June 24, 2008

William Coplin In a market based society, consumers understand that there are risks with most purchases. However, college marketing machines provide virtually no information about the considerable risks associated with going to college.

Admissions officers, like all sales people, prefer to talk about opportunity rather than risk. However, they should carefully explain the risks facing those planning to attend college. The risks are substantial, at least as great as those taking a medical prescription or buying a stock.

Is it time for all admissions brochures and videos to carry a Warning! label something like this?

1. Failure to graduate on time—or ever. Only 35 percent of college students
will graduate in four years.

2. Individuals with certain pre-existing conditions face a greater risk of non-completion.
Students whose parents are poor and/or not college graduates are more likely to drop out.

3. No guarantee of an income boost as a result of college. On average, college graduates earn much more than high school graduates. However, nobody knows the variation. Purchasers who eventually earn well below the mean may face significant debt, bankruptcy and a lower standard of living.

4. College attendance may be habit forming. Many students find it easier to get into graduate school than to get a job. There are plenty of graduate schools that will admit any college graduate.

5. Four years in college may prevent individuals from growing up, becoming independent and working hard. Continued dependence upon parents for emotional and financial support and association with peers who do likewise may delay adulthood.

6. Choice of a four-year academic program may prevent exploring career alternatives that are less expensive and more satisfying.The growth in jobs not requiring a college degree but requiring more specialized education is steadily increasing. Academic coursework rarely provides a clear picture of what specific careers are like.

William Coplin chairs the Public Affairs department at Syracuse University.

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Confused Co-ed Finds the Right Answers in the Student Loan Buying Guide

The financial aid office at St. Ambrose University contacted The Greentree Gazette to request 10 additional copies of the Student Loan Buying Guide. The school had had an influx of students looking for private loans, and they were seeking direction.

One female student walked into the financial aid office at the university looking for a private student loan that did not require a co-signer. Not knowing where to turn, she was distraught and despondent. She didn’t realize how easily she'd find the answers to her questions. The young lady was offered the Student Loan Buying Guide. By scanning the loan comparisons, she and the financial aid counselor were able to find several loans at a glance. She left the office better informed and more confident. When she requested 10 additional copies, the financial aid counselor was shown StudentLoanListings.com. After a brief tutorial, she has valuable new online tools as well.

For more information, email Luise D’Orta at ldorta@greentreegazette.com or call her at 561.630.4300.

Greentree Gazette personnel will be at the following upcoming conferences:

• American School Counselors Association Annual Conference: June 28-July 1, Atlanta

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators National Conference: July 6-9, Orlando

• Noel-Levitz National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing & Retention: July 15-17, Chicago

• November Learning -- Building Learning Communities: July 16-18, Boston

• Quote of the Week:
"Polls have consistently shown that most students enter college wanting and expecting to study abroad. Yet few do. The reason is not only a lack of funding but institutional barriers and curriculum rigidities at colleges and universities."
— Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, former chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission writing in the Christian Science Monitor.