Showing posts with label Higher Ed Funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Higher Ed Funding. Show all posts

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Our College Graduates and Student Loans




This semester is finally winding down. THANK GOODNESS! Yesterday, I wrote an article for the college newsletter that focuses on the "After the Degree, Now What?" conference. This was a very interesting way to reflect on last month's successful event. However, today I received a message on my RSS feed titled, "College Graduates Struggle to Repay Loans".

Many college students do not focus on their student loans until their last month of school. This is when students are required by the federal government to participate in online exit counseling. At this time in most students' lives (including my own), they are not focused on ANYTHING but their final exams and the graduation ceremony.

I think more students should know about the pros and cons of consolidating their student loans. In addition, it seems that many students do not know that they have the option to defer student loans if they choose to go back to school. Last, but certainly not least, if students experience a financial hardship or unemployment, they should know about the option to ask their loan company for a deferment.

My goal is to pay off my student loans in the next four years (before I go up for tenure). My family uses coupons, but I will definitely have to find more ways to save money repay our student loans!

Have a great day!

J. Edwards (Millennial Professor)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Return vs. Investment = The Ivy League Experience

During August, I read an article titled, "Ivy Leaguers' Big Edge: Starting Pay ". This article was eye opening, because I operate under the belief that it does not matter where you attended school (as long as you obtain the degree). As a child of a single parent, I knew that my parents could not afford SAT/ACT prep or afford private school tuition. Therefore, I sought scholarships at public schools.

One of the most surprising statistics was, "According to the survey, graduates of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League college, earn the highest median salary -- $134,000." I graduated from a public, mid-sized higher education institution in Texas with under $2,000 in student loans (thanks to scholarships). Yes, I think that an Ivy League education is wonderful, but I do not think the debt is worth it. Here's the clincher, I worked with a wealth of people who received the Ivy League experience and have the Ivy League experience debt. The most interesting aspect of this clincher is...we earn the same salary and I have less student loan debt. 

Is an Ivy League education worth the debt?

Friday, December 12, 2008

Help for Low Income Millennial College Students

        Bill and Melinda Gates are focused on higher education! According to the November 21st edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Gates Foundation plans to allocate approximately three billion dollars over the next five years to increase the number of young college graduates who are from low-income families. The Chronicle predicts if the program is successful, an additional 250,000 young people will earn college degrees by age 26. At the beginning, this program will target community colleges because of their low tuition cost and open admission criteria.

Read more about this plan: