Post by title1parent on Jun 8, 2011 21:00:47 GMT -5
beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/schools/5569353-418/colleges-still-popular-but-more-students-looking-at-alternatives.html
Colleges still popular, but more students looking at alternatives
By Jenette Sturges and Erika Wurst Jun 5, 2011
When it comes to the economy these days, money talks. And nobody was listening harder than 18-year-old Ashley Chapen.
The recent Sandwich High School graduate wanted nothing more than to flee her small town and pursue the four-year college dream.
But she put that route on hold once reality set in.
“I really wanted to get out of Sandwich and move away — even if it was only three or four hours,” Chapen said. ”I mean, I still want to do that, but I think money trumps everything.” Originally, Chapen was planning to attend Eastern Illinois University, where she would enroll as an undecided freshman. That changed, and she will be attending Waubonsee Community College this fall.
“I thought about it, and with the money and everything, it wasn’t worth it,” she said. “This way, I don’t have to take out student loans. I can pay for my education myself and I can still keep my job.”
Working at Target, attending classes at Waubonsee’s new Plano campus as a potential business major, and living at home is more feasible, Chapen decided.
This attitude is hardly unique.
It’s a particularly good time to be in the business of higher education. Especially if it’s affordable. Nationally in 2009, more students than ever were enrolling in college, a trend most economists have attributed to the lousy job market that awaits high school graduates.
But with the economy continuing to drag along, more students, like Chapen, have begun to rethink the traditional four-year track.
Competition for spots at top schools is stiffer than ever, and the premium that students will pay once they’re accepted has jumped, too.
At Northern Illinois University, for instance, tuition, room and board alone was $17,500 for the 2009-10 school year. Last year that number jumped to about $19,200.
Students and their families also are footing more of the bill themselves. Last year, the nation’s college debt surpassed its credit card debt, and students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010 had, on average, $24,204 in outstanding student loans. In 1993, that figure was only $9,320.
The increased pressure has meant a change in enrollment patterns at schools all over the Fox Valley, as some students look for less expensive, more pragmatic options.
Making it count
In May, Waubonsee graduated the largest class in the school’s history. That’s an achievement, not just because it means more students are enrolling but because, even if they plan to move on to a four-year school, they’re leaving Waubonsee with a two-year degree — a boon in an uncertain economy.
“That’s really the biggest trend as a college. And nationally, community colleges have put a bigger emphasis on earning your degree, not just transferring on without taking you’re associates,” said Waubonsee spokesperson Jeff Noblitt. “Otherwise, if you have to take time off of school before you finish your bachelor’s, you’re left without that valuable credential.”
Both a White House administration that values community colleges, and those schools’ affordability, Noblitt said, are contributing to the flood of students.
More students and their families are making the decision to stay home and save money while still getting a quality education, he added. In the end, their “ultimate degree is going to say NIU or U of I or AU” and not Waubonsee.
Elgin Community College is riding the same wave, also graduating its largest class last month. “When the economy’s down, we tend to see students, and when the economy’s better, they tend to go back to work,” said Phil Garber, executive director of planning and institutional effectiveness for ECC.
At Elgin, the campus has two dominant demographic sectors, Garber said. Those include traditional college-aged students who are still putting their faith in the academic standbys such as English, psychology and math; and the 30-somethings, who tend to enroll in career tech programs, integrated systems, computer-aided drafting and computer science.
“They’re looking to get a certificate and excel in their current job or get training for a different job,” he added.
Local numbers healthy
Similarly, at four-year colleges and universities like North Central College in Naperville, enrollment is record-breaking, regardless of the price tag. But what’s changed are the fields that students are studying.
Typically, about 20 percent of NCC’s incoming students have declared themselves undecided in terms of a major, according to Martin Sauer, dean of admission and financial aid. This year, that percentage dropped to 13 percent.
“Students are putting a little more thought into what they want to pursue before making a decision on what school they want to consider,” he said.
The shift this year — no doubt related to the economic downturn, Sauer said — was from business-related majors to the sciences, especially in the biology and physics fields.
At Aurora University, majors has stayed about the same, said James Lancaster, director of freshman admissions. The more popular include business, education, nursing, social work and criminal justice.
