For those who are looking for a college degree to prepare them for a job in the “real” world, what could more real than a business major? According to the Center on Education and the Workforce’s report “What’s It Worth: The Economic Value of College Majors,” business is the most popular major with an average of 25% of student graduating with the major.
If you have ever taken a look at my explanation of 50-50 college, you know that they’re not actually 50-50. They’re really 49-49 with the second 49 depending on the type of school. Nonetheless, I justify calling it a 50-50 list and I’ve never had anyone complain.
Are your chances of becoming president better today than they were in 1990? Given that the population in 1990 was 248,709,873 and increased by 24% to 308,745,538 in 2010, your chances are worse. While the general population has increased, there is still only one president. Despite population growth, we still have 435 members in the House of Representatives, the same number as in 1911. If the proportion of the number of representatives kept pace with the population since then, we would be looking at a House of Representatives approaching 1,500.
What does this have to with college admissions? There are still only eight Ivy League Universities and their class size certainly hasn’t been keeping up with population growth.
Sometime ago, I listed 15 schools to avoid if you’re making a list of affordable colleges. After all, just as there are colleges that are known for their generosity, there are expensive colleges that you should avoid if you’re looking for significant help in cutting the cost of college. Since I’ve just recently updated the DIY College Rankings Spreadsheet, I’ve decided to revisit the list and see if the composition has changed much. And yes, there have been some changes.
Finally! This is the longest I’ve waited to update my list of 50-50 Colleges. For reasons unknown, the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) only recently released the updated graduation rates although they have been showing up on College Navigator for some time now. I try not to take it personally. So while I’m not quite yet finished updating the DIY College Search Spreadsheet, I have generated the new listing of 50-50 Colleges.
Which state has the public research university with the higher 5-year graduation rate, Florida or Wisconsin?
What are the most expensive private colleges in each state?
Which state’s public university had 20% of undergraduates with PLUS loans, Michigan or Mississippi?
Which private colleges had the highest 4-year graduation rates in Massachusetts and New York?
Evaluating Liberal Arts Colleges by how much graduates make is antithetical to the concept of a liberal arts education in so many ways. But given the fact that 100 Liberal Arts Colleges now cost more than $50,000, I don’t care how much aid the students are receiving, families have every right to know what kind of pay-off the student can expect. This doesn’t mean that families don’t appreciate the value of a liberal arts education. It’s just recognition that there will bills and loans to repay after graduation.
Last September a group of 80 colleges announced a new college application designed to improve access, affordability, and success. They actually call themselves the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. But for some reason, the counselors who work with high school students, both private and school-based, don’t seem impressed with the new option. Maybe because the Coalition apparently hasn’t even piloted the application yet or listed any committed Community Based Organizations?
I started off this series of How to Pay Less for College by discussing how the economics of supply and demand are the basis for cutting the cost of college. The next two posts on college rankings and geography were basically explaining two significant elements that affect how much families will pay for college. Today I want to talk about a third factor that falls under the supply and demand of college admissions: college size.
