By the end of the first week, students know which classes are easy and which are going to impose hours of agonizing pain. A huge and complex syllabus is usually a sign of tough times ahead. Now is the time when students prepare themselves for the academic onslaught.

The problem is that during the first 2-4 weeks of college, most students are in a daze. The best parties of the year are going down right now. Students are taken by an explosion of Football Games, Frat/Sorority rush, hall parties and meeting new people. The campus is bustling with activity. Focus is the last thing on a college kid’s mind. This is exactly when things can go wrong.

As a college student you might find yourself in a situation at the end of the semester where there are tests you are not ready for and papers due that are incomplete. But there are some simple things you can do early in the semester that can help get you though class without sacrificing your social schedule.

1. Identify classes that present the greatest challenge - If Math is not your strongest subject, or History makes you want to pass out, then recognize that you may need to focus more just to pass those classes.

2. Get to know your teacher - You don’t need to brown nose, just make sure the teacher knows you. Make a good impression by being on time for class and getting involved in discussions

3. Identify the smart kids – There will be some classmates that understand the subject perfectly. If you need help, ask other students in class about setting up a study group. It’s a great way to learn from other students that understand the subject.

4. Go to the academic support center - Many colleges have staff available to help you study a particularly hard subject. You should set up a schedule to meet with a tutor at least once a week if you are having trouble with a subject.

5. Don’t wait until the end of the semester - If you wait until the end of the semester to try and learn everything, it will be far too stressful. Set yourself up for success by figuring out early in the semester what classes will need extra study, and then proceed to do so. By planning how to handle a hard subject early on, you can save yourself a lot of frustration by the end of the semester.

Back by popular demand, with added dates through September!

“Back to School: Financial Aid Prep Course” webinar reviews everything you need to know about choosing a school and paying for it. Get the most out of what financial aid can offer and get the inside scoop on how Colleges award scholarships all in one webinar. Register today!

Wed, Sep 8, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/166482377

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/697211865

Wed, Sep 22, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/401837929

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/135187480

You are about to head off to school. A million things are going through your mind. Worrying about new classes, all the new friends, should you join a frat/sorority, research projects and assignments, dealing with your bill and financial aid; the list goes on and on. It is a lot of stress. So take a deep breath and center yourself because it moves real quick. The best thing to do is get a good start on your first week of college and set yourself up for a successful semester.

1. Start making friends early and often: Orientation Day, move in and first day of class are all great days to meet people. Being in a new environment full of people you never met can be a lot to handle, but stay confident and comfortable and you will have no problem getting along. Be the first person to reach out to others and it will be easy to connect.

2. Sit in the front of class: It is your time and money, so get the most out of your education. Sitting in the front will force you to pay attention and learn more. If you are the kind of student that has a hard time paying attention and sits in the back, it is time to turn a new leaf. College gives you the opportunity to become a better student.

3. Meet the administrators: During the first week, college administrators are super busy. However stopping by the financial aid office, counseling offices and student services can at least let you know who is who. Know where the offices are located and what they can do for you. Introduce yourself and get the email address of counselors that can help you. Chances are you will really need their help at some point during the semester.

4. Take a nice walk around campus: Get the lay of the land and figure out where all the buildings are while getting a bit of exercise all at once. This will give you an opportunity to meet new people along the way. Knowing where all the buildings are will also stop you from being late for class.

5. Get out and go!: Get involved, figure out what clubs and organizations you want to join and get active. First week of school always has some great parties so get out there and enjoy it!

Check out the new video featured on Howcast It sums up some great tips to help pay for college. Remember, school is starting in less than two weeks!

A recent article published in Forbes entitled Why Does College Cost so Much? attempts to explain the reason for years of tuition increases. Authors and Professors Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman weigh in on this subject while promoting their book “Why Does College Cost So Much?” that is set for release in the fall. While the article makes good note of the “artisanal” nature of the industry, their explanation of the dramatic increases in college costs fails to address the real issues. Archibald and Feldman report three primary reasons for increased college costs; First, maintaining small student to teacher ratios to keep classes in a small seminar format. Second, the cost of hiring highly educated employees to teach. Third, the price of modern technology used in the classroom increases cost. These three reasons alone fail to fully explain where the cost increases are really coming from.

It is widely held that smaller classrooms produce a better learning experience. The goal of maintaining smaller classrooms is to encourage a more in depth learning experience through increased academic rigor. But there is evidence questioning if this method is even working. My blog post entitled “Students study less than ever: What are they doing in college?” explains how average weekly study time has reduced from 24 to 14 hours a week per student. We cannot assume that teaching methods have become so effective that students need to study ten less hours a week. Evidence points towards more disinterested students than ever despite higher education’s claim that smaller classrooms best serve educational goals. Using smaller classroom numbers to justify increased tuition costs without inspiring students to perform academically only leads to a conclusion of inefficiency. While keeping a good student to teacher ratio may increase the cost of tuition, it is not enough to substantially demonstrate the incredible rate of tuition increases over the past twenty years.

