An In-Depth Guide to Financing Options for Community College
College tuition is not cheap, and the cost seems to rise with each passing year. According to College Board, the average yearly rate for in-state tuition at a public college is over $25,000. At a private college, tuition can cost upwards of $50,000 per year.
If you are determined to go to college but you don’t have an extra $25k to $50k per year to spend, you might want to consider community college as an alternative. The average cost for community college tuition is under $5,000 for in-state students and under $10,000 for out of state students. Even if you complete your general education requirements and then transfer to a four-year school, you’ll still be saving a lot of money.
While attending community college is much more affordable than paying for a four-year university, it is still a significant expense. Keep reading to learn about your options for financing community college including common myths about scholarships, the different kinds of grants, and tips for reducing your costs while in school.
Debunking Common Myths About College Scholarships
The word “scholarship” is a dangling carrot for high school students preparing for college. While most colleges and universities offer them, they often seem like they are just out of reach. Though you may not realize it, many community colleges offer scholarships as well and there are always private scholarships to consider.
Unfortunately, many students misunderstand certain facts about scholarships which could prevent them from obtaining one. Here are five common myths about college scholarships and the truth
The base salary for a physician is around $190,000 with some specialties earning well over $500,000 per year. As much as doctors get paid, however, they accrue a lot of debt over the course of their education. The average yearly cost of medical school is over $200,000 and most doctors graduate with over $400,000 in student loans.
According to a 2010 study, roughly 40% of American undergraduate students attend community college but only 5% of students who enrolled in medical school in 2012 had attended community college. Because medical school is so expensive, it is worth it to consider taking premed classes at community college and then transferring to a four-year university to finish out the degree.
Keep reading to learn more about how medical schools view community college credits and to receive tips for premed students attending community college.
How Do Med Schools View Community College Credits?
Getting into medical school is no easy task. Not only do you have to complete a rigorous undergraduate degree, but you also have to find a way to stand out among thousands of applicants. Though it is important to position yourself well to stand out in the crowd, your primary concern as a premedical student should be to learn and understand the content of your premed classes. Taking some of these classes at community college can save you money so you’re able to focus on what really matters instead of worrying about how you’re going to pay your tuition.
Many people assume that colleges favor
For many students, the primary benefit of community college is that it is local to their community. In recent years, however, community colleges have begun to offer more classes online and plans for an all-online community college in California are underway.
So, what are the benefits of attending community college online, and are their any drawbacks? Keep reading to find out.
The Evolution of Online Education
The first American community college was born in 1901 and, over the past eleven decades, they have served the educational needs of nontraditional and financially constrained students. One of the biggest draws of community college as compared to traditional colleges and universities is that they were local, and they provided a more convenient, reduced-cost alternative.
From modest beginnings, the National Center for Education Statistics says that the community college student population has grown to over 6.4 million students. Of those students, nearly 2 million are enrolled in at least one online course.
Online education is nothing new, at least not in the realm of modern education. Technically speaking, however, the technology needed to facilitate online education (namely, computers) is over 170 years old. The precursor to online education was correspondence courses which were first offered in Great Britain. Instructors developed lessons and sent them to students by mail who then completed the assignment and mailed it back.
The advent of the Internet has made a great many things possible that were once unfathomable, and it has been an instrumental tool in the development of modern education.
In 1984, the Electronic
Every year, colleges receive thousands of applications from qualified students. Each school has its own criteria for admission, but test scores and your high school GPA will only get you so far. In addition to these metrics, colleges and universities use various other things to narrow down their list of applications – a college admissions essay is one of them.
When filling out college applications, you have the opportunity to highlight your accomplishments and relevant experiences, but those things don’t necessarily paint an accurate picture of who you are. That’s where the admissions essay comes in – it’s a chance for you to tell your story and to give the admissions committee an idea of what makes you unique and why you would be a good fit for their school.
Writing a college admissions essay can be a nerve-wracking experience because there is so much riding on it. Keep reading to receive an in-depth guide to crafting the perfect college admissions essay.
General Guidelines for Admissions Essays
Before we get into the nitty gritty details of crafting an unforgettable essay, let’s highlight some simple tips to keep in mind as you write:
- Keep it concise. Even if the application doesn’t specify a word limit, most admissions counselors will start to get bored around the 500-word mark. Definitely meet the minimum word requirement, but don’t write a novel.
- Be yourself. It may seem like the point of an admissions essay is to impress the people who will be reading it, but the real goal is to
Years ago, attending college was a privilege that many people simply didn’t have. Though tuition rates were much more affordable back then, it was entirely possible to enter the workforce without a degree and to steadily rise through the ranks. Today, however, a college degree is a necessity for even entry-level positions, and even then it is difficult for recent graduates to find a job. Current tuition prices also leave students saddled with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
There are currently over 5,300 colleges and universities in the United States and, collectively, they are known as the American higher-education system. Of those, there are nearly 1,500 community colleges and each year, more than one-third of undergraduate students choose public and private two-year colleges over traditional four-year colleges and universities.
As the number of community colleges and community college students continues to rise, the greater the effect they have on the American higher-education system. Keep reading to learn about the history of community colleges and how they have changed over the years – you’ll also learn how they have affected higher education in the United States.
Understanding the Importance of Higher Education
Before we get into the details of how community colleges have changed the face of the American higher-education system, let’s take a look at the importance of postsecondary education as a whole. Generally speaking, college graduates have more job opportunities available to them than students who choose not to pursue higher education after high school. Not only do college grads
