Are you thinking of going back to school? … You’re not alone.
Many adults have found themselves suddenly unemployed, victims of the economic downturn. Certain fields and sectors of business have been drastically reduced leaving many with no choice but to enter new careers. Others just need to update certain skills to reenter the job market. Whether you’re changing careers or bringing your skill set up-to-date, chances are you’re probably headed back to school.
For most of you it has probably been some time since you stepped foot in a classroom. There are probably many nervous adults out there frightened or anxious not knowing what to expect as they go back to college. While it’s true that there have been changes in higher education over the last 10 years—especially when it comes to technology—you’ll probably find that there is actually nothing to fear. However, you may find it difficult to enroll in a class or to be accepted into a college program.
College enrollment is at an all time high and these institutions of higher education are virtually overflowing with students. Universities and colleges have been forced to become more selective over the past decade due to a surge in the number of applications they receive. More and more students have been pushed into community colleges, which have always offered an open door policy to those seeking higher education. However, these community colleges have been forced to turn away students and in the Maryland/Virginia area where I live, according to The Washington Post, the numbers are in the thousands.
What has accounted for this major uptick in enrollment? Well, firstly the numbers of college age teens is at an all time high. This generation of students is known as the “baby boom echo” or the “Millennial Generation”. Those born between the 1980-1999 time frame are also referred to as “Generation Y”. Colleges and universities were expected to be crammed beyond capacity with these numbers of students entering the fold. Now, add to the mix the incredibly high numbers of unemployed who are heading to school to “retool” their skills in the hopes of finding employment.
This economic downturn has not only brought the unemployed in record numbers to community colleges but many students who were seeking degrees at four-year colleges and universities have decided to transfer to two-years schools to make their education more affordable.
During this time of increased demand for higher education, the economic conditions have put a major squeeze on these institutions. Across the nation state cuts have meant less financial support for education. This has required colleges to raise tuition and fees to close this financial gap. Also, due to cuts there is less financial aid available so students have to rely more and more on loans to cover the costs of their education. These changes have forced students to incur more debt.
With the state budget cuts we have also seen layoffs in higher education, which in turn has meant fewer classes being offered and an overall increase in the number of students per class. Unfortunately this has also meant that with an increase in enrollment and thousands of students being turned away, the number of years it takes to earn a college degree may increase since it may take these students a longer time to graduate.
Colleges and universities have to make changes to increase accessibility to and affordability of higher education.
Next week I’ll discuss these changes and how technology can be used to increase access to higher education.
