SAT scores make life easier
Everyone knows that college graduates make more money, and that SAT scores can help or hinder your chances of getting into your university of choice.
Of course, if you don’t have stellar SAT scores, there are still plenty of ways to be successful, but high SAT scores just make it a little easier to follow the traditional path of college followed by a career.
Don’t be hasty
Of course, you’re probably going to need a money loan to go to college. If your SAT scores are so stellar that you get a scholarship to an Ivy League school, more power to you. But the reality for most people is that college is expensive.
So I must caution you: just because your SAT scores are good enough to get you into an uber-expensive school doesn’t mean you should automatically go there. So if you get your SAT results today, don’t automatically fax your application to Harvard. Here are some excerpts from an article I wrote on a SmartMoney study about private universities versus public.
Nuts and bolts
The SmartMoney report analyzed the cost of private school versus public schools based on out-of-state tuition. It looked at the cost of attending 50 university and the salaries of alumni three years later and 15 years later.
The results are not surprising. While many Ivy Leaguers do make higher salaries, the extra money they spend repaying their student loans cuts greatly into the return on their investment.
Money-saving tips for college
For students who move to a different state to go to college, private schools cost about 30 percent more. Stay home to go to school and that difference jumps to about 75 percent.
So going to a public school in your home state costs a quarter of what it would cost to go to a private school.
One college-girl’s opinion
As a college graduate myself, here’s my model for the least expensive way to get a degree:
Go to community college first. Tuition is a fraction of what it costs to go to a four-year university. After you transfer and get your bachelor’s degree, it’ll carry just as much weight as everyone else’s.
If you want to go to an out-of state school: Most states consider you a resident after you’ve lived there one year, as long as you only go to school part-time. So move to the place where you want to go to school, attend community college part-time for a year. Then you’ll be able to pay in-state tuition and fees for the rest of your college career.
SAT scores can save you money
So, if your SAT scores are good enough to get you into an expensive, private university, just think of the scholarships you could get for community college or a state school. You could end up getting to go to school for free!
So study hard, get good SAT scores and embrace your future earning potential.
