Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Digging Deeper into Big Future by College Board

In the previous post, I gave a breakdown of the Big Future by College Board website. In this post I dig a bit deeper into the importance of student-to faculty ratio, costs, financial aid, and activities.

Student-to-Faculty Ratio - Although it is an extremely important number, it is often misinterpreted. Just because a university has a 9:1 student-faculty ratio doesn't mean students should expect to always be in a class of around 9 people. The ratio literally means the number of students at the school in comparison to the number of faculty.You will normally see these ratios in advanced classes, not development classes (first and second year).

Here are a few student-to-faculty ratios at nearby colleges and universities according to Big Future by College Board:

4 year
Ohio University (main) - 18:1
Ohio University Zanesville - 22:1
Ohio State University - 19:1
Kent State University - 17:1
Wittenberg University -  12:1
Miami University - 18:1

2 year
Hocking College - 16:1
Washington State - 15:1


Costs - Tuition isn't the only fee for college. There are other fees including: room and board, meal plans, books, and other personal/transportation expenses.

Here are two charts showing the breakdown of costs between a private and public university. These costs are for in-state students.

Public: Ohio University - Main (Athens, OH)


On-Campus
Off-Campus
At Home
Tuition and Fees
$10,602
$10,602
$10,602
Room and Board
$10,478
$10,230
--
Books and Supplies
$916
$916
$916
Estimated personal expenses
$1,050
--
$1,140
Transportation
$1,768
--
$4,916
Estimated Total
$24,814
$21,748
$17,574


Private: Wittenberg Univerity - (Springfield, OH)


On-Campus
Off-Campus
At Home
Tuition and Fees
$38,030
$38,030
$38,030
Room and Board
$9,932
$9,736
--
Books and Supplies
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
Estimated personal expenses
$1,600
$1,600
$1,600
Transportation
$400
$400
$400
Estimated Total
$50,962
$50,766
$41,030

As you can see, the total estimated cost of Wittenberg University is over double that of Ohio University. Keep in mind, financial aid has not yet been factored in.

Financial Aid - The estimated costs listed in the charts above aren't what families pay for school. Most students receive financial aid, which reduces the total cost. Financial aid packages vary depending on individual circumstances.

Here is a chart showing the comparison of financial aid between the two universities. This chart breaks down the average first year financial aid package, the percentage of aid coming from scholarship/grants, percentage of aid coming from loans/jobs, percentage of freshmen with need who received financial aid, and percentage of need actually met for these students:


Average Financial Aid
% Aid from scholarships/grants
% Aid from loans/jobs
% of freshmen with need who received aid
% of need met
Ohio University
$9,232
30%
70%
100%
53%
Wittenberg University
$31,935
73%
27%
100%
83%
Here are the total estimated costs after the average financial aid was subtracted from the original estimated totals.


On-Campus
Off-Campus
At Home
Ohio University
$15,582
$12,516
$8,342
Wittenberg University
$19,027
$18,831
$9,095

After financial aid was calculated, the total cost of attending Wittenberg University dropped significantly. Often, private schools like Wittenberg offer more financial aid than public universities, which brings the cost to a more comparable number.

Another great website to compare cost breakdowns between schools is Consumer Finance. On this site, you can add three schools to compare. They will automatically calculate the estimated cost and then you fill in the amount of financial aid you have received. Then the site will show comparisons of first year costs, debt at graduation, graduation rates, and other important information.

Activities - Although education comes first, there is more to college than the classroom. Every school offers a multitude of opportunities for students to become involved. Getting involved can help students meet new people, discover new interests and build a sense of community. Getting involved in organizations that pertain to your major will also boost your resume.

If you're interested in something specific and your college doesn't offer any programs for it, you can create your own!

Check out the activities tab on Big Future by College Board when searching colleges to find lists of the activities offered.

All of the numbers given in this post were found via Big Future by College Board.
If you have any questions about navigating the Big Future by College Board website or about any of the information listed above, please feel free to contact us at ubou67@gmail.com or message us on Facebook!

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