about the five different types of college degree, the common career paths for each of those degrees and how to choose the right degree for you.
The Five Types of College Degrees
One of the main benefits of earning a college degree is that it increases your earning potential – college graduates simply earn more than non-degree holders in most fields. Outside of higher income potential, the process of earning your degree opens you up to a whole new world of learning and you develop skills you may not have had before. Having a degree typically means better job security, more career options, and more personal development along the way.
The benefits of having a degree are many, but not all degrees are created equal. Here is an overview of the five different types of college degree:
- Associate Degree (ex: Associate of Arts or Associate of Science)
- Bachelor’s Degree (ex: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of
High school is a stressful period for young adults. Between the struggles with changing hormones, social pressures, and academics all rolled into a four-year span, it can be quite overwhelming.
Some students handle the pressure of high school better than others, and some are simply better at school for whatever reason. Poor grades are sometimes viewed as an indicator of laziness, but that is not always the case. For many students, poor grades are a small piece of the puzzle. Many students struggle with basic study skills or test taking while others have difficulty with learning disabilities, distractions at home, or other issues that affect their academic success.
For many students, getting good grades feels like the only thing that matters. After all, good grades are what gets a student into college. Or are they?
College admissions have changed significantly over the years. Today, colleges want to see their students be well-rounded individuals with real-life experience and a direction for their future. Grades are still a key indicator of discipline and academic potential, but they aren’t everything. Even if you have poor grades, you can still get into college.
In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of grades and how much they really matter for college applications. We’ll also discuss some strategies to address poor grades in your college applications to increase your chances of being accepted.
Do Grades Really Matter for Community College?
There is a common misconception that community college is somehow below traditional colleges and universities. While community colleges accept
Community college has gained a reputation for being the ideal option for nontraditional students. Single parents, retirees, and individuals hoping to switch careers are some of the biggest beneficiaries of community college but there is another group of students to think about – homeschoolers.
According to the National Household Education Survey Program (NHES), there were over 1.7 million K-12 students being homeschooled in the United States. This number represents an 18% increase since the previous survey taken in 2007. As both of these studies demonstrate, homeschooling has become increasingly more popular since it became a legal option in all 50 states in 1993.
There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children. For some, it is a matter of wanting greater control over their child’s curriculum and schedule or a desire to create a program adapted to their child’s needs. Homeschooling can help parents create a stronger bond with their children and it gives children the freedom to learn at their own pace. Homeschooling does come with its challenges, however, particularly when it comes to college applications.
College applications for homeschoolers are not as complex as they used to be, but it still takes time to complete them. More homeschoolers are turning to community college over traditional four-year colleges and universities. Keep reading to learn why and how to prepare your homeschooler for college.
Surprising Facts About Homeschoolers in College
Though more than 3% of the K-12 student population in the United States is homeschooled, many people still misunderstand this educational