For their second reason they claim that hiring highly educated employees to teach is very expensive. This ignores the fact that most college classes today are taught by low paid, non-tenured adjunct professors! Adjunct professors have seen an incredible increase in their role as part of higher education. An ongoing trend in higher education has been to cut their faculty pay rates to help save money. So if costs are being cut why has there been over the past twenty years a steady increase in college costs of 6-8% a year far outpacing inflation? If costs are rising but the cost of teaching is reducing, then I must ask, where is the money going?

Finally, the third reason claimed is that technological advancement is a cause for increased costs. As explained by Archibald and Feldman “The contemporary chemistry student, for instance, needs to be familiar with current laboratory tools, and they are more expensive than the chalk-and-test-tube world of the past.” While the cost of complexities in technology is apparent, they fail to recognize the dualities of this proposition. Namely those advancements in technology provide opportunities for efficiencies in other areas. Well used technology should be able to cut down on total costs when used correctly. Rather than use technology to increase efficiency for the benefit of the students, the authors claim it as a hindrance and reason for more expense. For every technological breakthrough in one area, there is a benefit of cost cutting in another. Technology is a two way street where costs and efficiencies are balanced appropriately. Again this cannot explain where the money is going.

So if reduced class size, cost of teaching, and technological advances are not the reason for increased costs, what are?

This leads to my conclusion of why costs have really skyrocketed out of control. Increases in spending were driven mostly by higher administration, maintenance, and student services costs. When attending school, students are really paying for amenities and services that are separate from the classroom experience.

The cost of administrating a college has been the major driver of increases, especially because of a failure to adapt and modernize useful technology. It may cost more to train chemists using modern techniques, but the cost of administrating such training should be reduced by using technology. Many schools use antiquated billing and payment methods along with web systems that are inefficient. They require endless paper documents where electronic documents are superior, and if paper is used, they must store it en masse rather than simply scanning the document and storing it electronically. This dramatically adds to total costs and inefficiencies because of all the wasted time and effort to complete mundane tasks. In a non-profit organization such as a college the greatest expense is salaries, and the fastest growing segment of college employment has nothing to do with teaching: it’s administration. The non-teaching staff at universities often costs as much as the faculty. In 1976, there were three non-faculty professional staff for every 100 students in American higher education; today, there are more than six.

Consider that most schools require students to buy overly expensive textbooks written on paper that become obsolete within one year. This has become unreasonable and inefficient the same as paper newspapers. The knowledge is important, but with e-books there is a better means of delivery as explained in a recent blog post. If schools were really committed to the cutting edge of technology as part of the curriculum, they would find ways to achieve the goal of superior education at a lower cost through utilizing technology.

Tuition costs are bundled with all services weather a student uses them or not. This leads to an increase in tuition for all students. Consider The Center for College Affordability’s study of the costs of intercollegiate athletics. Surely there is importance in sports activities, but what benefits do they provide to the average student who is not qualified to throw and catch a football for example. Hasn’t the realities of this economy revealed the importance of economic development in new areas? If students have already reduced study time from 24 hours a week to 14 hours a week, it can be inferred that colleges redirecting resources toward non-academic endeavors has had an effect.

In conclusion, the true costs of college cannot be blamed entirely on the need to keep classrooms small, the cost of hiring highly educated staff or the counter-intuitive claim of the cost to advance technology. The true cost driver is amenities and services and administrative staff that are separate from the classroom. In an effort to attract more students, colleges have developed a wide variety of creature comforts and features that look good on admissions tours but have driven costs unreasonably high. The result is inefficiency in cost/benefit that cannot be ignored.

For more detailed info please review a study titled “Over Invested and Over Priced: American Higher Education Today” by Dr. Richard Vedder of Center for College Affordability and Productivity

Back by popular demand, with added dates through September!

“Back to School: Financial Aid Prep Course” webinar reviews everything you need to know about choosing a school and paying for it. Get the most out of what financial aid can offer and get the inside scoop on how Colleges award scholarships all in one webinar. Register today!

Wed, Sep 8, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/166482377

Wed, Sep 15, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/697211865

Wed, Sep 22, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/401837929

Wed, Sep 29, 2010 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/135187480

In a little over two weeks College starts up again. I’ve been getting lots of emails and calls from students that are mostly concerned with how they are going to get their bill paid. It can be especially stressful if you are trying to get cleared for moving into the dorms. I’ve put together an easy guide to getting cleared for move in without pulling your hair out.