AU’s enrollment is also up from last year. The four-year school last year enrolled its largest freshman class and is on pace to beat that record this fall. The average number went from 336 students in 2005 to around 460 students.
“What we’re seeing is that the rate of unemployment is not as drastic in the educated sectors,” Lancaster said. “Parents don’t want to see their kids go out into the work force without a degree.”
Lancaster said a four-year education will buy students time to see the job market turn around, and give them a leg up.
The transfer market at AU also has been on the rise, he noted. As many as 350 transfer students are expected to enroll next year. The number of adult students coming back to finish their degrees has steadily increased as well.
“I think there are a number of reasons people are going back” to school), said Marcia Koenen, director of adult and graduate studies. “Some are going back because of this job market and they want to have a bachelor’s degree behind them. Some have been downsized from their jobs and are going back to school, while others are wanting a degree that will make them perform their current job better and make them more marketable in the future.”
Bubble coming?
Nationally last year, college enrollment dropped from its all-time high by about 2 percentage points — to 68.1 percent of recent high school graduates enrolling.
It could be a statistical blip that will reverse next year, but experts from The New York Times to The Economist have been sounding the alarm for the bubble to burst on higher education.
So long as tuition rates continue to rise without better job prospects, experts say, parents and students may soon be questioning the value of a bachelor’s degree after all.
But college advisors said they don’t see that on the horizon. What they do see is an increase in the number of families looking to get that degree for less money.
As the number of students increases, so does the number of those students who are in need of financial aid, AU’s Lancaster said.
“Applications for special circumstances — people dealing with unemployment or foreclosures — are certainly on the rise,” he said.
Sauer sees a similar trend at North Central.
“We work really hard to make it possible for students who want to attend (North Central) to be able to do that,” he said. “Clearly we’ve seen the economy have an effect on families. More families are telling themselves, ‘Hey, we’ll at least go through the process and see what we’re eligible for.’”
But when it comes to finances, many still believe community college is the best bang for the buck.
While Ashley Chapen knows plenty of students heading off to four-year universities, there are just as many who are going to community colleges.
“A lot of people don’t know what they want” to major in yet, the Sandwich teen said. “Why spend all of that money if you’re not sure?”
Colleges still popular, but more students looking at alternatives
By Jenette Sturges and Erika Wurst Jun 5, 2011
When it comes to the economy these days, money talks. And nobody was listening harder than 18-year-old Ashley Chapen.
The recent Sandwich High School graduate wanted nothing more than to flee her small town and pursue the four-year college dream.
But she put that route on hold once reality set in.
“I really wanted to get out of Sandwich and move away — even if it was only three or four hours,” Chapen said. ”I mean, I still want to do that, but I think money trumps everything.” Originally, Chapen was planning to attend Eastern Illinois University, where she would enroll as an undecided freshman. That changed, and she will be attending Waubonsee Community College this fall.
“I thought about it, and with the money and everything, it wasn’t worth it,” she said. “This way, I don’t have to take out student loans. I can pay for my education myself and I can still keep my job.”
Working at Target, attending classes at Waubonsee’s new Plano campus as a potential business major, and living at home is more feasible, Chapen decided.
This attitude is hardly unique.
It’s a particularly good time to be in the business of higher education. Especially if it’s affordable. Nationally in 2009, more students than ever were enrolling in college, a trend most economists have attributed to the lousy job market that awaits high school graduates.
But with the economy continuing to drag along, more students, like Chapen, have begun to rethink the traditional four-year track.
Competition for spots at top schools is stiffer than ever, and the premium that students will pay once they’re accepted has jumped, too.
At Northern Illinois University, for instance, tuition, room and board alone was $17,500 for the 2009-10 school year. Last year that number jumped to about $19,200.
Students and their families also are footing more of the bill themselves. Last year, the nation’s college debt surpassed its credit card debt, and students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2010 had, on average, $24,204 in outstanding student loans. In 1993, that figure was only $9,320.
The increased pressure has meant a change in enrollment patterns at schools all over the Fox Valley, as some students look for less expensive, more pragmatic options.
Making it count
In May, Waubonsee graduated the largest class in the school’s history. That’s an achievement, not just because it means more students are enrolling but because, even if they plan to move on to a four-year school, they’re leaving Waubonsee with a two-year degree — a boon in an uncertain economy.
