Paying for College Archives - Sharise Kent

Has Coronavirus Cancelled Your Commencement?

by Sharise | Apr 13, 2020 | Paying for College, Portfolio, Resume & Interview

Across the country, or rather the world, Coronavirus has cancelled commencement for millions of college students.

Commencement is supposed to be the culmination and celebration of years of late nights, physical and financial sacrifices, tears, work, stress and unforgettable moments. The day when friends and family and your tribe that has held you down for years, stands proudly and screams loudly as your name is called.

It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be mad. Despite the absence of a physical ceremony, know that you have still indeed graduated from this stage of life. You are moving up, moving on, moving out into the world. As uncertain as these times are, you are entering this new phase and bringing a collection of beautiful experiences with you.

Where to go from here

On top of a cancelled commencement, you are entering into an uncertain job market. Just two months ago, you were headed unto a strong economy with a good job market. Now, companies are rescinding job and internship offers daily while people are filing for unemployement in record numbers.

Things took a very quick turn for the worst. But, since no one knows what life will look like 3 months from now, things could turn around just as quickly. The economy will likely bounce back after the crisis is over, companies will once again hire and salaries will return. What we don’t seem to know today is when will the virus end and that turn around actually begin.

I don’t know what our new “normal” will be. There are many unanswered questions about how jobs will change, will more people begin working from home permanently, will more people seek employment rather than freelancing, how will our social interactions change and so many more questions. I don’t have a crystal ball, but what I can offer are some ideas on how to move forward when your classes are over in a few weeks.

Celebrate your success

Graduation Day – SUNY Oswego, B.A.
True story, I skipped my MS degree graduation.

Right now you are likely finishing up your classes online. Focus your energy on finishing strong (not like you can can go anywhere right now anyway). When you have handed in that last paper breathe, yell, scream, shout, jump and realize that you did it!

I know some schools are doing virtual commencement ceremonies to mark the day. Even if your school is not offering that option, order a cake, order some food, blow up some ballons, put on your cap and gown, take some pictures and celebrate by yourself or with whomever else is trapped in the house with you!

Prayerfully, you will be able to celebrate outside soon!

2. Don’t run to graduate school if things get hard

When the economy tanks, the first impulse is to run out and get another degree. I understand the impulse but chill. For real.

When the economy tanks, the first impulse is to run out and get another degree. I understand the impulse but chill. For real. Right now earning another degree with no work experience is not going to vastly improve your shot at landing a job. Taking on additional student loan debt for a degree that won’t do much to increase your salary is not a smart move.

There are professions like teaching or accounting or some medical careers that require a Master’s degree, that is different. You do not need to go right into a graduate program that does not have a return on investment or won’t improve your marketability. If you feel you must add a specific skill such as learning a computer language, there a plenty of low cost and free resources online.

Most ranked business and law schools prefer candidates with a few years of work experience. If you are looking to go that route, working for a few years will help make you competitive for those programs in the future.

Wait it out. The market will turn.

3. Your first job after college is not your last

Your first job after college does not have to define your career. Your first job is a stepping stone, a resume builder to show future employers your ability to apply what you learned in college. In your first role you will learn what you like and don’t like, enhance certain skills, learn new skills, love it some days and hate it others.

Statistics say that in your lifetime you will have three different careers. I started off in higher education and have remained in the field, but with 8 different colleges and one non-profit working in three different states.

When you are entering into a tough job market, your first job might not be your perfect job. I’m not saying you take the first thing offered, but I do suggest you use wisdom and not let every offer pass by. When you are applying for jobs, you should ask yourself if you would take the job if they offered. If you know you don’t want the job, then don’t waste their time or yours.

That said, I am not talking about a part-time job that you may take to pay bills while you wait for a full-time opportunity. In that case, take what pays best and starts fastest while you search for perm work.

We all know someone or may have even been that “someone” who is underemployed or working a job the doesn’t require a degree. It happens. Some people who start in jobs that don’t require a degree will grow stagnant and not make the necessary moves to break into the next level of their career. If you find yourself taking a role that doesn’t seem to match your education and experience, decide from jump that you are going to continue to network, showcase skills, add new skills and claw your way towards your career goals.

4. Remain flexible

When I gradauted college I wanted to work in PR for a big public relations agency. I realized quickly I was too broke to move to NYC or Boston or any major east coast city on an entry level PR salary! My sister mentioned a role she saw at local university in college admissions. It sounded fun and interesting and would allow me to use my public speaking skills. Fast forward I have since spent a career in higher education. I’ve never worked directly for a pr agency (or had a desire to).

