LAKE COUNTY ? It can be a difficult time for students heading off to college this month. With an ever-soaring price tag, getting an education can mean headaches for students trying to grapple with loans, scholarships, financial aid, or part-time to full-time jobs. But there are ways to navigate the maze of obtaining a college degree, no matter what a student”s financial situation?and a good place to start is Higher Education Week Sept. 25-26. The event is sponsored by the Lake County College-Going Initiative (CGI) out of the county office of education in collaboration with the following high schools: Clear Lake, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Middletown, and Upper Lake.
“The schools, along with CGI, are working hard in Lake County to create a college-going culture. We are working to educate both students and parents. There is a way for every student to attend college if they want to,” said Jamey Gill, CGI Coordinator. Everyone in the community is welcome, said Gill, from parents curious about how to save up for their child”s education to students of any age trying to decide between a community college or four-year university. The week begins Tuesday at five high schools across the county and is chock full of presentations and workshops on financial aide, the college application process and other topics. College recruiters from all systems of higher education from Junior Colleges all the way up to the University of California will be present to answer questions.
Gill said the main goal of the week is to increase options for students so by the time they reach their senior year of high school they have more than one door open to them.
Once they have their college degree however, some residents feel it might be difficult to draw them back to Lake County to work.
Levi Palmer, DDS of Kelseyville graduated with $300,000 in debt after 13 years getting his degree.
“You expect to get these nice things to come floating out of thin air once you get your degree, that you can get a good job, but a nice car or a house, but you can”t anymore because you”re saddled with loans?it is nearly impossible to come back here and work. The only way I did it was because I inherited my father”s practice,” Palmer said.
Still, more local students each year seek out a college education, despite rising fees.
103 students from Lake County were accepted to four-year colleges this year, according to Gill. But CGI is not sure how many of that number will actually enroll.
“For the most part, I would say that it is very likely that all of these students participated in one or more of the CGI activities,” Gill said.
Yuba College counselor Pamela Bordisso said Yuba along with other community colleges will be present at the Higher Education Week, and that college can be quite feasible for students, especially those who finish their first two years at a community college, where fees are $20 per unit. Students can expect to pay approximately $780 in yearly fees for full-time enrollment at one of the state”s 109 community college campuses.
Compared to $7,300 for one year at a UC, and $2,520 to attend one of the CSU”s, the savings are clear.
And students can make a lucrative career out of an Associates degree, especially in the popular vocational programs that grow each year.
Graduates of the mechanics and welding programs at Yuba College typically make around $25 per hour, according to Bordisso.
“I think a lot of kids graduate from high school and want to get out of their home town?a local community college might be a better plan,” Bordisso said.
For UC Merced student Afton Nelson of Lake County, a four year college degree has many advantages.
“I wanted to go to Merced because for one thing, the year that I started going I was in the first class, so that was a draw for me. And rather than get an AA at a junior college I knew I wanted to go to a four-year to get my MD, now I want to go into nursing,” Nelson said.
The four years allows her flexibility, she said, to mix lower division courses her first two years with upper division courses.
“That way I can take courses related to my major in the first two years rather than just doing my general education requirements, I also wanted to finish the degree in four years without having to transfer,” Nelson said.
For her, a bonus to a four year education is getting the whole, cohesive four year “college experience” that so many young adults in Lake County dream about.
For more information about this event, contact Jamey Gill at 262-4123, or see Community Events for a schedule.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com.