“That’s really the biggest trend as a college. And nationally, community colleges have put a bigger emphasis on earning your degree, not just transferring on without taking you’re associates,” said Waubonsee spokesperson Jeff Noblitt. “Otherwise, if you have to take time off of school before you finish your bachelor’s, you’re left without that valuable credential.”
Both a White House administration that values community colleges, and those schools’ affordability, Noblitt said, are contributing to the flood of students.
More students and their families are making the decision to stay home and save money while still getting a quality education, he added. In the end, their “ultimate degree is going to say NIU or U of I or AU” and not Waubonsee.
Elgin Community College is riding the same wave, also graduating its largest class last month. “When the economy’s down, we tend to see students, and when the economy’s better, they tend to go back to work,” said Phil Garber, executive director of planning and institutional effectiveness for ECC.
At Elgin, the campus has two dominant demographic sectors, Garber said. Those include traditional college-aged students who are still putting their faith in the academic standbys such as English, psychology and math; and the 30-somethings, who tend to enroll in career tech programs, integrated systems, computer-aided drafting and computer science.
“They’re looking to get a certificate and excel in their current job or get training for a different job,” he added.
Local numbers healthy
Similarly, at four-year colleges and universities like North Central College in Naperville, enrollment is record-breaking, regardless of the price tag. But what’s changed are the fields that students are studying.
Typically, about 20 percent of NCC’s incoming students have declared themselves undecided in terms of a major, according to Martin Sauer, dean of admission and financial aid. This year, that percentage dropped to 13 percent.
“Students are putting a little more thought into what they want to pursue before making a decision on what school they want to consider,” he said.
The shift this year — no doubt related to the economic downturn, Sauer said — was from business-related majors to the sciences, especially in the biology and physics fields.
At Aurora University, majors has stayed about the same, said James Lancaster, director of freshman admissions. The more popular include business, education, nursing, social work and criminal justice.
AU’s enrollment is also up from last year. The four-year school last year enrolled its largest freshman class and is on pace to beat that record this fall. The average number went from 336 students in 2005 to around 460 students.
“What we’re seeing is that the rate of unemployment is not as drastic in the educated sectors,” Lancaster said. “Parents don’t want to see their kids go out into the work force without a degree.”
Lancaster said a four-year education will buy students time to see the job market turn around, and give them a leg up.
The transfer market at AU also has been on the rise, he noted. As many as 350 transfer students are expected to enroll next year. The number of adult students coming back to finish their degrees has steadily increased as well.
“I think there are a number of reasons people are going back” to school), said Marcia Koenen, director of adult and graduate studies. “Some are going back because of this job market and they want to have a bachelor’s degree behind them. Some have been downsized from their jobs and are going back to school, while others are wanting a degree that will make them perform their current job better and make them more marketable in the future.”
Bubble coming?
Nationally last year, college enrollment dropped from its all-time high by about 2 percentage points — to 68.1 percent of recent high school graduates enrolling.
It could be a statistical blip that will reverse next year, but experts from The New York Times to The Economist have been sounding the alarm for the bubble to burst on higher education.
So long as tuition rates continue to rise without better job prospects, experts say, parents and students may soon be questioning the value of a bachelor’s degree after all.
But college advisors said they don’t see that on the horizon. What they do see is an increase in the number of families looking to get that degree for less money.
As the number of students increases, so does the number of those students who are in need of financial aid, AU’s Lancaster said.
“Applications for special circumstances — people dealing with unemployment or foreclosures — are certainly on the rise,” he said.
Sauer sees a similar trend at North Central.
“We work really hard to make it possible for students who want to attend (North Central) to be able to do that,” he said. “Clearly we’ve seen the economy have an effect on families. More families are telling themselves, ‘Hey, we’ll at least go through the process and see what we’re eligible for.’”
But when it comes to finances, many still believe community college is the best bang for the buck.
While Ashley Chapen knows plenty of students heading off to four-year universities, there are just as many who are going to community colleges.
“A lot of people don’t know what they want” to major in yet, the Sandwich teen said. “Why spend all of that money if you’re not sure?”