Consejos para encontrar universidades asequibles

U.S. Marines veteran Jordan Petersen is pursuing a neuroscience degree at Coalition member Pomona College. He hopes to one day become a doctor and help veterans living with PTSD and brain injuries. Petersen’s story sheds light on not only the value of a college education to veterans, but also the value of veterans to their colleges and their communities.

No idea what you want to pursue in college? Have so many interests you can’t pick just one? Don’t worry, there are colleges where “undecided” is the most popular major among first-year students!

There are plenty of colleges where you can be undecided or undeclared upon admission. Typically, you will take core classes that allow you to explore various subjects and see which ones spark your interests. Often it is not until the end of your sophomore year that you’ll need to decide on a major. You will have plenty of time to figure out who you really are and what you really want.

Never has it been more difficult to predict what life will be like in 20 years, or what careers will be in demand in the future. Careers we haven’t even thought of yet will emerge, and old careers will be transformed.

You do not need a very specific education for a particular job that may or may not exist or be in demand in 10 or 20 years. You need instead an education that empowers you for success and allows you to design your own future in our rapidly changing society and economy.

People often ask me about the value of the application essay. “You don’t actually read all of them, do you?” I assure you, at my university and in admissions offices across the country, we do.

I can tell a lot about a person from his or her application essay; it’s the most current snapshot of who you are as a person. Think about it: Most of the items you submit to the colleges or universities you’re applying to showcase talents that you have developed over a long period of time. Your high school transcript contains at least three years of grades, showing evidence of hard work in a variety of subjects. Your clubs, organizations, sports, community service, and other accomplishments reflect years of participation and dedication to fields outside the classroom. Even your good old SAT or ACT scores reflect the accumulation of vocabulary, mathematics, and reading comprehension talents acquired throughout your life. The essay, however, is who you are right now. So, why not get started . . . right now?

We know that writing your essays can seem especially daunting when applying to college. But the essays are a great opportunity to add depth to something that is important to you and address a topic you’re not able to cover elsewhere in your application.

The essays reveal how you learn, what you value, or how you approach challenges, which helps the admissions committee imagine how you might approach the living and learning environment at their school.