A quarter century ago in his book, Another Way to Win, Dr. Kenneth Gray coined the term “one way to win.” He described the OWTW strategy widely followed in the US as:  Graduate from high school.  Matriculate at a four-year college.  Graduate with a degree in “anything.”  Become employed in a professional job.”   Dr. Gray’s message […]

College has long been considered a necessary step toward success—but that belief is starting to shift. With rising tuition costs, student loan debt at record highs, and a job market that increasingly values skills over degrees, many people are questioning whether a traditional college education is always worth the money.  The shocking truth is, for […]

College is a complex, multi-year, six figure project. I have three pieces of advice to get you started.  Don’t delegate the management of this project to your teenager. She doesn’t have the skills or the life experience to handle a project of this scope. In particular, don’t delegate the choice of school to your teenager […]

Decades ago, it was much more common for high school graduates to explore options other than college, including the military, community college, vocational schools, or entering the workforce directly.  Now, in some sectors of society, it seems that anything other than attending a four-year university is rarely considered. As a society we have “crossed a bridge.” […]

Dual enrollment, aka “early college” or “concurrent enrollment” has suddenly become a “thing.”   This year, 2025, has long been predicted to be the time when higher education reaches the much ballyhooed and dreaded “demographic cliff,” where the number of high school graduates begins a slow, but prolonged, decline.  Higher education is bracing for that […]

Let’s take “dual enrollment” apart and see how it works.  Selectivity  It is common for community colleges to have an open enrollment policy. This is an invitation to academically mediocre students. attracting 1st Gen, minorities, students from low-income families. Dual enrollment is only going to work if the students are “college material.” If you are […]

There are various sources of financial aid available to students planning on attending community college. Most states have some form of a community college free tuition program for their residents. Eighty percent of community college students work. Some companies offer tuition assistance to their employees to attend community college. Typically, employees are reimbursed for their […]

This question was inspired by the GOP’s proposed legislation, the Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan, working its way through Congress. This legislation caps student loans for undergraduate students at $50,000. The short answer that a cap of $50,000 is way too high and our members of Congress are not very bright.  The current interest […]

        These days, most students require more than four years to earn a bachelor’s degree. Here are twelve reasons undergraduate students don’t “finish in four.” Changing majors: Research indicates that 80% of students change their major at least once during college. Changing majors typically means losing non-transferable credits and adding extra time […]

There are a variety of reasons: Thinking that everyone should go to college. College is a competition. Supply far exceeds Demand, there are just so many “college” jobs available each year. The school selection protocol is flawed, ignoring “affordability.” Thinking if everybody is doing it (taking out student loans), it must be OK. Borrowers just […]