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You are excited to unleash your deep-seated passion in a field you find meaningful. This promising journey begins with skill development, but there's no easy way to determine how or where to acquire critical skills. At some point, you will almost certainly ask yourself, “Should I attend college, and is college worth it?”
You should be able to confidently answer the second question before enrolling in a particular program. To help, we will reveal what "worth" means in higher education and why there is far more to this discussion than tuition and potential wages.
The True Value of a College Education
No simple equation can truly capture the value of a college education. While higher education advocates are quick to point to strong entry-level wages, evidence supporting sustained wage growth may prove even more illuminating. As economist David J. Deming points out, this reveals that the true value of a degree extends beyond short-term pay increases to involve compounding benefits that spark upward mobility.
Deming's research reveals that, while college graduates enjoy a 27 percent premium over a high school-only education by the age of 25, this becomes a 60 percent premium by age 55. Of course, for many, this assessment of value extends beyond whether to attend college, focusing instead on which colleges and programs promise the greatest return on investment.
Why the “Worth” of a Program Is Different for Every Student
Every student enters college with unique goals and priorities. These relate not only to specific career paths, but also to overall skill development — career-specific competencies along with transferable skills relevant across the workforce and even in students' personal lives.
There is no 'right' way to approach this journey, and no one preferred source of motivation. Moreover, it is up to each student to understand their why for enrolling in college and to determine how this will prove beneficial in the long run.
Key Indicators of a High-Value Academic Program
Every student has a unique definition of high value in the context of higher education. Many focus on post-graduation employment prospects and earning potential, while others are more interested in the actual skills they will develop through college coursework. Both areas warrant consideration and contribute to the big picture of academic value.
Strong Learning Outcomes With Real-World Application
College coursework should not feel limited to the classroom. While theoretical concepts and in-depth research are important, they must be accompanied by real-world applications, which set the stage for a seamless transition into the workforce.
Opportunities for applying concepts will vary between programs, but often, this begins with case studies or group projects, which provide low-stakes yet fascinating ways to connect to theoretical frameworks. Next, experiences like clinicals, externships, and internships bring core concepts into the real world, providing rigorous and relevant preparation for future career challenges.
Alignment Between Curriculum and Career Readiness
Insight begins in the classroom, but that alone is not enough. Students need to feel that mastering new concepts will eventually help them make a difference in the real world. A sense of purpose can transform knowledge into action, making already promising programs truly worthwhile.
True alignment begins with using career-focused curricula to tie theoretical concepts to professional expectations and opportunities. We aim to spark a passion for continual learning, beginning with classroom encouragement and ultimately equipping students to confidently enter their careers, motivated to make significant impacts in their chosen professions.
Consistent Graduate Success: Jobs, Promotions, and Graduate School
Practical skill development provides versatile pathways to post-graduation success, in all its forms. This means, for example, finding a desirable entry-level job, entering a specialized field, or perhaps even earning a promotion or moving into leadership positions. In other cases, the next step may involve graduate school, complete with rigorous coursework and in-depth research opportunities.
Passion-driven graduates draw on powerful takeaways gained through undergraduate coursework. These insights equip graduates with a clear sense of direction, allowing them to better understand their calling and to achieve their own unique vision of success.
How to Evaluate Academic Quality Before Enrolling
Ready to take the next step and enter an inspiring college environment? At this point, the question is not whether to pursue your degree, but where and how. This means determining your field of study and then thoroughly vetting potential programs to ensure that they provide a rigorous, yet supportive learning experience.
Reviewing Syllabi and Course Offerings for Depth and Relevance
Program evaluation begins with closely examining various curricula. Does the program in question promise both breadth and depth of knowledge? Confirm that the courses are comprehensive enough to provide a solid foundation, complete with soft skill development.
Next, verify the depth of study by examining individual syllabi. Which topics will you explore? Which types of learning experiences will bring key concepts to life? Consider whether these concepts or experiences align with your career goals or are transferable enough to help you succeed if you eventually shift to a new role or industry.
Checking Program Accreditation and Industry Recognition
Syllabi can tell you a great deal about classroom experiences, but this alone does not ensure quality instruction. Accreditation inspires greater confidence, as accrediting bodies go to great lengths to confirm that programs meet high standards. These evaluations examine everything from curriculum relevance to faculty credentials. This is the ultimate marker of credibility, so it should be top of mind as you examine college programs.
Signs That a Program Supports Student Growth and Success
Accreditation, curricula, and syllabi offer a wealth of insight, but there's more to the college experience than academics alone. Support services play just as vital a role in shaping student success. This is what allows you to navigate inevitable challenges with ease, all while preparing you for a smooth transition following graduation.
Academic Advising and Mentorship Opportunities
Academic advising helps you contextualize current studies within a larger framework, determining how these play into your career trajectory. Academic advisors can help you pursue relevant courses or experiences while ensuring you continue to make progress toward graduation.
