The Takeaway Wk of 7/19

HomeCurated ArticlesThe Takeaway Wk of 7/19This page may contain affiliate links.Jul 26, 2015Here’s a summary of important articles  from the past week  that may give you more insight into the world of college life, admissions, financing, and parenting.   How My Sons Year Between High School and College Paid Off The  R2C  Takeaway:  Real life experience might not give you the answers but it forces you to ask, â€Å"why?† every day. Curiosity is the most powerful gift that any type of eduction can bestow upon a student. A father shares his sons story of taking a year off before going to college and how the time spent in internships sparked an intellectual curiosity that wasnt there in high school. The Fundamental Way That Universities Are An Illusion The R2C Takeaway: The assumption by most people that colleges and universities are cohesive units that run like well-oiled machinery is false. There is often a disconnect between a colleges philosophy and what is actually going on in many of the classrooms. A lot of what has a direct impact on students depends upon the who is doing the teaching, not the administrating. In Students Minds, Textbooks are Increasingly Optional Purchases The  R2C  Takeaway:  Students are less apt to purchase course material these days, and attempt to wait until the last minute to discern whether or not theyll really need the books. The decline in the use of college textbooks is so obvious that college bookstores have begun to merely call themselves college store. To pick up the slack, print publishers are now turning to a new model called, integrated learning system,' in which students buy access to an online system that mixes reading materials, multimedia, and quiz and homework tools. Student Loan Co-Signers Face a Tangled Path to a Release The  R2C  Takeaway:  While private student loan lenders claim to pave a path for co-signers to be released from their obligation after a certain amount of time, a recent report has found that over 90% of those co-signers are rejected. As the information regarding co-signer releases is often convoluted, borrowers and their co-signers should make sure they ask the right questions about the release rules before embarking on that course of action. The Campus Visit Alternative The  R2C  Takeaway:  Colleges provide virtual visits to students who cannot visit in person but these tours are generally not thorough enough.   A substantial amount of valuable information about prospective schools can be found by checking the school website, individual departments, professor rosters, and course catalogs. 41 Stores With Student Discounts The  R2C  Takeaway:  One can never have too many discount opportunities, so when stores are offering them to studentsjump on it! Make sure you check out the comments as some include more suggestions. Road2College Road2College is dedicated to providing families with trustworthy information about college admissions and paying for college. We recognize the two processes are intertwined and our goal is to educate families on all aspects of admissions and funding so they can make smarter college financial decisions. View all posts CATEGORIES Curated Articles TAGS College visitsGap Yearstudent loansNEWER POSTACT Announces Changes to Information Reported to CollegesOLDER POSTThe TakeAway Wk of 6/28