PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT

Everyone deserves a chance for a good life. For many, attending college is the key to that bright future, helping each individual achieve a lifelong dream, set an example for others, learn new skills, and provide for their family. Whether it results in a certificate, a diploma, an advanced degree—or simply a new interest—time at a college or university is well spent. 

The Postsecondary Value Commission suggests that “colleges and universities can take actions such as creating clearer academic pathways and credit transfer policies, develop stronger advising systems that reduce students’ time-to-credential, and better target institutional aid resources to focus on students with the greatest financial need, including basic needs like housing and food.”

• Everyone should have an opportunity to get an affordable college education that best fits their goals.
• A college experience prepares people for the workforce by providing technical skills (such as writing, math, and science), personal development skills (such as teamwork and problem solving) and hands-on learning opportunities (such as work study and internships.)
• By bringing together students with different perspectives, colleges and universities often help students expand their worldview and promote creative thinking.
• One of the proudest moments in many people’s lives is their own or their child’s graduation.
• What you learn in college and the relationships built at college continue to be beneficial for the rest of your life.

For additional resources:

• American Association of Community Colleges, advocacy resources and DataPoints infographics
• American Council on Education, Minority Serving Institutions research hub
• CASE Currents, Knowing Your Audience
• Council of Independent Colleges, Liberal Arts Campaign infographics
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Is College Worth It? Why That’s Not the Right Question
• Higher Learning Commission, Student Guide to Higher Education
• Inside Higher Ed, Harnessing the Power of Student Stories
• Inside Higher Ed, The Key Podcast, How Colleges Are Defining and Measuring Their Value
• National Association for College Admission Counseling, College Affordability
• National Association of College and University Business Officers, Equity, Access & Success: Confronting Racial Disparities in U.S. Higher Education
• National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Students First Initiative and Private College FactFile
• Phi Beta Kappa, Arts & Sciences Initiative
• Postsecondary Value Commission, findings
• Seldin | Haring-Smith Foundation, Are Community Colleges Transit-Accessible? and SHSF Transit Map