Story by Elizabeth Geris

“Mary Baldwin College Bookstore, this is Elizabeth.”

It was all I could do to answer the nearby phone at this 166-year-old private school’s only campus bookstore, while apologizing to the 23-deep line of extremely patient young women that started at my cash register – young women whose arms were struggling to contain their own individual towers of burdensome, outrageously expensive textbooks.

On the other end of the phone was yet another student enrolled in the college’s statewide, updated version of the correspondence-style of higher education known as the Adult Degree Program.

The caller wanted to order textbooks for her off-campus classes before the official start of the fall semester. I was sure I had already answered at least 10 other almost-identical phone calls that day. Just how many students are there in this ADP, anyway? I never bothered to find out before changing jobs and soon retired the memories of those two years of working at the bookstore, which are resting comfortably in the halls of my fondest memories of being twentysomething.

Well, according to the college’s website, and only to my partial surprise, there are 1,268 men and women presently enrolled in this off-campus program, compared to the 807 all-female, traditional students on campus. It took me five years from my informal introduction to this higher-education alternative for working adults to decide that those 1,200-plus students must have tapped into something great; I applied and enrolled in the ADP in the spring of 2005, and shortly thereafter, I declared my major in communication. It continues to be a wonderful experience, with dedicated instructors, demanding, yet life-enhancing classes tailored for independent study, and a current faculty advisor who takes her responsibilities very seriously and is always there when I or anyone else needs her.

As great as the last three academic years have been, there’s only one nagging problem – the cost. OK, make that two nagging problems – the cost and my shocking ignorance of the monetary bind financing such a stellar education would put me in. Now, this may seem obvious to many, but despite the years of hearing that boring, yet persistent societal resounding chorus of “college is expensive,” it never seemed to stick with me. Surely, my earnest desires to better myself and arm my resume with such prestigious academia would somehow magically vaporize any unreasonable demands on my wallet. I was confident that Sallie Mae would look at my GPA, settle for the five payments I’ve already remitted and give me an “A” for effort, calling off my hefty financial obligation. Or better yet, I would win six or seven (instead of one – don’t get me wrong; I’m still grateful) of the 20 or so scholarships for which I applied and not need the loans in the first place.

No? Wow, tough crowd.

Well, then surely my closest friends and peers who have already attained a four-year degree or better were fiendishly shrewd with their academic costs and avoided owing Sallie Mae as much as I do by earning grants and scholarships, or better still, redeemed that “college fund” all good girls and boys have that was started by saving-savvy grandparents before their little darlings were old enough to walk. Or, at least if not that much, I’m sure none of my friends made the same honest and sometimes inescapable mistakes I made concerning loan deferment eligibility while still enrolled. After all, college graduates drive BMWs, live in four-story houses, make sound financial decisions and display all the other obvious signs of fairly-earned wealth that their parents, grade-school teachers and guidance counselors promised, right? I think we both know the answer to that question.

***

The stark-naked truth is that a four-year degree alone can mean precious little in terms of that worn out expression “dispensable income.” Even those lucky individuals who go straight from high-school graduate to gainfully employed holder of a bachelor of arts or science degree within the span of four tidy years oftentimes find themselves drowning in a sea of steep living expenses right away.

“I wish I had worked in college and started paying back my student loans while in school instead of waiting until I got out. Every little bit would have helped, because it would have been going directly to the principal, which would have reduced what I owed after college,” confided Chanda McGuffin, financial-services manager and founder of the Multi-Cultural Youth Leadership Conference, who received her bachelor of science degree in business administration from James Madison University. “I am paying for them dearly; the cost of college is still with me even after being out of school for about 15 years.

“My impression was my parents were going to pay for it, and I was going to be off the hook,” McGuffin said.

OK, so maybe I wasn’t the only one who has ever been in blissful denial about being solely responsible for a college education, but this is cold comfort to someone who already accepted the loans, pays rent and utilities, needs a new car and is fiercely committed to contributing her share to the domestic expenses in her marriage. But what do I expect? I consciously choose to shell out big bucks to help realize my goals of becoming a writer – a profession that, let’s be honest, doesn’t always translate into lucrative earning potential.

“Hey, I’d love to have a degree in American literature or the art of writing poetry, but I’m a realist, and I want to make a living, also,” said Cindy Packer, advanced practice registered nurse, psychiatric nurse practitioner and psychiatric clinical nurse specialist.

“I became four months pregnant after (high-school) graduation and gave birth to my son approximately one year after graduation. His birth was the real impetus to pursue some sort of training so that I could support him and myself. … I made a very practical decision to enter an 18-month licensed practical nurse program. I knew that … I would be able to earn a reasonable income and have plenty of opportunity to advance.”

Advance, she did. After completing the 18-month LPN program, Packer steadily progressed through more specialized training, achieving licensing as a registered nurse, as well as a bachelor of science degree in nursing, a master’s degree, post-master’s degree and two semesters of a Ph.D. program. As Packer and many others have already discovered, nursing is a very rewarding field of work, with no exception in the earnings department. After all, as someone once bluntly told me, there is unshakeable job security in nursing, because “there will always be sick people.”

I can’t say I haven’t thought about it, but thanks to consistently disappointing performance in chemistry class and a very weak stomach, I thought better of pursuing a nursing career. After all, who wants a nurse who can’t even watch “Dr. 90210″ without turning paper white, let alone stitch their child’s forehead gash?