Don’t just read job titles, read the descriptions fully. Look for roles, responsibilities and duties that get you excited. Look for roles in industries that you are interested in being in. Don’t be so focused on only one type of role that you look past what could be other great opportunities.

Right now, in the midst of the highest unemployment rates our country has ever experienced, there are still companies hiring!

Amazon is hiring 100,000
CVS Health is hiring 50,000
Lowes is hiring 30,000
Pepsico is hiring 6,000

Don’t assume that every job is paying minimum wage. Do your research and see what is out there. Also, not all retail positions are front line, there are marketing departments, IT, analytics, operations, finance, human resources and so many other types of roles in nearly every sector.

Coming out of school, you can also consider doing a post-graduate internship. In the current economy, that could be the perfect move to gain experience while waiting for the market to turn. The unfortunate reality though is that it could be an unpaid internship. I am not a fan of unpaid internships but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

5. Stay home and save your money

The importance of saving money and setting yourself up to be financially stable is more important than rushing out to show how much of an adult you are.

Not everyone has the option of returning home after college, but if you can, do it. There are a lot of people who jumped ship with no safety net who are regretting that decision big time right now. The importance of saving money and setting yourself up to be financially stable is more important than rushing out to show how much of an adult you are.

Take the longer commute, deal with your family, but take the cheap or if you are lucky, free rent along with no utility bills for a short time. Set a time frame for finding a job and for moving out (3-12 months). Be intentional with how you spend your money, stick to a budget and set financial goals.

Moving out with an emergency fund in place and a steady income can set you up to not have to move back home 6 months later.

Look, we are in the middle of a never seen before global pandemic. If you don’t wake up everyday and spend 3 hours looking for a job, I personally think that is perfectly fine. Don’t be pressured to feel like you have to come out of this period speaking six new languages, how to build a computer and ready to compete and Top Chef. You just conquered a major achievement in life. Be proud and have your moment.

Congratulations to the class of 2020.

The College Admissions Scandal: Inequality in Higher Ed Goes Beyond Admissions

by Sharise | Mar 18, 2019 | Paying for College, Portfolio

While I was surprised to see the faces of a few famous people splashed across the news, I can’t say I was shocked by the recent college admissions scandal. It’s sad, frustrating and infuriating, but not surprising.

Our current culture often sends the message that only a few select schools lead to success. This idea that your worth as a person is tied to the college that you attend is running rampant. The rich and the not so rich, often go to extremes to gain any possible advantage in college admissions.

This warped concept that your success is all about graduating from “NameBrand U” drives people to do stupid things – like pay $500,000 to get a kid into college.

The Not So Rich

The idea of money creating an advantage in the college admissions quest is not reserved for the rich only. What many people may fail to realize is that many middle and upper class families also experience multiple advantages over low income students trying to go to college.

The disparities in access to education start with the zip code a child is born into. “Income disparities in communities increased by 20 percent from 1990 to 2010, largely because of the desire people have to live within the boundaries of top-performing schools.” Other parents skip the public school system all together and can afford to pay for private schools starting from Pre-K.

Parents routinely fork over sizeable chunks of money for test prep courses, private tutors, expensive travel club sports, music lessons and take flights to visit colleges on opposite sides of the country.

On the flip, many low-income students attend schools that don’t offer the same number of AP courses, take the SAT/ACT test once often without the proper prep, can’t pad their resumes with loads of extracurricular activities because they are working a job to help family, and many times don’t even set foot on their college campus until the first day of classes.

I’ve worked in college admissions for seven different colleges in multiple states. Believe me when I say these advantages make a difference. The playing fields are not even.

The disparity, inequity and bias in the college admissions process is a decades old problem. This scandal is just another example of the odds stacked against low income and minority students.

The Inequality of Internships

Beyond the college admissions process which has layers of issues, there is an inequality that also exists in the world of college internships, specifically, unpaid internships. There are plenty of internships to go around. Quality paid internships though, not as many. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 43 percent of internships at for-profit companies do not pay.

