College Bound or Confused
What would you do with an extra $20,000? As visions of a new car or a fancy trip swirl around in your head, consider this: college grads typically earn $20,000 more per year than non-graduates. Do the math and you'll see that over a lifetime, that's a lot of money. And that figure has no where to go but up!
Here are some insights into the most commonly asked questions from students who are deciding whether or not to go to college.
How Do I Pay for College?
Have you ever heard the old adage, you have to spend money to make money? Well, this is one of those cases. The truth is that college isn't cheap. However, it's an investment in your future, and the rewards are endless. In Ohio, we are working hard to make funding higher education easier than you might think by providing you with answers to all of your questions, as well as providing need-based assistance to help you pay the tuition bill. Here are a couple of great places to start:
- Your local College Resource Center
If you aren't sure where that is, log onto Ohio College Access Network and click on the map in the upper right corner to find the program nearest you.
These free resource centers provide service such as help with filling out your FASFA (a form the government uses to determine your eligibility for grants and/or loans) as well as alerting you to local and national scholarships. - The College Access Information Hotline
offers information on admissions, college preparation, and scholarship/grant information for Ohio's colleges. Give them a call at 1-877-428-8246) between 10am and 6pm, Monday through Friday
Choosing a Major.
Now that you have the funding situation under investigation, let's talk about what you want to do with the rest of your life. What? You don't know yet! That's okay because there are several resources in your community that can help you with that, too.
- The Ohio Career Information System (OCIS)
is an online resource available in many schools and public libraries that provides career assessment as well as a state and national scholarship database. Inquire at your local library or high school to see if they can provide you with a login to the system. - Additionally many of the College Resource Centers mentioned above also offer one-on-one guidance for parents and students to determine your best career path and the college major that will help you reach your career goals.
What Else Do I Get Out of College?
So, we've worked through some of your greatest college barriers. Now, let's take a moment to reflect on what benefits come with a college education.
- Education This answer seems obvious but is often under appreciated. Knowledge can only take you higher; can never be taken away, and is often the dividing line between a job and a career.
- Freedom A college education gives you a specific, desirable skill set that will allow you greater mobility to work and live wherever you choose.
- Stability A higher salary will give you greater economic stability and a higher quality of life for you and your family.
- Culture College curriculums are deigned to give a well rounded, worldly education. You will have greater opportunities to learn about other cultures by studying them in a classroom setting and/or by interacting with faculty and students from different cultural backgrounds.
- Connections Many people make life-long friends at college which is a natural occurrence since you are surrounded by students with similar interests and ideas. Additionally, your professors can share real-world experience and practical advice to help you achieve your career goals.
- Security Over a lifetime, the gap in earning potential between a high school diploma and a bachelor's degree (or higher) is more than $1 million (source: The College Board, 2004)
College will not be easy - but nothing worth having comes easily. As fall approaches, when you start to feel bombarded by the number of college brochures in your mailbox or the sheer volume of information to sift through, remember that Ohio is here to help you attain the post-secondary education you need to achieve your dreams.