Still, there is much to be said for tenacity. It is possible that I could force myself to stop yielding to those paralyzing fears of, say, being responsible for the care of patients involved in terrifying emergency-room scenarios and just jump into a nursing program with both feet; but that would require an overhaul of my perception of what a career is supposed to accomplish in life. Then again, maybe that is just what I need to make my academic journey pay for itself.

“I think that I’m lucky, because my earning potential outweighs the debt I’ve acquired,” said Packer. “I think that all potential students should be somewhat pragmatic when considering their options, unless of course they are independently wealthy, and ultimately earning power doesn’t matter.”

Who couldn’t benefit from such advice? Well, a part-time adult student who has already invested thousands in her artsy dream, I suppose. The harsh reality I ultimately accept is that the die has been cast for this college student; there’s no time or money to start over now. However, there are plenty of college-bound kids of various ages who could take away something from the hindsight and mistakes of their elders.

“Young people need to utilize their middle- and high-school education years to their advantage,” said McGuffin. “There are many, many options for young people to start career planning and working towards those goals during their high-school days. They can take advantage of a free education that can afford them a great foundation. Therefore, if they decide not to go on to (college), they will be employable right out of high school.”

True, we often forget that students can responsibly turn down the opportunity to complete a traditional four-year degree and still go on to competitively earning careers, but these adolescents should make some conscious, sound choices before adulthood arrives. McGuffin, whose second annual Multi-Cultural Youth Leadership Conference is slated for July 30–Aug. 3, 2008, devotes an entire day hosting a college fair replete with financial aid guidance. However, she also acknowledges the opportunity for success without the university diploma – providing this choice is taken just as seriously as investing in higher education.

“Young people can’t say they don’t want to go to college and end it there,” McGuffin warned. “They need to have a plan of action for not going to college.”

Conversely, McGuffin cautioned against complacency once the goodbyes have been said to mom and dad before the beginning of Freshmen Week. “Young people who have the desire to go to college need to be prepared for going … and not waste time and money trying to find out what they want to major in before getting (to college). Yes, they can go an extra year or extra semester, but that drives the financial burden even higher.”

Don’t remind me. I spent many a year at Blue Ridge Community College finding myself, and yet I had only about 45 credit hours to show for it when I finally transferred to Mary Baldwin.

“I suggest to students now to know exactly what field they are most interested in and follow a higher-education plan that is best suited. For example, if you want to be a nurse, then go to a trade school for nursing. Don’t go to a four-year institution if it’s not necessary for the career path that you choose,” said McGuffin.

The higher-learning advice McGuffin offers her youth seems pretty sensible, and yet I don’t ever remember hearing a lot about this when I was in school. Was I absent that day? Not paying attention? And what about those scholarships I kept hearing about? I vaguely remember my 12th-grade guidance counselor handing out various scholarship applications to my English class, but I don’t recall much beyond watching her paper-filled left fist shake in the air as she announced the names of various available awards. I suppose it couldn’t have hurt for me to ask someone to explain these mysterious scholarships, but looking back I simply lacked the confidence to speak up and inquire about how students win this financial assistance.

Packer specifically recalled that the topic of alternative tuition assistance was notably skipped over altogether during her high-school experience.

“I knew nothing at that point of scholarships, grants, et cetera, and unfortunately the staff at my school did not take the initiative to inform me of my various options or to attempt to empower me or advocate for me. I see this as a real failing on the school’s part, and I believe that this type of scenario still frequently occurs. I had always dreamed of becoming a journalist or psychologist, but no clue how to even begin working toward these lofty goals,” said Packer.

Regardless, late bloomers who suddenly find the motivation to better their careers usually find some reasonable way to pay for it. For many like me, however, decisions affecting long-standing financial obligation are left to some guesswork, ultimately begging the question, “Is this worth it?” Sure it is, but it’s much easier to answer that question positively once you transcend the days of living from paycheck to paycheck.

Maybe for some, adulthood, parenthood or simply the unavoidable demand of financial independence must precede finding the proper motivation to look for economically sound alternatives to affording hefty college tuition. Planning for such expense can be overwhelming, but I found out recently, albeit personally too little too late, that there are plenty of grants and scholarships available to those who ask and adequately make room for in advance. To be considered for a grant, students must often meet certain enrollment requirements and/or maximum gross income. Somewhat trickier than grants, to be considered for scholarship eligibility, applicants are often required to hold a certain minimum GPA, minimum of semester hour enrollment, submission of letters of recommendation, and/or specific major declaration.

But for any affiliation, church, ethnicity, hobby or even gender to which you count yourself a member, you can be sure there are scholarships awarding someone just like you. All it takes is dedicating a few minutes to a web search for scholarship applications or a half-hour appointment with your college’s career center counselor, some determination and the ability to brush off rejection with renewed resolve.

This may seem time-consuming, but who knows? All those years of expense, completed scholarship and grant applications, training and paying your dues with stepping-stone job stops along the way can afford a lifetime of personal and financial reward.

Ultimately, I believe that my academic journey has been and will be well worth the time and expense if it means I get paid to do something I would do for free, and I know I’m not alone.

Filed under: 2-April 2008 Issue