It seems like companies want to hold onto this old idea that interns have to pay their dues and work for free, as though it is a rite of passage for students to do the same today. Well, fact is college prices have doubled and in many instances quadrupled in the last 20 years. The average private college tuition is just below $35,000 and the average public college tuition is right around $10,000. Those prices don’t include room and board. The idea that students should just be grateful for the experience and opportunity is elitist.

According to a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers Survey, 75 percent of employers report that the primary focus of their internship program was to recruit college graduates for full-time, entry-level positions.

Working without pay is a barrier that keeps qualified students from excellent internship opportunities. Without valuable internship experience, low income grads are at an immediate disadvantage in the job search process. If companiescontinue these same practices, they will never diversify their work force as they claim they want to do.

Don’t Get Defeated in the Internship Search Process

As your internship search intensifies, you start to look for internships and almost everything you see is unpaid or pays so little that its offensive. Been there. Let’s just set aside for a moment that many unpaid internships are actually against the law, and focus on this issue.

Students who can’t afford to participate in unpaid internships are basically penalized for not being able to be full-time volunteers for two months.

You have to make money to pay tuition, for transportation, perhaps to even help family, and to pay bills. Students with financial support can freely find opportunities just based on what they are interested in. Low income students have to factor in so many more concerns than just academic.

In college, I never had a full-time unpaid internship because I just couldn’t afford it. I did eight internships, a mixture of paid and unpaid. I remember when the reality of unpaid internships smacked me in the face. When I started college my goal was to work in sports in public relations, marketing or community relations.

Living in Rochester, NY the closest major sports teams were in Buffalo. The Bills and the Sabers. I didn’t and don’t know much about hockey so I started looking in January for a summer internship with the Bills. As I read the details, I saw that it was an unpaid internship. So that meant I’d have to take a full-time unpaid paid job with a 120 mile daily roundtrip commute. I needed money to pay for school. I was knocked down, but not out.

via GIPHY

I instead refocused my attention locally on the AAA baseball team and the professional soccer team. I got an internship with the Rochester Red Wings. One of the staff told me that they thought I was first Black female intern they’d ever had. I was actually able to start in the spring as an unpaid intern for college credit.

I was asked to stay on for the summer as a full-time unpaid intern. Again, I needed money to pay for school but I wanted to learn in a professional sports setting. So what did I do? I took the unpaid internship but I negotiated my hours so I could work a paying job (actually I think I had two jobs that summer). I was the only intern that had that set up. I’m not sure if any of the other interns needed it, but I did, I asked and it worked.

Later after the summer started, I remember another intern joining the group a little late. He’d interned with the club before and returned to intern again. He’d also spent a summer interning for the New York Yankees in New York City – unpaid. How’d he do that? With his parents support.

I may have missed out on some full-time unpaid internship opportunities, but that didn’t stop me from the eight different experiences that I was able to have. I share some ways to overcome the pay vs no pay obstacle in this post, When You’re Too Broke to Intern: Paid vs Unpaid Internships.

Not being able to take an internship because it is unpaid is inequality in the internship process, but you can overcome it.

Big City Bias

Many of the prime internships with larger companies or organizations are located in big cities. To be a congressional intern, you have to be able to spend an unpaid summer living in Washington DC. Unless you happen to live there or have some money saved or financial support, that is a challenging task to accomplish.

The same is true of internship opportunities in places like New York, LA, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco.

There are other housing and transportation related barriers as well. How will you even afford to get there? Can you afford a plane ticket if you don’t have a car you can drive that far? If you can drive, who is going with you? In NYC you can take the subway everywhere, but if you are out in Cali you need a car or big Uber budget.

Beyond the budget, the emotional stress and strain of working for little to no pay can keep you from performing your best.

This doesn’t mean you give up, that means you have to create a plan to navigate these waters. In my book, The Internships Manual: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting the Internship of Your Dreams I talk in detail about finding creative ways to land internships in a new city. I also talk about how I balanced my paid and unpaid internships.

Internships Organizations the Great Equalizer

While working at the T-Howard Foundation I oversaw the placement of over 400 students in paid internships with companies like ESPN, HBO, the NBA, Verizon, CBS, FOX, Facebook and many others.

My team and I recruited the best and the brightest minority students from institutions across the country. We received thousands of applications annually from students attending ivy league universities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), large public schools to small liberals arts colleges.

T. Howard Foundation and similar diversity internship programs like INROADS and HACU work to try and level the playing field for minorities. These non-profit programs only offer PAID internships. In addition they provide networking opportunities, internship housing assistance, and a support system after graduation when looking for a job. Gaining access to these programs requires a competitive application process, but the rewards are worth it.

