成本是選擇大學的首要因素

成本是選擇大學的首要因素

What matters most when you’re choosing a college? In a recent Twitter poll run by USA TODAY on behalf of College Ave Student Loans, cost is king, with 45% of 41,025 participants claiming it as their No. 1 consideration when choosing a higher education institution.

當你選擇大學時，什么是最重要的?《今日美國》(USA TODAY)最近代表College Ave Student Loans在Twitter上進行的一項民意調查顯示，成本是最重要的，41,025名參與者中有45%的人表示，成本是他們選擇高等教育機構時的首要考慮因素。

In the poll, “major offered” came in second at 21%, followed by “location/size” at 18% and “university’s reputation” at 16%.

在調查中，專業(yè)排名第二，為21%，其次是“地點/規(guī)模”，為18%，“大學聲譽”為16%。

Jeff Rose, a certified financial planner, U.S. Army veteran and author, can appreciate these results, given his line of work.

杰夫·羅斯是一名注冊理財規(guī)劃師、美國陸軍退伍軍人和作家，鑒于他的工作領域，他能夠欣賞這些結果。

“Knowing that many people choose to borrow to help pay for school,” he said, “I like the fact that these future college attendees are aware of how much the cost of college is — and how it could impact them.”

“知道很多人選擇借錢來支付學費，”他說，“我很高興這些未來的大學生意識到大學的成本有多高，以及它會對他們產生怎樣的影響。”

It’s a positive sign that cost is on the minds of college applicants and their families, as it speaks to the awareness and attention required to make smart financial decisions during this critical life transition.

這是一個積極的信號，大學申請者和他們的家庭都在考慮成本問題，因為這表明在這個關鍵的人生轉折時期，人們需要意識到并注意做出明智的財務決策。

But cost consciousness is not the same as being able to afford the price of school. In fact, another Twitter poll concluded that while 42% of future enrollees’ families are planning to use savings and income as the primary source of funding for their child’s education, the remainder will rely on a mix of loans, scholarships and credit cards to cover costs.

但成本意識并不等同于能夠負擔得起學費。事實上，Twitter的另一項調查顯示，雖然42%的參保家庭計劃將儲蓄和收入作為子女教育的主要資金來源，但剩下的家庭將依靠貸款、獎學金和信用卡來支付學費。

Luckily, there are options when it comes to cost and every other factor on this list. It all boils down to weighing your priorities against your limitations to make the best possible choice for the future.

幸運的是，當涉及到成本和清單上的其他因素時，還有其他選擇。這一切都歸結于權衡你的優(yōu)先級和你的限制，為未來做出最好的選擇。

Choosing a college

選擇一個大學

For most families, selecting a college is a joint effort and decision between parents and their child. Because of this shared responsibility, communication is key when weighing different factors and deciding how to proceed.

對于大多數家庭來說，選擇大學是父母和孩子共同的努力和決定。由于這種共同的責任，溝通是衡量不同因素和決定如何進行的關鍵。

The reputation question

聲譽的問題

If any element of the poll is surprising, it may be the fact that “university’s reputation” ranked last as a consideration for choosing a college. It’s an interesting insight because highly ranked universities are highly sought after and often considered the pinnacle of educational opportunity.

如果這項調查有什么令人驚訝的地方，那就是“大學聲譽”在選擇大學時排在最后。這是一個有趣的見解，因為排名靠前的大學受到高度追捧，往往被認為是教育機會的頂峰。

A better life

一個更好的生活

As the parent of a soon-to-be college student, you bear the responsibility to guide your child’s college search in a healthy way. Talking to them realistically about finances can make all the difference.

作為即將成為大學生的家長，你有責任引導孩子以健康的方式進入大學。與他們現實地談論財務問題會讓情況大為不同。