Think 1,500 days from now

by Jason Buitrago

For the first time ever in American history, the U.S. Census revealed that 30% of adults older than 25 had a college degree. Slightly over a decade ago, that number was less than 25%. This is significant progress in the push for Americans to obtain their college degree.

As millions of high school seniors are in the midst of hearing back from colleges they applied to, and ultimately make their decisions on where to attend, I want to firstly congratulate them. The college application process is not that far lost in my memory, and given the increased selectivity, competition, and awe-inspiring applicant pool, I’m just ecstatic that I went to school when I did.

In my first blog entry of the season, I will venture to say that financing a college career can be one of the most stress-inducing experiences. I will also venture to say that it doesn’t need to be. With proper planning, and seeking out the tons of resources available, managing the financial sacrifice families experience can be a more feasible pill to swallow.

Throughout the spring, families are sitting down and plotting how they’re going to pay for college. Don’t feel like you’re alone, and don’t allow yourself to be in the dark. Read and become familiar with literature about “paying for college.”  A simple Google search generated 12,300,000 results – in 0.19 seconds. Talk to friends and family who may have already gone through the process. Most importantly, connect with your admissions officers and your financial aid officers about paying for college.

I stress: paying for college. Not just the first year of college, but your entire college career. As you seek out financial resources, and map out how college is going to be financed, think about the whole picture. Think through the day you’ll be turning your college graduation tassel. Talk to your aid counselors about what can be expected. Talk to them about potential student loan indebtedness upon graduation. Ah yes, potential loan indebtedness. A topic I will soon cover. Talk to the Career Center about job placements and graduate school acceptances.

As an alumnus of UR, I can attest to the quality of not only the education and professors, but student life, research, extracurriculars, activities, the City of Rochester, etc. Learning is something that certainly takes place both in and outside of the classroom, and Rochester has an enigmatic twist to it. Nine years later, I’m still trying to figure out that enigmatic twist, but I can say with the utmost confidence, if it’s the right place for you, UR will gradually mold you into the global citizen you will be.

Congrats to those admitted. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the next few weeks.