OK, maybe it's not all your fault. Colleges themselves have
something to do with the high cost, but it's definitely because of your
choices. Are you one of those individuals who complain about the high
cost of your college education? Are you a graduate that gets depressed
every time you have to make a ridiculously high student loan payment? If
so, could you have done things differently and still received an
excellent higher education?
According to the College Board, the
average total published charges for full-time undergraduate students by
type for 2013-2014 are as follows: Public Four-Year-In-State $18,391;
Public Four-Year-Out-of-State $31,707; Private Nonprofit Four-Year
$40,917. According to another study released by the Institute for
College Access and Success (TICAS), the average debt incurred for
student loans had climbed to $29,400 for the class of 2012. The 2013
figure is up by almost 10 percent compared to the group estimate the
year before of $26,600. This shows an increase of an average of six
percent each year from 2008 to 2012. When students and parents are
looking for someone to blame for the high cost of their college
education, they should look first to themselves and reflect on what they
could have done differently. Here are some things to consider.
1. You could have studied harder.
As
colleges compete to attract the brightest students to their school,
they are prepared to offer the best deals possible including a full
ride. Many colleges will offer additional grants and scholarships to
high school graduates with high GPA, SAT, ACT scores; these are called
Merit-Base Scholarships.
2. You could have gotten more involved.
Most
college athletes are attending school on an athletics scholarship,
however if you are not athletically gifted there are many other
extracurricular activities you could have gotten evolved in. Some
colleges and universities offer special grants and scholarships to
students with particular talents. Music, journalism, drama and
volunteering are a few categories for which these awards are made. In
addition to schools providing scholarships to students with special
interests, community and government organizations do as well.
3. You could have fought for more free aid.
Just
completing the FAFSA is not enough; nor is it the only step in applying
for financial aid. One hundred and fifty billion in financial aid is
awarded to college students each year and over one million scholarships.
There are scholarships based on athletic ability, academic merit,
disability, race, nationality, religious affiliation, location,
financial need and more. With a little research and patience, you could
have found a long list of scholarships for which you are eligible even
within your own school and community.
4. You could have chosen a school and major that offered you the best financial aid incentives.
How
did you choose the college you applied for? The one with the best
reputation, prestige, because that where your friends and family
attended or maybe because you like their football tea? Maybe you
attended where your boyfriend/girlfriend is going. However, a more
responsible way would have been to select the school that offered you
the best financial aid package.
When it comes to choosing a major,
there can be many factors to think about. Studies have shown that most
people don't work in the field that their degree is in; it would have
been financially smart to have chosen a major with the best financial
aid incentive. Scholarships and grants vary by major, so with a little
research you could have found a college and career field that was in
need of people to fill them and offer several financial incentives to
those who pursue a major within those fields.
5. You could have stayed in-state and off-campus.
A
state college or university charges lower fees to state residents.
Since public institutions are subsidized by state revenues, their
tuition costs are lower than private schools' costs. Here are the facts:
A student living at home can save as much as $6,000 per year. Some
students choose to attend a community college for one or two years, and
then transfer to a four-year school. Tuition costs are substantially
lower at community colleges than at four-year institutions.
6. You could have served in the U.S. Military.
The
military offers many educational benefits that service members can take
advantage of during or after service. Service members have access to
benefits that range from financial aid and college funds to programs
that convert military training into college credits. Here are some of
those programs: Tuition Assistance, Post-9/11 GI Bill, College Fund
Programs, Loan Repayment Programs, Service Members Opportunity Colleges
(SOC), Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), Testing Programs plus
others.
7. You could have asked your employer and/or parent's employer for help.
Many
employers offer Employer Tuition Assistance Programs to their employees
and their families. Your employer may offer you up to $5,250 in
employer education assistance benefits for undergraduate or graduate
courses tax-free each year, per section 127 of the Internal Revenue
Code. Another smart strategy would have been to get a job working for a
college because many colleges offer tuition-free education to their
employees.
8. You could have been strategic with your FAFSA to maximize your awards.
Studies
have shown that one out of every seven FAFSA forms are completed
incorrectly causing students to leave money on the table. In addition,
many students never question their financial aid awards. Here are a few
things you could have done wrong: you waited too long to complete the
FAFSA or worse you did not fill it out at all, you kept assets in the
student name, you overstated assets and income, you didn't update the
financial aid office when circumstances changed.
9. You could have saved on those expensive books.
You
could have rented or bought used textbooks, sold your old book and
reinvested the money for the next set. You could have borrowed, traded
or teamed up with classmates to share the books or the cost. Doing so
would have saved you thousands yearly.
10. You could have kept your grades up.
Almost
all college funding are tied into your grades, each time you withdrew
or failed a class it may have cost you to retake plus kept you in school
longer which also cost you. If you did not meet your school
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy you would have lost or been
at risk of losing your Federal Student Aid plus any other scholarships,
military benefits and even employer assistance benefits.
Post Title
→It's Your Own Damn Fault You Are Paying So Much for Your Education
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→https://emma-buecherkeks.blogspot.com/2014/05/its-your-own-damn-fault-you-are-paying.html
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