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Tag: attending college

  • Higher SAT Scores and Getting Ready for College: Dr Boyce Tips

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    I was asked recently how to prepare for college. I was also asked how to pay for it. Well, what might surprise you is that paying for college and preparing are actually closely related. The better prepared for college your children are, the easier it will be for them to pay for college with scholarships and other financial support. So, rather than spending money on new Air Jordans for your child, spend that money to help them to find a tutor.

    Here are four things about getting higher SAT scores and preparing for college that you should keep in mind when dealing with your kids.

    1) Good ACT and SAT scores don’t come naturally, you have to prepare. Some people think that you are going to magically end up in college just by saying that you want to go. Some think that you should take the ACT and SAT cold, and that natural intelligence will carry you through. That’s not the case. Your child should prepare for college like it’s a part-time job: studying 2 – 3 hours each day, for several months straight. Yes, that sounds like a lot of work, but is it really very much when compared to the fact that most of our kids are fine with working at McDonald’s for four or five hours a day, or going to football practice for three hours a day after school? Education MUST be the number one priority in your household if you want your children to have a bright future.

    2) Make sure your child is taking classes that will truly prepare him/her for college. With the horrific state of the American educational system, the truth is that we can’t trust the system with our children. Making good grades is not enough when it comes to ensuring that your kids are prepared. Make sure that they are taking classes that meet the standards of attending college, and this will reflect itself in higher SAT scores. Check with the university of your choice to ensure that your child is enrolled in the classes necessary to get into that school.

    3) Apply to at least 12 universities. The more irons you have in the fire, the more likely it is that one of them is going to get hot. Have your child do one college application every two days for one month. that will give him/her roughly 15 applications to various colleges. You can then find out which schools have needs that match the things your child has to offer, and you should make sure that your ACT and SAT scores are high enough to get into the places you apply. You’ll never know what opportunities are out there unless you apply for them.

    4) There should be no use of the word “if” when preparing for college. I hate the fact that there are so many people who are afraid of college or think that it only works for someone else. I teach at a university that charges over $30,000 per year, and I argue that any 10th grader of average intelligence could get a good grade in my class, if they study each day consistently. I don’t care what your SAT scores happen to be, college is not nearly as difficult as some might lead you to believe, and the truth is that it can change your life forever. It certainly changed mine, and I was told that I wasn’t smart enough for college in the first place.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered directly to your email, please click here.

     

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  • Is College a Good Investment During a Recession?

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    I was invited onto “Tell Me More with Michel Martin” to discuss college and whether or not it makes sense to invest in college during an economic downturn such as this one. I have written extensively on the value of going to college, since I argue that education plays a huge part in determining whether you end up being a true player in life or just end up getting played. Black college students must really note the significant impact of attending college, since people of color benefit the most when we get ourselves educated.

    Here are some thoughts regarding whether or not college is a good idea during a recession:

    1) You must decide if college is a necessity or a luxury item for you. If you are a wealthy kid who can rack up $80,000 in debt to major in Philosophy and Theatre, then God bless you. But just make sure you are aware that the major you choose plays a huge role in your ability to manage debt after graduation. This is not a slap at those who choose majors that don’t have a strong job market, it’s just a reminder to make sure you know what you’re stepping into. Personally, I majored in business, because college was not just my path toward educational enlightenment, it was my way to pay the bills when I got older.

    2) Figure out what you hope to get out of college. If you want to simply get a good education and are not worried about the job market very much, then you don’t need an expensive school to do that. Education is what you make of it. I’d rather be a student at a state university who studies 7 hours a day than to be a frat boy at Yale living at the bottom of a beer bottle. The student who studies is going to learn; the one who doesn’t study won’t learn a thing. College is what you make of it. But if your goal is to use the name of your campus to open doors for great job opportunities, then this might justify the cost of an expensive university.

    3) Parents, the debt is not all yours. You are getting ready for retirement, your children are young. Pretty soon, they will be earning more money than you. Does it make sense that you’ll spend your golden years paying student loans for an able-bodied adult? Perhaps it’s time for your children to learn how to take care of you? They will never learn to be financially independent if you don’t teach them. Allowing your child to manage some of his/her student loan debt doesn’t make you into a bad parent. You got them to age 18 in one piece, some would say that you’ve done enough.

    4) Grad school anyone? Some majors require additional education for you to be competitive in that particular market, some do not. Think through this carefully when deciding if you want to make the massive investment of going to graduate school. I believe that an MBA is usually worth the investment, while a masters in Anthropology may not always get you the job you’re seeking. But outcomes can vary depending on the major, and you should do your homework.

    5) Education gives you job security. One thing that many autoworkers learned during the recent economic downturn is that having a good job with little education makes you highly vulnerable to economic flucuations. African Americans were the hardest hit during the recession, and many of us lost our jobs when the auto industry tanked. Even if you earn a lot of money, you should never stop believing that additional education doesn’t have value for you. You don’t want your financial future to be in the hands of someone else.

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    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about College.” To have Dr. Boyce Commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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