As the fall semester flies by, Union High School seniors make one of the biggest decisions of their lives; they decide what they want to do with their lives and start on a course of action to pursue that goal.
Some high school seniors will go straight into the workforce or into the military. Some will attend a vocational or trade school to learn skills to work in the trades. Most high school seniors, however, will choose to continue their education at a community college or a university. Many colleges and universities routinely send seniors mail and have been for about a year.
Both teachers and parents advise these students, but in my experience, not many tend to seek advice from a college student who has recently been through the process. As a college sophomore who was in their place only two years ago, I hope to offer some useful advice for both students and parents.
In rural Mississippi, college football and team loyalty are huge, which can lead both parents and students to only consider specific universities. This can cause students to choose a university based purely on team loyalty, and this can negatively impact students academically and financially.
For instance, a student who wants to study political science would benefit much more from attending the University of Mississippi or the University of Southern Mississippi instead of Mississippi State University.
Conversely, an engineering student would benefit much more from attending Mississippi State University. Furthermore, some students would benefit much more financially at a different university than what their family team loyalty is for.
College choice should ultimately depend on a combination of which college has the best program and which college offers the best scholarships.
Another elephant in the room about high education is the rising costs of college tuition and student debt. Because of the legitimate financial risks, many have started to believe in the notion of “useless” degrees that leave students unemployed with an extreme amount of student debt.
These “useless” degrees include liberal arts degrees and fine arts degrees. Many parents pressure their children into choosing a STEM major or a vocational program because of this belief. The belief that a degree is “useless,” however, is false.
These so called “useless” degrees provide excellent training in writing, analysis and communication skills that many employers want. They also provide excellent training for graduate school.
Furthermore, the costs of a bachelor’s degree can be mitigated by correctly applying for FASA, grants and scholarships.
The Union High School guidance counselor can help with this. Finally, attending a community college can also further help to mitigate the costs of a bachelor’s degree because of lower tuition rates and scholarships that are easier to obtain.
For parents of newborn babies, Mississippi offers a prepaid college program to help pay for college ahead of time with the tuition rates of the year the program was started. Although college has become a financial risk, this risk can be somewhat mitigated into something affordable for all students.
Graduating high school and beginning college or starting a job is a milestone in each person’s life. If a student chooses to attend a community college or a university, he or she should choose based on academia and financial needs, not team loyalties.
He or she should also not be scrutinized for their chosen field of study. A student who chooses to go a vocational or trade school should also be commended for that because society needs everyone to function. Students who join the military or start a job begin their careers earlier, and this is also something to honor.
I hope this advice helps both students and parents by dispelling some myths about college and giving some basic financial advice for making higher education more affordable.
Contact Matt at mch.2000@hotmail.com to submit Union news.