Learning How to Network

Each internship creates a new opportunity to consistently build the network of people you know. People in positions to offer you a job or internship. People who will serve as future references and become mentors as you grow professionally.

Start learning now how to create opportunities for yourself. You should:

Join student chapters of professional organizations
Attend alumni networking events
Use career services and all of their resources starting freshman year
Attend job fairs at your school

I recommend that students aim to do at least four internships before graduation. If you need help getting started get my free Internship Manual toolkit for a starting off point.

Networking can be an intimidating situation, but it is a necessary art to learn early in your college career. By the time you graduate you will have the confidence to keep growing your network. And, soon you will be the professional in a position to open the door for someone like you. You will be in the position to hire paid interns in your department or for your business. Obstacles exist and until they don’t we learn to work around them. Then, we help others and together create change.

4 Things to Do Three Months Before College Graduation

by Sharise | Feb 16, 2019 | Paying for College, Portfolio, Resume & Interview

It’s February. Three months before the members of the graduating class triumphantly enter the ranks of the “real-world.” Across the U.S. college seniors are experiencing mixed emotions ranging from excitement to anxiety, from stress to fear. Job, new apartment, moving, leaving friends, going back home, all of it is enough to drive anyone crazy.

There are those few seniors who have already accepted job offers and can breeze through a little less stressed this spring. If you are not among them, then the simple question of, “so what are your plans after graduation” can seem like the most difficult question that anyone has asked you in the last four years.

What if I don’t find a job? Did I do enough internships? Where am I going to live? Should I go to graduate school if I can’t find a job? These and other questions are running through your mind possibly keeping you up at night, while your roommate doesn’t seem to be worried at all because after all, there are still three months left until graduation.

So, what are you to do?

Relax.

Take a breath.

I can’t answer every question you have about finding a job in a single post. I can however, offer some guidance to get you on track to finding that first “real” job out of college and attempt to calm some of the voices of fear and doubt in your head.

1. Start looking for a job ASAP

Visit career services and get your resume and cover letter in order. At this point in your career, your resume should not exceed one-page. Even if you have done 8+ internships (like I did) you still need to make your work experience fit on one page. It’s okay to have two different resumes that highlight different skills and goals, it is not okay to have a two-page resume. Due to the mixture of internship and work experiences I had in college, when I graduated I had a sales focused resume and a public relations focused resume.

Career services is there to assist you in making your resume professional and polished. There will more than likely be a spring career/internship fair on your campus, which gives you the perfect opportunity to take your new resume for a test drive. Most career services offices offer mock interviews, so schedule an appointment and start working on your interview skills. You can pay a professional service to write your resume, but use free campus resources first.

2. Talk to people

Reach out to your network and let them know what types of opportunities you are looking for. Talk to everyone from your recently employed friends, to your parents, your friends parents, your fraternity/sorority connections, professors, internship supervisors, mentors and members of professional associations. Your network of people might be bigger than you think. Don’t rely only on internet searches and sending off countless resumes. Word of mouth can be a powerful tool.

In order to talk to people about what you want to do, you need to first have an idea of what you want to do. So, think critically and carefully about your next steps so that you will be able to identify opportunities as they come up. Get out there and attend networking events. If you are intimidated by the prospect of going to a networking event alone, find a fellow senior who is in the same boat and go together, but don’t spend the night only talking to each other.

3. Balance your time

Set aside atleast two hours a day for job search related activities. Finding a job isn’t just about sending out resumes. Dedicate time to researching companies, finding networking events to attend, using social media, scheduling informational interviews, touching up your resume, writing cover letters, applying to openings and following up.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you get organized, schedule your time and don’t try to do everything at once. You still have classes, study time,
campus activities, maybe an internship, job, a social life and other things going on, so organization is key!

4. Use social media wisely

I know I said a few times that you have to get off of the computer and talk to people, but that is because I don’t want you to depend ONLY on the internet for your job search. Social media can be a valuable tool in finding a job. If you haven’t yet, join LinkedIn, a social network for the business world. You can create a profile and connect with potential employers, research companies and discover job or internship openings. Follow companies that you are interested in on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, SnacpChat and Facebook. Those connections will allow you to see how potential employers engage with their audiences.

