College in America Blog

Taking out student loans equal to your targeted starting salary is a very bad idea. I have written about this extensively on this blog. The short answer is to limit your student loans to HALF your targeted starting salary. Let’s look at the issue from two different perspectives, using an example of a $50,000 a […]

This is a question I see frequently. It is important that you file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is necessary to get access to federal grants, work-study, and Federal Direct Student Loans. In 2019 almost one in four families, with college bound students, didn’t bother applying for federal, need-based aid. Their […]

The moment of glory? What complete and utter balderdash. In the US, almost any high school graduate can find a college or university that will accept them and their parent’s money. I spend way too much time on these “going to college” websites. Here’s something I read recently on Grown and Flown. What Did YOU […]

In most countries, getting accepted at college is challenging. Their students are rigorously tested on what they learned in high school, and, if they can’t demonstrate mastery of the material, they can expect to be, summarily, refused entry into university. For example, in Switzerland, the test is the Matura. China has the gaokao. For South […]

Since the Great Recession of 2008, the survey data for young people considering college is clear. Most students aren’t worried about “finding themselves” or pursuing their passions anymore. Today, going to college is a means to an end—getting a good job. Unfortunately, for most of these students, the outcome is not meeting their expectations. Unlike […]

Whoops! That was a typo.  I was trying to say, “Don’t go to college without a PURPOSE.”  The conventional wisdom is, “Follow in our [parents’] footsteps, do it like we did it. Just take the next logical step, go to college, and you’ll be exposed to a lot of different experiences and new ideas. You […]

Going to college is a risky business. Only one in three who matriculate, manage to graduate, and get a well-paying professional job. I have written ad nauseum about managing student loan debt. (See notes.) However, I’ve read a couple articles recently on the subject that, I think, justifies visiting the topic again. “College ruined my […]

By the time Herbert Hoover had become president, education in the US was considered to be compulsory. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and mandatory K–12 education, essentially, became the law of the land. For all practical purposes, that was the world I grew up in, and […]

I am getting a lot of questions regarding my opinion of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s proposals on forgiving student loans and making college free. Eliminating Student Loan Debt I believe that the nation’s student loan crisis originates with entitled teenagers and financially illiterate parents. Public policy shouldn’t reward bad behavior. However, let’s set that concern aside. […]

In November my blog post was about pathways that led to a well-paying job that didn’t run through an expensive college or university. I’m going to expand on that. Contrary to what a whole bunch of parents and students have been led to believe, a college degree is not necessary in order to get a […]