Students Earn Second Chance on 2-year Plan

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If a low GPA or lack of motivation hinderedyour college-hopeful from attendinga 4-year institution this year, there still ishope, according to . By spending their underclass yearsat a 2-year public institution, such as a localcounty or community college, your child canprove their worth to 4-year schools by gaininghigher marks than they may have earnedin high school, while saving parents cash. Infact, the College Board reports that tuitioncosts at private 4-year colleges for the 2005-2006 school year averaged $21,235, comparedwith $2191 for public 2-yearschools—a savings of $40,000 or more over2 years. To help ease the transfer betweenschools, many state systems have developedreciprocity agreements between 2-and 4-year schools if students have achieved a certainGPA. While it may be tough for somephysician-parents to accept that their child isnot attending a 4-year school, don't thinkyour child is in the minority. Forty-four percentof all students attend 2-year colleges,and 42% of these students are under 22years old, up 10% from 1991. Although studentsspending their first 2 years at a communitycollege may miss out on the freshmanexperience, your child may need thistime to improve study skills and focus ontheir studies at home, rather than gettingcaught up in the distractions of campus life.