Good News: First Term Survivor is only $19.99.
Bad News: You, on the other hand, are about to spend or borrow an enormous amount of money. The sticker prices at state-supported institutions begin around $12,000 per year and can balloon to $65,000. Now add in books, fees, a place to sleep, food to eat, and travel costs.
Better News: Here’s what also matters: family expectations, emotional support, whether the institution is living up to its values, finding the right friends, and the developing wisdom of teenagers.
More Bad News: Even colleges with students coming from wealthy, professional families are earning Bs and Cs in Student Retention (Raisman, 2013). About 82% of the 1600 institutions in his survey were failing (earning Ds and Fs). COLLEGE IS DIFFICULT for everyone.
Much Better News: On average, students who graduate on time earn back their investment in higher education within 10-15 years (see RESOURCES). But they need to make good decisions by learning the many, unwritten rules of college success. There are no guarantees, but First Term Survivor can help students make many small, wiser decisions.
As older students, my wife and I took a painful path through college while raising four children – who did not all go directly through college. The result? We sent college tuition directly or indirectly someplace for 33 years. Like most people, we have accumulated a few regrets in life. Paying for higher education is not one of them.