Before you begin, inspect your own social media sites for compromising content and consider activating all of the privacy settings. You may use social media to peak at potential employers, they may do the same to you so be careful about what is available to the public.

I know I said four things, but as a bonus I have to tell you to enjoy yourself. Don’t get so caught up in the job search that you fail to enjoy and embrace the last few months of this unique time in your life. Celebrate the accomplishment of completing your degree! You can be serious and diligent about your job search and still make time to live in the moment and create more memories before you say good-bye to your college days.

Five Books for the Broke College Student

by Sharise | Oct 25, 2017 | Paying for College, Portfolio

Being a broke college student is not fun, but being broke after college could really suck. Don’t bury your head too far in the sand and ignore that fact that your student loan debts are mounting with each semester. Before you graduate, educate your self on how to make wise financial decisions. Before you get that dream job with the professional salary, know what to do with the money you will make.

via GIPHY

At the end of the four, five or six years of college, Sallie Mae or whomever your student loan company is, will be patiently waiting to swoop in and take a big chuck out of your first big girl/boy working professional paycheck.

Start the process today of creating a plan to attack your student loan debt quickly. Get it together so you can kick Sallie Mae to the curb as soon as possible.

In addition to understanding what to do with your money, you also need to know how to find a job so you can make some money. College doesn’t always teach you how to get a job, so it is up to you to understand how to launch your career.

These books are just a starting point to get you on your way to making and managing your money and career.

Get In Formation: Beyonce Launches Scholarship for Young Women

by Sharise | Apr 25, 2017 | Paying for College

On the one year anniversary of the release of the visual album, Lemonade, Beyonce’ has announced the creation of the Formation Scholars award. According to her website, the Formation Scholarship program is designed “to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident.”

Recipients must be studying creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies. Beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year, the scholarship will be awarded to an incoming or current undergraduate or graduate student at one of the following four participating institutions:

Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)
Howard University (Washington, D.C.)
Parsons School of Design (New York City)
Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)

Application and deadline information is available from each participating institution. Information regarding amounts has not yet been released.

Scholarships on Your Radar

If you are in the process of applying to college or a current college student, this needs to be on your radar. With the rising costs of attending college, any amount of scholarship money can help you keep down the student loan debt.

In addition to this opportunity, keep on the look out for small and large scholarship available from community organizations, a parent’s employer, civic organizations, fraternities or sororities, churches, banks, credit unions and so many other places. Searching for scholarships should be a daily activity for both incoming and currently enrolled college students.

For scholarship search tips, visit The College Money Maze and The Ultimate Scholarship Guide for help.

Free Tuition Has Me in a New York State of Mind

by Sharise | Apr 14, 2017 | Paying for College

Recently New York state passed a law that will allow residents to attend a public college tuition free. Starting in the fall of 2018, the Excelsior Scholarship will give families that make $100,000 or less free tuition at a State University of New York (SUNY) or City University of New York (CUNY) institution. The plan will phase in over the next three years finally reaching an income cap of $125,000 per year.

This historic deal is one that can change the lives of a generation of college bound students. It could change your life. To say that this can put upcoming college students in a position for future financial and professional success is an understatement.

I graduated from two SUNY institutions, the State University of New York at Oswego and Monroe Community College. I would have loved to have been the recipient of this type of opportunity. I also worked for SUNY College at Brockport for about two years in undergraduate admissions. My career in college admissions and career placement spans 17 years, 6 colleges and 400 placed interns.

Any student and family that can take advantage of this opportunity should do so without hesitation.

In my humble opinion, a SUNY education is a best buy that can stack up against any other in this country. Any student and family that can take advantage of this opportunity should do so without hesitation. I am however, admittedly biased.

Free Tuition Excelsior Scholarship

Let us not forget the free tuition does not mean open admission. If you are applying to 4-year degree granting institution you still need to apply and get in. Each campus sets their own admissions requirements.

Once enrolled, students must take at least 30 credit hours per year and maintain an acceptable grade point average. After completing their degree, graduates will be required to remain in New York state for however long it took them to complete their degree. So, if you who graduate in four years you would be required to work in New York state for four years.

Those who choose to relocate out of New York will have their scholarship converted into loans. There are some hardship exemptions for graduate school and military service.

Most people don’t know that nearly 60% of college students graduate in six years. Part of the reason it can take so long is that many students fail to take the proper number of credits per year. Requiring 30 credit hours per year keep students on track to graduate in four years or two years at a community college.

