Which Colleges Will Struggle as the Number of Students Declines-Part 3

How much should graduation and retention rates count when your family compares colleges? Mark Stucker and Nathan Grawe, professor of economics at Carleton College, finish their interview in part 3. Nathan says to read the numbers with nuance: a student who leaves a two-year college with a certificate, or transfers to a more selective school, can look like a failure in the data while the system is working. He explains how the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond dug into two-year college outcomes, and why a low retention rate is a reason to ask questions rather than to run away. Then why economists make breakthroughs with new data, from Raj Chetty's research on who attends which colleges to Nathan's own work on how the FAFSA and a looming tuition bill affect how much parents work. Mark brings in the CSS Profile, Whitman's 10% Promise and a $60,000 gap between two need-based offers. On the hot seat, Nathan recommends Jeffrey Selingo's Who Gets In and Why and closes with advice for students: challenge yourself, but don't make a game of AP credits, and do high school well. This is part 3 of 3. Chapters: 0:00 Cold open 0:48 Are graduation rates a measure of quality? 2:00 Reading graduation rates with nuance 3:27 Low retention rates and your student 4:24 Transfers and community college outcomes 6:04 Why economists find breakthroughs in new data 8:20 Does the FAFSA change how much parents work? 10:54 The hot seat 12:53 Aid you can plan for: Whitman's 10% Promise 14:16 Book pick: Who Gets In and Why 16:05 Advice for students: don't game AP credits Mark Stucker: Founder of Your College-Bound Kid and School Match 4U More at https://yourcollegeboundkid.com