When Did Paying for College Become Like Buying a Used Car?

By Mark Hostutler

Published: 5:24 am EDT August 23, 2019Published: August 23, 2019Updated: 7:17 pm EDT August 22, 2019

By David W. Clark, Ed.M.

Only with a college education are you urged to look at price last.

We follow a logical step-by-step procedure with all high-priced consumer purchases except one, a college education. Why not start your college search that way? Because that is almost certainly where you’ll finish your search.

When you shop for any high-priced consumer product (for example, a car) you START with the price, make several “need vs. want” calculations from there, and arrive at a final decision that offers what you need at a price that is within your family’s financial resources.

But value is there for the savvy consumer. Examples include:

co-op programs (Drexel, Northeastern) where valuable paid internships are a requirement
five college consortiums (Amherst in Massachusetts; Claremont colleges in California) in which a student may take courses at five different campuses
PG or “Gap” year programs for the student who may get little out of the college experience right now
colleges for whom the SATs or ACTs are optional (more than 25 percent of four-year colleges)
non-traditional college settings for those of us who learn in at a different pace
service academies or ROTC programs where part/all of expenses are paid for by the U.S. taxpayer

When you visit a campus, work hard to find out the following:

Non-negotiable

graduation rate within four years? within six years?
job placement by major? for the previous year’s senior class?
level of support services? academic? medical?

Nice to know and you’ll find it out soon enough if you enroll.

who teaches freshman courses? full professors? TAs?
percentage of grades that are A or B?

Be an educated consumer. If you view a college education as an investment, why approach the college search any other way?

Next week’s topic: Essential information that will help your entire family with the college search process.

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Mark your calendar!

An evening program for college bound high school students and parents:

*Become a savvy college consumer. So little time, so many choices. This workshop will include strategies for making the college search work for you and help in de-mystifying paying for college.

Sept. 9 at 7 PM: Newtown Public Library (201 Bishop Hollow Road in Newtown Square)

Reservations, please. Email Mr. Clark at david@collegesearchnow.net.

Need directions? Have a question? Call Mr. Clark at 610-304-719 (cell) or 610-642-4873 ext. 52 (office).

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David W. Clark, Ed.M. is an independent college admission consultant – with an office in Paoli – who has been working with high school students for more than 35 years. David is a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. His website is www.collegesearchnow.net and he can be reached there.