Of the nation’s 3.3 million 2009 high school graduates, many parents are pushing their children to go to state universities instead of their “dream college" states USA Today. This does not come as a shock to anyone who was read a paper or listened to the news in the past year but our economy is making an impact on every aspect of our lives. The National Association for College Admission Counseling conducted a survey to see where students would be going to school in the fall in response to our economy. Their findings were not surprising. Many parents are finding that they do not have the money to send their child to the dream college they always wanted to. Parents who had their child’s college education fund in the stock market have seen that money cut in half, if not more. Students are still applying to these “dream schools,” but are waiting to find out what type of financial aid packages they will receive before they make their final decision. One fact that I thought was positive in all of this economic sadness was that of the 658 high schools nationally that responded to this survey, nearly 85 % of the students did not plan to delay college because of the economy. For now students are not forgetting about their dream schools. They are just planning on making them their “graduate dream schools.”
Over the past year it is no lie that it has been hard to watch friends & family lose jobs, make cut backs, and put some of their dreams on hold. It is not always fair but something that we all have to do. Personally I don’t feel that these students are giving up something that is going to drastically impact their lives. I went to Fargo South High School, in Fargo ND, and while I was growing up and many of the students graduating stated they were going to University of Nevada Las Vegas or Texas Christian University. I was going to Valley City State University and I was not upset about it one bit. First of all it was a ton cheaper and my parents were willing to pay for it. I received scholarships and worked my entire college career to help with it but in the end I received a great education and I landed a great job out of college. I think once these graduates step out into the “real world” and see that it is not all about name recondition they will realize they made the right choice for both them and their wallets.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-09-college-economy_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Why do HS students drop out?
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The Baltimore Sun reported that hundreds of educators in Maryland met in
late June to focus on three questions - what drives students out of school
- what ...
14 years ago
I read this article last week and found it a little sickening. The girl that wanted to go to Georgetown but ended up at a different school was really annoying. I too went to a state school, MSUM and wouldn't change a thing. When I graduated after five years, I had no debt and a great degree. What I say to anyone who will listen is you get out of something what you put into it. Are there better professors at some of these well respected private schools? Sure. However, if I work hard and study hard, I can come out of any school with a great education and the training I need to be successful in the real world. The only thing I would argue for going to some of these other schools is the connections you make and the prestige a degree from them carries. Doesn't mean the person behind the degree is better than someone else but the is the way some people view it. I feel the most important thing is to come out of college with as little debt as possible, especially in these tough economic times.
ReplyDeleteI am not at all convinced that big name colleges offer an incredible education. You are paying for a "brand name" and networking opportunities, but good students can sell themselves and create networks on their own. Yes, it might be harder but it can be done, and you will have a whole lot less debt to deal with when you are finished. Some of my best learning experiences as a student have come from Bismarck State College, Valley City and Minot State. The teachers are top notch and the curriculum offerings are diverse. I wouldn't trade my state university experience for anything.
ReplyDeleteEven when the economy was not bad, my parents told me they would pay for my college education, however they would only pay for state schools. I was allowed to apply to schools outside of my state, but they still had to be a state school. I came from a family of three so for my parents to be able to pay for all three of us was very fortunate. It’s sad that more than ever parents cannot let their children apply to their dream schools. Someone I know son just graduated from high school. He wanted to go to a non state school and had this school on his mind forever. He was accepted into the school with no problems at all and his parents thought he would get a scholarship. He didn’t apply to any other schools because he thought this was a done deal. Unfortunately, he did not get any scholarships because there were kids who needed them more than him. The school he wanted to attend cost about fifty thousand dollars per year. Instead, he is now going to a cheaper school because they just didn’t have the money to support him in that school. He was very upset about this but it all worked out. It just proves that now students really have to research their schools more than ever and apply to several schools.
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