RADIO SHOW/AUDIO PODCAST
Solutions...with Courtney Anderson! (SwCA)
Episode 082 -
Originally aired 4/16/2014 9:00 AM -
HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT series -
“How Do I Pick 'The Right' College for My First Degree?"
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TALK SHOW EPISODE NOTESIn our HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT™ series, we shine the light on challenges that community members have shared with me. This episode is, “How do I pick 'the right' college for my first degree?”
If you are new to your first college degree, in general (from a US perspective), degrees are awarded based on completed credit hours. One credit hour is based on one class hour per week throughout the duration of a semester. So, a class that meets for three hours per week for an entire term will be worth three credit hours upon successful completion. An associate degree is roughly 60 credit hours. A bachelors degree is 120 credit hours. Thus, to earn a bachelors degree would take 40 different three credit classes (which is why it takes several years to graduate). So, what is “the right college” for your first college degree (associate or bachelor)? As of the time of recording this show, I have earned four college degrees. 1) My bachelor's degree, B.A. (my transcript shows 124 credit hours earned), and; 2) my Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, J.D. (my transcript shows 86 credit hours), and; 3) my Master of Business Administration, M.B.A (my transcript shows 36 credit hours), and; 4) my Master of Science degree, M.S. (my transcript shows 39 credit hours) . Thus, I have earned 285 credit hours. I am also currently pursuing another graduate degree! I can confidently state that I have the requisite experience as a college student to help you in regards to making effective decisions (which will ensure you graduate)! As an educator (college professor) I have taught around 350 three (3) - credit hour course equivalents over the past 17 years. Whew! I have taught associate degree, bachelors degree, and graduate degree level courses. I have taught at public highly selective institutions, at private institutions, at for profit institutions, at open access degree programs, in lecture halls with hundreds of students in a single class and online with smaller classes. I have also mentored new faculty and coached existing faculty in their classes. I am not even including all of the adult education I have provided as a corporate trainer to organizations around the world! My additional educator expertise in higher education is deployed in this program as we discuss what is 'the right' college for your first degree! Why are you going to college? If you are not at all concerned with financial issues (more income, promotions, more job opportunities, etc.) and are only motivated by personal enjoyment/ enlightenment concerns, select your college based on your interests. If you want to really learn about botany, study botany! If you are primarily motivated by financial concerns, select your “right college” based on going to the highest caliber (“best”) school that you are able to gain admission to (if it was easy, everyone would do it). Here are some potential resources to utilize: - http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-Issues/2013/1003/World-rankings-Top-10-universities-in-2013/No.-10-Imperial-College-London - http://www.princetonreview.com/rankingsbest.aspx - http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings - http://money.cnn.com/pf/college/community-colleges/ - http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060 Let’s discuss! |
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