Getting in and out in two or four years is vitally important. Each extra year costs you time and money. In addition to four years of class work, you should also spend that time learning the value of networking, internships, extracurricular activities and how to find a job. Earning a degree is one thing, but finding and landing the dream job is another.

Debt Free College is a Game Changer

Here is where it gets good. SUNY tuition is $6,470 at four-year schools and $4,370 at community colleges. That is already a very affordable option as it relates to a college education. Why is this a game changer?

The class of 2016 has on average $37k in student loan debt. For a student who takes advantage of attending a four-year school, that is a savings of $25,880. Taking advantage of this program means that a New York state resident could complete college debt free. You could complete college debt free. A debt free college education. Imagine that!

If you are already attending another school and have two or three years left, I would strongly consider transferring to a public school. Consider the money you could save.

The Excelsior Scholarship is a “last-dollar” grant. That means that the scholarship will be applied only after any Pell Grant and New York state Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) money is awarded. As a result, the amount each student gets in funds will vary.

The maximum Pell grant for 2017-2018 will be $5,920. Low-income students getting already receiving a max Pell grant and aid from TAP will not likely not benefit from this program. Families in the middle income bracket who are not Pell eligible or TAP eligible will benefit most.

The Tale of Two Graduates

Student 2 who graduates with no debt, could instead choose to invest that same $392 for 10 years at a 5% rate of return and end up with $61,000.

Imagine for a moment two recent college grads with the same degree with the same starting salary of $45,000 per year. Student 1 graduates with $37,000 in student loan debt, while student 2 finishes college debt free.

Student 1 starts life with a student loan payment of $392 per month for 10 years. At the end of those 120 payments at a 5% interest rate, that would be over $47,000 paid back.

Student 2 who graduates with no debt, could instead choose to invest that same $392 for 10 years at a 5% rate of return and end up with $61,000. Who would you rather be?

If student 2 chooses to buy older cars and avoid car notes and credit card debt, that monthly investment of $392 could easily be doubled. Even if they chose to not invest it, an extra $400 per month can be the difference between living in your parents basement versus moving out.

In Rochester, NY you can buy a house in the city for as little as $75,000. With no student loan payment, in less than two years you could have a down payment on a house. Student 1 who graduates debt free can move quicker to home ownership, save more towards retirement and start investing to take advantage of compounding interest. They could also just have more money to blow on some great vacations and other life experiences!

Not a Perfect Solution

The Excelsior scholarship does not include room and board which varies from campus to campus at an average of $15,000. If you want to live on campus, you have to pay those costs out of pocket or with financial aid. Most college students dream of living on campus and having the complete “college experience”. While yes, college does provide a time of personal growth, learning and exploration the bigger picture is about becoming employable.

The main reason you go to college is to get a job, or more specifically, have a career.

While living on campus is what everyone dreams about when they think of college, taking on debt to do it may not make it worth the “fun”. The memories and experiences will always be with you, but unfortunately, the debt sticks around for a long time too.

For the students and families who are smart enough to forgo the need to live on campus in return for the long term gain, this plan is a no brainer.

Also, don’t buy into the hype that private automatically means better. In addition to my Bachelor’s degree, I also earned my Master’s from a public school. To round out my experiences, I worked in college admissions for five private liberal arts colleges and one public institution. Taking it a step further, I’ve recruited students from every corner of the United States when placing interns with major companies like ESPN, HBO, Showtime, AMC Networks, the NBA and others. Your success is about you, not the name of the school on the diploma.

Brighter Future

Making wise academic and financial decisions is the key to a brighter future.

There are multiple pieces to the puzzle of how a student can be successful during and after college. Getting this gift of debt free tuition does no good if you go out and rack up $20,000 in credit card debt and a $32,000 new car. Making wise academic and financial decisions is the key to a brighter future.

Graduating debt free means the financial freedom and flexibility to choose a rewarding career. A graduate who desires to work at a lower paying non-profit organization can do that, rather than taking a more lucrative and unfulfilling position just to pay back loans. An artist or performer can afford to live frugally while pursuing their dreams in New York city without loan payments taking a chunk of their funds. For students looking to get into law, medical or dental school which all have prospects of heavy debt burdens, they are starting $25,000 ahead.

The advantage of not carrying around student loan baggage opens a new world of choices for recent grads, so I hope they choose wisely and embrace this opportunity.

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