College: deciding whether to go - Revision history

Vipul: /* Assessing your readiness */

2014-04-25T16:14:06Z

Assessing your readiness

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:14, 25 April 2014
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	* Consider [[auditing courses]] at nearby universities to get the feel of the brick-and-mortar college experience.		* Consider [[auditing courses]] at nearby universities to get the feel of the brick-and-mortar college experience.
	* Read college newspapers, join college social networks or mailing lists, or hang out at college events geographically close to you, so as to get a better sense for the student activity scene at colleges. Note that you don't ''have'' to partake in these as a student, but if student activities is one of the attractions of college to you, it might be worth getting a sense for them.		* Read college newspapers, join college social networks or mailing lists, or hang out at college events geographically close to you, so as to get a better sense for the student activity scene at colleges. Note that you don't ''have'' to partake in these as a student, but if student activities is one of the attractions of college to you, it might be worth getting a sense for them.

	===Assessing your financial situation===		===Assessing your financial situation===

			Use online calculators to judge the level of financial aid you are eligible for, using websites such as [http://www.alltuition.com AllTuition].

	==See also==		==See also==

Vipul: /* Review of the typical benefits of going to college */

2014-04-25T16:07:43Z

Review of the typical benefits of going to college

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:07, 25 April 2014
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	The relative role of the individual factors varies from situation to situation. Some majors, such as a programming-intensive computer science major, teach useful skills and confer useful signaling benefits. Majors such as English or visual arts often do not teach job-relevant skills but the very act of going to college and finishing a college degree signals some ability.		The relative role of the individual factors varies from situation to situation. Some majors, such as a programming-intensive computer science major, teach useful skills and confer useful signaling benefits. Majors such as English or visual arts often do not teach job-relevant skills but the very act of going to college and finishing a college degree signals some ability.

	Whatever the mix of reasons, it does seem the case that the economic return to education, controlling for pre-existing ability, is high: given two equivalent people at the end of high school, the one who goes to college will earn more. In other words, ability bias (the idea that people who go to college were better to begin with) doesn't fully explain the return to education.		Whatever the mix of reasons, it does seem the case that the economic return to education, controlling for pre-existing ability, is high: given two equivalent people at the end of high school, the one who goes to college will earn more. In other words, ability bias (the idea that people who go to college were better to begin with) doesn't fully explain the return to education. For more on how most college major choices offer positive returns, see the blog post [http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2013/04/major_premium.html Major Premium].

	==General mainstream activity is going to college==		==General mainstream activity is going to college==

Vipul: /* Review of the typical benefits of going to college */

2014-04-25T16:06:16Z

Review of the typical benefits of going to college

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:06, 25 April 2014
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	The relative role of the individual factors varies from situation to situation. Some majors, such as a programming-intensive computer science major, teach useful skills and confer useful signaling benefits. Majors such as English or visual arts often do not teach job-relevant skills but the very act of going to college and finishing a college degree signals some ability.		The relative role of the individual factors varies from situation to situation. Some majors, such as a programming-intensive computer science major, teach useful skills and confer useful signaling benefits. Majors such as English or visual arts often do not teach job-relevant skills but the very act of going to college and finishing a college degree signals some ability.

			Whatever the mix of reasons, it does seem the case that the economic return to education, controlling for pre-existing ability, is high: given two equivalent people at the end of high school, the one who goes to college will earn more. In other words, ability bias (the idea that people who go to college were better to begin with) doesn't fully explain the return to education.

	==General mainstream activity is going to college==		==General mainstream activity is going to college==

Vipul: /* Review of the typical benefits of going to college */

2014-04-25T16:02:54Z

Review of the typical benefits of going to college

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:02, 25 April 2014
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	* [[Consumption]]: The college experience is fun, fulfilling, and personally rewarding.		* [[Consumption]]: The college experience is fun, fulfilling, and personally rewarding.
	* [[Networking with students]]: You get to network with other students.		* [[Networking with students]]: You get to network with other students.

			The relative role of the individual factors varies from situation to situation. Some majors, such as a programming-intensive computer science major, teach useful skills and confer useful signaling benefits. Majors such as English or visual arts often do not teach job-relevant skills but the very act of going to college and finishing a college degree signals some ability.

	==General mainstream activity is going to college==		==General mainstream activity is going to college==

Vipul: /* See also */

2014-04-25T15:53:18Z

Vipul at 15:52, 25 April 2014

2014-04-25T15:52:05Z

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 * [[Consumption]]: The college experience is fun, fulfilling, and personally rewarding.
 * [[Networking with students]]: You get to network with other students.
 ==Assessing your readiness==
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 ===Using standardized tests as a benchmark for your academic readiness===
 ===Assessing your readiness for the academic and social environment of college===
 ===Assessing your financial situation===

Vipul: /* See also */

2014-04-25T15:18:49Z

Vipul at 15:17, 25 April 2014

2014-04-25T15:17:07Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:17, 25 April 2014
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	===Assessing your financial situation===		===Assessing your financial situation===

			==See also==

			* [[Applying to college as an older student]]
			* [[Applying to college with weak academic credentials]]

Vipul at 15:16, 25 April 2014

2014-04-25T15:16:19Z

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 After the completion of high school (or equivalent), most people who are capable of going to college based on their intelligence and ability to work hard do, although financial considerations may sometimes constrain people's college choices. As a general rule, this seems like a sound decision. We recommend that unless you have strong reason to believe otherwise, you go to college, and use our [[college selection]] pages to help guide your choice of what college to go to.
-This page is intended for the small fraction of people who are intellectually and emotionally prepared for college but are not sure whether college is optimal for them.
+See also [[alternatives to college]].
-See also [[alternatives to college]].
+==Assessing your readiness==

Vipul: Created page with "After the completion of high school (or equivalent), most people who are capable of going to college based on their intelligence and ability to work hard do, although financia..."

2014-02-01T16:01:44Z

Created page with "After the completion of high school (or equivalent), most people who are capable of going to college based on their intelligence and ability to work hard do, although financia..."

New page

After the completion of high school (or equivalent), most people who are capable of going to college based on their intelligence and ability to work hard do, although financial considerations may sometimes constrain people's college choices. As a general rule, this seems like a sound decision. We recommend that unless you have strong reason to believe otherwise, you go to college, and use our [[college selection]] pages to help guide your choice of what college to go to.

This page is intended for the small fraction of people who are intellectually and emotionally prepared for college but are not sure whether college is optimal for them.

See also [[alternatives to college]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:53, 25 April 2014
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	* [[Applying to college with weak academic credentials]]		* [[Applying to college with weak academic credentials]]
	* [[Alternatives to college]]		* [[Alternatives to college]]
			* [[Taking a gap year between high school and college]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:18, 25 April 2014
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	* [[Applying to college as an older student]]		* [[Applying to college as an older student]]
	* [[Applying to college with weak academic credentials]]		* [[Applying to college with weak academic credentials]]
			* [[Alternatives to college]]