1. Your financial aid needs to be ready: If you have not yet received any info from your financial aid office by now, you should be concerned. Financial Aid offices package students for funding all throughout the summer. If you have not been packaged for Financial Aid yet it could be for one of the following reasons:

A: You never actually registered for Fall Semester. If so, get registered and inform Financial Aid that you are ready for funding.

B: Your Free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was never processed. Confirm with Financial Aid if they received it.

C: You were selected for Verification, but you did not submit your required paperwork or you submitted it late. Contact Financial Aid to confirm what they need.

D: You are not making Satisfactory Academic Progress and you need to submit an appeal letter to Financial Aid to see if you can still get funded.

E: You still owe a bill from last year. You need to make a payment.

If none of those areas apply to you, then you need to contact your financial aid office ASAP and find out where your funding is. Be advised that financial aid offices are under tremendous strain due to economic factors driving further requests for funding. It just might take a long time for your funding to be processed.

2. A federal Stafford loan is most likely part of your financial aid package: If your school transitioned to Direct Loans this year, you need to complete a new Master Promissory Note with Direct loans.

3. If you still have a bill due after financial aid pays, you need to apply for a Parent Plus loan or a Private loan. There is still time to get an application processed, but you are cutting it close. Do not delay or you could have problems when the semester starts.

4. If you apply for a loan late, it may not be ready for you to get cleared for move in day. If so you can make a partial cash payment to the school through a payment plan (Like Tuition management systems) while your loan is still in processing. When your loan is cleared, just cancel the payment plan and let the loan pay the rest of the bill.

Scrambling to pay a college bill with just two weeks left in the summer is not an easy thing to deal with. If you are having a hard time with the process, let this summer be a lesson. Next year you will need to make sure you get the process started much earlier to avoid the last minute rush.

Studies show that students today are spending less hours studying than ever before. Study hours have dropped from an average of 24 hours a week to about 14 hours a week. So what is going on with today’s students? Are they even taking college seriously? In an article entitled “Students who don’t study” Patrick Allitt challenges the notion “that nearly every young person wants to be educated” and backs it up with insights into the changing landscape of higher education. Here are the highlights:

A groundbreaking report Leisure College USA, analyzes study time for students. Lazy students not owning up to high academic standards is nothing new, but is this generation particularly worse than prior ones? Expansion of Technology has allowed students to complete reports much more quickly by using internet research and Word processing, instead of spending hours in a library cross referencing books. However, a 10 hour drop in study time cannot be explained by technology. The report highlights that the college campus is a place where “academic effort is scarcely detectable”

A lack of challenge: Students today do not feel obligated to go above and beyond in the classroom. They are more interested in doing what is needed to complete a class and no more. Combine that with falling academic standards and you have students just doing enough to get by. Schools are willing to go along with the process. Allitt describes the tenure effect, “Where professors…coast along year after year, not bad enough to be guilty of professional misconduct but not good enough to enrich or vivify the university.” Are schools providing good value for a degree if students do not have to study to earn their place?

Market pressures: Students have demanded more services from their colleges and they have gotten them. Going to college has grown into a total experience with leisure and extracurricular activities becoming a main point for attendance. Even the Princeton review ranks “Party Schools” and students use that as a reason for attendance. In order to support increasing enrollments, amenities have been added, and University budgets are being redistributed to things outside the classroom. As Richard Vedder says there is a “Country Clubization of the American University” and it is redirecting the priorities of tuition resources. All of this is done to support student demand.

Where to go from here? Having a good time in school is important, and meeting friends and being social is every bit a part of that. But when huge sums of money and resources are being poured into colleges, and tuition increases are a 6% to 8% a year, there has to be some accountability. The point of attending school is to build a future for yourself, but these articles reveal that students are really paying for a college experience and not for an education.

The great thing about tough economic times is that they can bring clarity to decisions. It is now painfully obvious that students cannot waste their time in college. They need to make it a productive experience so that there is a future after graduation. The Leisure College, USA report confirms that there is a direct correlation between increased study time and increased earnings after college. Students, take your classroom studies seriously and make the best of college, your future depends on it.

College costs are high. Trying to get through college on a low budget is a challenge. But that is the point. The wise words “Nothing earned, nothing gained” are still true today. But how does one keep their sanity in this environment bombarded with consumerism? The masters learn while in college how to have fun and get what they want without spending money like there is no tomorrow and running up sky high credit card debts. Here are some tips.

1. Don’t believe the hype: Let me know if you have heard this before; A rap song about popping bottles in the club, while making it rain and rolling in a sick car with rims so expensive they require a separate insurance policy. Sound familiar? Yeah, it permeates popular music, but reality is a whole other game. I’m glad to hear when someone is doing well for themselves, but conspicuous consumption has gone out of style with college students. Smart college students know how to get the most out of the party scene without money. So go out and have fun and not worry about living up to the expectations of someone else. Just because you do not roll a Maybach does not mean you can’t have a good time.

