Completion of Professor's Road Trip - New Beginnings 2014

It’s been a whirlwind of a college trip for the professor; and he’s happy to be back home decorating his nest for the holidays. Over this past year, The Professor has introduced us to many different institutions of higher learning across the country.  The schools the owl visited this year have one goal in mind – to graduate students in four years.

He’s shown us many schools that have seen the need for a more evolved curriculum.  These schools understand that learning isn’t all about attending lectures and reading textbooks.  The best learning often happens by doing.  Or, oftentimes students aren’t always sure of their major their first year of school.  By being able to take classes in specific areas of study, they get the chance to make an educated choice to narrow down their area of focus and ultimately graduate in four years.

The Professor has also shown us that learning in college is not just focused on scholastics.  At college, students learn how to relate to a variety of different people and to make their own choices.  Students are exposed to a variety of traditions and experiences that make up the larger community.  Ultimately, college helps you grow into the adult you want to be. 

Like most of us in life, The Professor got lost a few times and took a few wrong turns, but eventually he got back on track.  By putting forth the planning now you’ll make fewer wrong turns in your collegiate life.  Take the time to explore a variety of schools across the country – don’t just focus on the large schools nearby.  Broaden your horizons so you find the best-fit school for you, odds are you’ll be surprised how easily it fits into your budget. 

The Professor visited twelve different private schools throughout the country.  One thing they all had in common was the high sticker price, commonly associated with private schools.  But they also all have great scholarship and financial aid (need, merit and enrollment management based) available so few students actually pay full price.  Once you start looking deeper into the cost of these schools, you’ll often find it costs less to earn a degree from them than from the local state schools.  Don’t let the sticker price of the school deter you – focus on finding the right fit school that will enable you to receive your degree in four years. 

The Professor enjoyed his flight across the country so much he decided to do it again.  For 2014, the Professor is going to focus on schools with a particular area of interest.  For example, given The Professor’s intimate interest in ornithology, he might just check out a few environmental studies or biology programs.  But he won’t stop there.  The Professor understands that there is a whole world to explore so being introduced to other areas of study will open his eyes further to incredible opportunities.  Stay tuned!

Crystal Anderson is the president of Crystal Clear College Planning, which helps Seattle-area families plan financially and academically for college. Learn more about our free local workshops on planning for college.