DOES A COLLEGE EDUCATION PAY?

Before selecting a college, one should determine whether one has the interest and the potential to benefit from college. AMERICA'S MOST OVERRATED PRODUCT: HIGHER EDUCATION By Marty Nemo, columnist with the Washington with The Washington Post and Atlantic. This article appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2008 and has since been republished many times.      The article begins with, "College students with weak high school records usually drop out, having learned little, and with devastated self-esteem, a mountain of debt, and a job they could have obtained without college. Amazingly, many good students don't do much better." The article continues with, "According to the U.S. Department of Education, despite colleges having dumbed-down classes to accommodate to the weak students, among college freshmen who graduated in the bottom 40 percent of their high school class, 76 of 100 won't earn a diploma, even if given 8 1/2 years. Yet colleges admit and take the money from hundreds of thousands of such students each year!" This article should be read by everyone with an unimpressive high school recond considering college.out that the college experience is not just about financial rewards.   IS A COLLEGE DEGREE WORTHLESS? The higher incomes that college education brings may not make up for the savings it consumes or the debt it adds early in the life of a typical student. Updated: 11/7/2010 9:00 AM ET By Jack Hough, SmartMoey IS COLLEGE STILL WORTH THE PRICE? College costs are soaring twice as fast as inflation, even while salaries for people with B.A.s are failing. Time to examine the old belief that college is worth whatever you can pay. By Penelope Wang, Money Magazine senior writer. Last Updated: April 13, 2009: 12:36 PM ET The critical question for you to ask: When it comes to college, will you and your child get what you think you're paying for?