2. Pre-Game: Don’t spend ALL your money at the college bar. Save it for taxi cabs if you don’t have a designated driver! Cut your costs at the bar. Best case scenario is to limit your drinks at the bar to an optimal level, and save the rest for future consumption.

3. Chill with the right friends: If you are around the right people you can have fun anywhere under any circumstances. Use your college experience to meet new fun friends and good times come naturally. Just keep a good positive attitude and you can stumble into some awesome circumstances on a college campus without putting a hole in your wallet.

4. Get some new hobbies: You do not need to be blowing money left and right. Instead of doing the same old stuff find yourself some new interests. Embrace change. Let this carnival economy of buying products for emotional satisfaction go to the wayside. Take a hike. Learn to play an instrument and have a jam with some friends. Take a trip to a museum. Culture your mind and you can find enjoyment in anything. The point is that you can find fulfilling hobbies and experiences that do not cost an arm and a leg; you just have to look for them.

5. Keep a “Fun Budget”: Before you go to school, have certain amounts of money available for the entire semester just for recreation. It does not need to be a lot, but consider it for “educational purposes.” This way you are paying for things in cash instead of using a credit card. Stand firm on your budget and commit to spend no more than you have to develop financial discipline. This will teach you a valuable lesson in “party management” for future years.

The rapid rise of for profit schools featuring online degrees has gotten the attention of congress. On Wed August 4, Democrat senators made it clear that they would pursue tighter regulation of the for-profit education industry. An Inside Higher Ed article outlines the proceedings led by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Much of the hearing focused on findings by an undercover “secret shopper” operation by the Government Accountability Office identifying “fraudulent, deceptive, or otherwise questionable marketing practices” involving aggressive recruiting tactics and manipulative financial aid processing. A former for profit recruiter also shared his experience during the hearing.

This does not sound good for an industry that has seen a rapid rise during the past decade. Schools like University of Phoenix have had booming enrollment. For profit schools attribute this to their ability to reach an underserved market segment through flexible online degree programs. This incredible rise is part of the reason why they are getting so much attention on Capitol Hill.
For profit schools that are qualified for federal financial aid funding for their students began a race for admissions. The for-profit model essentially built their tuition costs around guaranteed Stafford funding offered to any student that files a FAFSA form. This would ensure that any student enrolled would be able to pay their bill and continue their education. But it’s not just guaranteed federal Stafford loans. The University of Phoenix raked in over $1 billion in Pell grant funding as well. Students that attend for profit institutions make up 20% of all Pell grant recipients even though they serve about 6% of the country’s student population

Concerns of the quality of education provided are the major issue that is being dealt with now. Using government funding to finance a for-profit industry may make a great business model, but the end results have been unsatisfactory. While for profit schools serve a minority (6%-10% of all students nationally) they represent 40% of the defaults on federal student loans.

The heat is now on the for profit education industry. The government is concerned about wasted resources. Students defaulting on their loans are unable to get work after completing online degrees. And tax payers are being left to handle the bill. Could it be curtains for the for profit school sector?

Not so fast: As much as this industry has stumbled recently, we cannot ignore that technology must play a major role in the future of education. Online learning can be a valuable tool for education, but it must be used appropriately. Getting rid of for profit schools altogether would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water. We have to admit that this industry did indeed appeal to an underserved market segment searching for a learning resource. The problem is that the for profit industry took advantage of the federal financial aid eligibility of their students by not maintaining high enough admissions standards and not providing a degree experience that could guarantee employment. But to be fair the traditional non-profit colleges already in existence cannot guarantee employment through their programs either. Non-profit schools are not so non-profit when you begin to examine their payrolls and expenses. Every college has somebody making big money from enrollment and endowment enhancement. If both for profit and non-profit receive federal funding, they both need to be scrutinized for quality and efficiency.

For profit education is at a crossroads. They can no longer continue their business practices and expect to get guaranteed funding from financial aid resources. There are two options left. First, for profit schools can limit their enrollment to only admit qualified students based on experience, test scores and GPA from prior institutions. For profit schools knew what they were doing when they admitted massive amounts of students. They knew they could cheaply run an online program and get tuition paid for with guaranteed student loans that all students are entitled to. Claiming to extend educational opportunity while leaving students in debt without real job skills is deplorable and must be stopped.
The second option is that they become completely independent from federal financial aid resources. Students would have to pay their tuition by using their own cash or savings. This would allow the market to determine the worthiness of their online degree programs without government resource artificially propping their budgets. If the business model serves a legitimate market segment and can function without the support of government subsidies than it would be a worthy for-profit institution.