How to Take Control of Your Community College Education

If you are a student in high school, you have probably taken your fair share of standardized tests. Some school districts rely on standardized testing more than others and there is a great deal of debate about the pros and cons. No matter how you feel about the subject personally, you must be practical and accept the reality that you probably won’t get into college without taking some kind of test.

Most colleges and universities require either the SAT or the ACT – sometimes both. But there is another standardized test out there that you may need to think about – the GRE. In this article, you will learn what the GRE is, when you might need it, and how to prepare yourself so that you can get the highest score possible for your application.

What is the GRE?

The GRE is the Graduate Record Exam and it is the test that is most commonly required for graduate school admission – hence the name. Similar to the ACT and the SAT, the GRE is divided into three main sections: analytical writing, verbal, and quantitative. The analytic writing section comes first and, to complete this section, you must read a paragraph about a general issue and then respond in writing. Those who score the test look for evidence of sound reasoning skills and the ability to provide examples to support your views – you have 30 minutes to complete this portion of the

College is a time of learning and self-discovery. It is exciting to finally be out in the world on your own – you don’t have to answer to anyone, and you can do whatever you want, more or less. But just because you have more freedom in your life doesn’t mean that you can abuse it. Learn from the example of some college students who didn’t take college quite as seriously as they should have, and now they are paying the price.

Top Academic Mistakes You Want to Avoid

College is where you will learn the information and skills you need to succeed in the “real world” as an adult. You will pick a major and then take all the classes you need to graduate with a degree in that significant, which will (hopefully) get you a job after graduation. Packing your class schedule with all the most challenging classes the school offers is unnecessary – you aren’t trying to impress anyone. But there are some common academic mistakes you want to avoid.

Here are a few of the most common academic mistakes first-year college students make:

Believing that college is just like high school.

In high school, your teachers hold you accountable for doing your classwork and showing up on time. However, once you get to college, it is on you to keep up with your classwork and homework and show up for class. This requires a certain degree of self-discipline, which some

Starting college is an exciting time. The world is full of new possibilities, and you can’t begin imagining the future. When starting community college, getting caught up in the excitement is easy, but you need to maintain a certain degree of practicality. For instance, you shouldn’t just load up your class schedule with fun electives and “blow-off” classes if you want to graduate on time. Here are some tips for crafting the perfect class schedule that is the ideal mix of fun and functional.

Things to Consider Before Choosing Classes

Depending on your community college, you may facemany class options, perhaps a full book. It's not the same as choosing classes in high school. While it may be tempting to skim through the class list and pick the ones that interest you, be realistic about your choices. The number of classes you choose is just as important as the types of classes you choose. Only you can know how much you can handle when it comes to your class load, so don’t be afraid to challenge yourself with a bit of hard work, but be realistic about how much time you have for studying and homework without completely sacrificing all of your free time. Different students learn and work at different rates, so be aware of your abilities and limitations and consider those things when scheduling classes.

Hailey Dollar offers some advice on picking classes in the following video.

There is no denying that college is becoming more and more expensive with each passing year. According to a recent study, the average annual cost for tuition at a 4-year college is more than $30,000 – and that doesn’t even cover everything! Paying for college is like signing a contract with a new cable service provider. After doing the research you finally choose a provider based on a specific published price. But when it comes time to sign the contract you find out that there are all of these unexpected fees involved – service fees, taxes, etc. And then the price for service skyrockets after the first year!

With college, hidden costs are everywhere. The amount you pay the school each semester (or each year) probably only covers your tuition, maybe even room and board. But there are so many other things you are going to need to make it through the year – basic school supplies, clothing, transportation and, of course, textbooks. Many students underestimate the cost of textbooks but they actually end up being a significant expense for many students. Keep reading to learn just how much you should expect to pay for textbooks during school and how you can cost those costs a little bit.

How Much Do Textbooks Really Cost?

Though there are certainly some college classes that do not require them, most classes are based around one or more textbooks.