Mentorship expands on this theme to bring a more personal element to academic growth and professional development. Mentors offer wisdom and guidance, helping you overcome diverse challenges and reflect on how these immediate successes influence your long-term prospects. College programs can help you find excellent mentors through formal mentorship programs or by providing contacts via networking opportunities.
Tutoring, Writing Support, and Career Coaching Services
At times, you may need more robust support than is available in the classroom or even through connecting with faculty members. This is when insights from fellow students may prove especially resonant.
Tutoring and writing support, for example, can make a world of difference. Tutors provide personalized support and encouragement, clarifying critical concepts and helping you break through stubborn mental blocks. Writing services can deliver a real boost to your communication skills, which are vital not only to achieving strong academic performance but also to succeeding in the professional world.
Opportunities for Research, Internships, and Fieldwork
While many faculty members emphasize practical application through experiential learning and fascinating projects, real-world application can also occur beyond the structure of a college course.
Many colleges provide outside research and fieldwork opportunities that are not directly tied to specific classes. These experiences promote deeper engagement and may also provide the chance to network with those already making an impact in the professional world.
Asking the Right Questions During Your Search
It's natural to wonder, "Is college worth it?" To truly answer this question, you'll first need to seek answers to a few follow-up queries, which relate to specific programs and their anticipated outcomes:
What Do Alumni Say About the Program’s Impact?
Alumni can offer a valuable, real-world perspective on the long-term value of a college degree—and exceptional institutions know this. The best colleges not only stay connected with their alumni but actively promote where they work, what roles they hold, and how current students can engage with them.
Look for schools that showcase alumni career outcomes and regularly host networking or educational events that bring alumni and students together well before graduation. These connections can lead to internships, mentorships, or even job offers down the line. When researching colleges, don’t just ask alumni what they thought of their education. Ask how the school helped them land roles at companies with name recognition and how it continues to support their professional growth.
How Does the School Track and Report Student Outcomes?
Many institutions make ambitious claims about how students fare in today's competitive professional landscape. For instance, they may claim that a certain percentage of students find employment within a specific timeframe after graduation. Don't take these statistics for granted. Dig deeper to determine how schools track student outcomes and whether they use misleading tactics to make promises their programs can't actually keep.
Are There Flexible Learning Paths for Working or Nontraditional Students?
An increasing share of today's students blend higher education with full-time work, with many returning to school after achieving professional success, but with a desire to further improve their career prospects. Unfortunately, their busy work schedules may stand in the way of traditional college course loads, calling for a more flexible approach to learning.
Thankfully, many colleges now accommodate working students through online programs or by offering alternative scheduling solutions, such as evening or weekend classes. Examine different scheduling options or learning formats to determine which approach fits your preferred lifestyle.
Measuring Value in Outcomes, Not Just Cost
Several variables determine value, and while quantifiable outcomes (such as future income potential) matter, these are more meaningful when examined in the context of initial cost. This plays into the concept of ROI, which can determine whether a given program ultimately feels worthwhile.
That being said, no single outcome can truly convey the degree's value. This multifaceted concern calls for a comprehensive assessment, touching on intellectual development, networking, student support, and much more.
Understanding Total Cost and Financing Options
College represents the ultimate personal investment. Students pay upfront (or arrange financing) to acquire the skills, knowledge, and contacts needed to unlock powerful opportunities later on. Many conceptually understand the need for this investment, but struggle to understand the big picture due to confusion surrounding the actual cost of a college education, along with limited insights into financial aid opportunities.
Evaluating cost begins with comparing tuition rates, but that's only part of the story. Also essential is clarifying other short-term expenses, such as student fees, housing, textbooks, or transportation. These expenses can vary dramatically between colleges and even depending on factors such as degree program or format.
Next, explore financial aid solutions that can offset initial expenses. These, too, vary between colleges. Some, despite appearing to maintain higher tuition rates, offer uniquely generous financial aid packages that may include significant scholarships or grants. Additional savings can be secured through work-study programs or even by studying online.
Weighing Total Cost vs. Return on Investment (ROI)
Once anticipated college expenses are fully understood, they can be examined in the context of the program's anticipated ROI. This represents the long-term value enjoyed in exchange for short-term commitments of time, effort, and money.
While broad-based statistics regarding post-graduation income and lifetime earnings can be helpful, they may not be entirely relevant. Earning potential varies between industries and geographic regions, so these factors should be taken into account. What's more, not all aspects of ROI are strictly quantifiable, but these less tangible benefits still deserve recognition.
That said, for example, in Silicon Valley, a software engineer with a bachelor's degree might start at around $120,000 annually, whereas in a smaller Midwestern city, the same role might begin at $70,000. In rural areas, a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree could find numerous job openings with signing bonuses, while similar positions in urban centers are highly competitive. The cost of living in certain regions in the U.S. may be significantly higher than in others, affecting the real value of those salaries.
