Are you in the process of choosing a college? The current recession is affecting students and colleges everywhere. Many students are looking for more affordable options and some are even transfering from their current college to other schools with lower tuition. I caught up with one University of Colorado at Boulder student who is transfering to an in-state school to save money. Check out this video to find out how the economic crunch is affecting America’s college students.
Has the economic downturn made you re-think your college choice? Share your experience and visit myUsearch.com to find your college match.
Thanks for visiting. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.
The time has come. As we reach the final days before application deadlines, you may be looking at your to-do stack unsure why all this is necessary. Why can’t I just throw out these forms and become a wise mountain hermit? you wonder. Those of you who can answer that question and choose to continue pursuing a college education, you may instead be asking, Just how many of these applications should I really be doing? I offer you a few considerations:
I can’t count how many times my high school teachers told me, “We’re doing this to prepare you for college!” Of course, this phrase usually came after assigning a twelve-page paper, passing out an impossibly long test, or telling us another terrifying tale of frat parties gone awry. Although I’m honestly more than grateful for the help, I’m happy to say my first quarter at Seattle University has been a bit different from some of those expectations.
When I got off the plane in Connecticut this August, I was already worried that home was disappearing behind me. I wondered what it would be like to return home at Thanksgiving. Would I feel like I’d never left, like no time had passed and nothing had changed? Or would I feel out of place, like home wasn’t home anymore? I think a lot of first semester college freshman struggle with losing their sense of home. Here’s my experience going back for the first time.
When I went to summer camp for the first time when I was nine, I missed my parents and my home so much, I cried every night. Of course, I have matured since then. I’m more independent. I can go a few days — make that months — without seeing my family and my friends from home. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get homesick. I decided to go to college out-of-state, and knowing that I can’t jump in the car and drive home for the weekend doesn’t make my homesickness any better. I think this is an important factor to consider when deciding if you want to go to an out-of-state college, but it also shouldn’t deter you from going to school across the country if you think that’s what will be best for you.
When I interviewed my fellow Yale freshman suitemates about tips for getting into the Ivy League, they agreed that the admission process is often more about luck than strategy. While it’s important to keep this in mind if your heart is set on an Ivy League school, there are things you can do to improve your chances of admission. I asked my suitemates what they thought was most important for people to keep in mind when applying for college. Here’s what they had to say.
I’ve been writing on my college blog (Kill Jill Goes To College) since February and I’ve been blogging for myUsearch since April. So, I know my way around college websites and the college blogosphere. Here are some of the best college websites out there.
Now that I’m in college, it’s easy to look back and wish I’d learned a few more things in high school. Between studying for midterms and meeting new people each day, I realize I’m playing catch up. There are some basic skills and habits I could’ve learned in high school that would’ve made my transition to college a little easier. It’s never too early to study the tricks of the college student trade.
People don’t just go to Ivy League schools for the architecture. After spending about two weeks at Yale, I am beginning to realize why I’m here: infinite opportunity. I had my share of anxiety this summer, wondering if I would fit in at Yale, wondering if Yale would be all they say it is. Is the Ivy League all I’d expected? The truth is: it is and it isn’t.
Have you decided on your major yet? Given any thought to your career plans?
If you haven’t, don’t worry. However, consider at least taking some core classes that will help you in practically any career you choose. Don’t wait until you’ve chosen your major before diving into these. Most colleges have these courses as freshman-level classes, so you can start laying your foundation now even if you haven’t decided what to do after you get your college degree.
I’ve been counting down the days until my freshman year of college for a long time. I think I started it over 100 days to go. Now, as I write this, I have 20 days left before I pack up my life and move 130 miles away from my childhood home. (Okay, I realize 130 miles doesn’t seem like a long way to go, but the drive seems to take forever. Plus, a bus ticket from there to here costs me a pretty penny.) For someone who has always lived in a small community and never moved in her whole life, this is a huge step for me. Huge.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve suddenly become terrified of the Ivy League. In two weeks I’ll be at Yale. I’ve written about my general college fears before, but now I’m worried about the Ivy atmosphere. What if I don’t fit in? What if all those Ivy stereotypes are true? In my paranoia, my mind begins to drift to a bad place. A place where expensive polo shirts are plentiful and money grows on trees. My mind leads me to a worst-case scenario of my first day at Yale and it goes something like this:
In less than six weeks I’ll be leaving for my freshman year of college at Yale. College is that thing all my friends are doing. The word I’ve heard fifty times a day for the past year. The place I’ve stared at on websites and in brochures. The thing I’ve been planning on for years. The thing is, I’m possibly not ready for it at all. When someone asks me how I feel about leaving for school I respond with one word: scared.
I started seriously looking at college applications last summer. A year ago, I never would have guessed I’d end up going to Yale. It wasn’t even on my list. If there’s one thing I learned about the college admissions process, it’s to always keep an open mind.
When someone says “valedictorian,” you probably think of somebody who has it all together. But just because they have a great grade point and worked their tail off during the last four years, doesn’t mean they know everything about the admissions process. (more…)
Getting a second degree (or finishing your first) can be a great tactic during a recession. You make yourself more employable and sit out the worst of a lackluster job market.
But there’s another secret recession-buster that works especially well for students–networking. Creating a strong network of “who you know” is one of the best ways to find a great job more quickly. And students are in a unique position to start creating a great network that you can rely on throughout your professional life.
I am one of the co-founders of myUsearch and I graduated from the University of Colorado- Boulder in 2003. If I would have read this before I went to school, I would have saved myself a lot of pain and heartache. (more…)
Whatever you can do or believe you can, begin it. Boldness has genius magic and power in it. –Goethe
There is nothing easy about being a first generation college student. Let me just say that up front. Honestly, there is nothing easy about being a college student period, but a first generation college student has it a little more difficult.
Whether you’re going back to school for a better job, going on to college from high school or just taking some classes as self-enrichment…starting at a new school can be SCARY. There’s a new campus. New peers. New professors. The best way to manage all the upheaval is to be prepared. Going back to school after summer vacation, a long-term hiatus or whatever the situation, it’s still intimidating.