Earning Potential, Job Mobility, and Career Versatility
Insights from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reveal that, as of 2022, 25-to-34-year-olds earned median annual wages of $66,600 upon earning their bachelor's degrees, compared to $41,800 for those who cited high school as their highest level of academic achievement.
While a degree offers no guarantees regarding hiring or earning potential, it does provide a competitive edge among employers and, as research clearly demonstrates, correlates with higher earnings over time.
Student-specific ROI is best determined based on the research-backed career outlook within preferred fields. Many students look to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for occupational insights, although resources such as Indeed can be helpful.
These resources can provide a strong start, but keep in mind that today's professionals are unlikely to stick to one role or field indefinitely. Due to the rapid pace of change within the modern workforce, it is increasingly common to pivot and seek out new career opportunities. In this context, the long-term ROI of a degree stems partly from the comprehensive and highly transferable skill set developed through college coursework.
Skills That Hold Value Across Roles and Industries
A skills-focused education prepares students to tackle a wide range of potential career challenges. Technical or clinical skills help students find work shortly after graduating, but soft skills and leadership abilities translate to long-term success.
Communication, critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence are examples of transferable and widely relevant skills. Ideally, students will learn to integrate these soft skills with career-specific technical skills, ultimately applying them within their field of choice.
What Academic Value Looks Like in Healthcare Programs
The basic tenets of academic value look similar across numerous college programs and occupations, but this dynamic changes with aspiring healthcare professionals. In this context, a strong clinical or technical foundation becomes far more important, along with targeted preparation so that future healthcare workers can easily get licensed or certified.
Hands-On Training That Mirrors Real Clinical Environments
Healthcare programs need to prepare students for the realities of a fast-paced and high-stakes sector. This means exploring key theories and principles beyond the classroom to reveal how they influence clinical scenarios. Therein lies the need for hands-on training, initially achieved through projects or labs but eventually pursued through clinical rotations or internships.
Industry-Aligned Curriculum With Certification Prep
While some college graduates can move directly from higher education into the workforce, healthcare professionals often need to take additional steps, such as studying for and passing industry-specific certification exams. Ideally, curricula and syllabi will reflect the specific content areas included in these exams. For aspiring nurses, this builds NCLEX-RN exam prep into foundational coursework.
Strong Employer and Hospital Partnerships
Because real-world training plays a significant role in overall educational value, healthcare programs must develop strong partnerships with local employers, such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, or community health organizations. These partnerships can form the basis for clinical experiences, job shadowing, internships, and more.
When colleges actively seek and maintain such partnerships, students enjoy more opportunities to expand their knowledge, network with influential individuals, or even secure employment after graduation.
Final Evaluation: Choosing a Program That Works for You
We've provided a lot of food for thought, but ultimately, your college decision comes down to your individual goals and preferences. Doing your research can provide a strong start, but you will eventually need to rely on intuition to reveal which path truly resonates. Your prior research should merely confirm what your intuition already senses, allowing you to proceed with confidence.
Academic Value = Quality, Support, and Meaningful Outcomes
Academic value represents a multifaceted concept that encompasses not only the projected long-term career outcomes tied to various degrees or credentials, but also the actual experience of being a college student. The fascinating stories from your experienced instructors, the thought-provoking class discussions, and the real-world experiences can give you a taste of your professional future.
This value is further increased through support services that help you overcome obstacles while sparking a real sense of belonging. While you can look to documented outcomes for confirmation that these advantages make a difference, your ultimate mission in evaluating college programs involves finding a welcoming environment in which you feel both challenged and supported.
The Right Program Fits Your Goals — Not Just a Ranking List
College rankings may look impressive, but they fail to capture the big picture of higher education. These rankings use a limited set of factors or priorities to define a narrow vision of college success, rather than fully examining the many ways in which different types of students may define or pursue their version of success. Feel free to examine rankings, but remember: the best program is ultimately the one that feels like the right fit for you.
Uncover the True Value of Higher Education With Nebraska Methodist College
Looking for a well-rounded college experience that inspires growth and prepares you for a fulfilling career? Are you leaning toward a resounding “yes” as an answer to the question, “Is college worth it?”
Then it’s time to take a closer look at the meaningful opportunities available through Nebraska Methodist College (NMC). We are here to support you as you prepare for a new journey as a college freshman or as you take the next step via graduate school.
We are happy to answer any questions you may have about our academic programs or financial aid opportunities. Reach out for more information or feel free to apply today.
Sources
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings
https://www.axios.com/2024/03/04/college-graduates-median-annual-wage-difference
https://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/pages/acadaff/oos_online/accreditationoos.aspx
https://www.chea.org/about-accreditation
https://educationdata.org/college-degree-roi
https://www.highereddive.com/news/calculating-return-on-investment-college-degrees/718993/
https://manhattan.institute/article/rise-of-nontraditional-students-in-higher-education
https://www.thirdway.org/report/2023-price-to-earnings-premium-for-four-year-colleges
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Entry-Level-Software-Engineer-Salary-in-Silicon-Valley,CA