Or another option that I've heard of in several states is to do two years at community college, and then transfer to a state college. Some of the benefits of th

Or another option that I've heard of in several states is to do two years at community college, and then transfer to a state college. Some of the benefits of these programs are that acceptance to a state college is guaranteed provided the student maintains a certain GPA, and there are also some pretty generous financial aid benefits. [1] I think this is something that should be encouraged much more often for students graduating from high school - especially for kids who don't really know what they want to do yet. Maybe take a year or two off, experience the real world and grow up a bit, and then do an associate's degree followed by a bachelor's degree. Or else maybe learn a trade. Or join the military. I've known a lot of people who took big loans and went straight into college after high school, and ended up dropping out. Maybe they weren't ready yet, or maybe college just wasn't right for them. And the costs - both financial and developmental - can be pretty devastating. [1] https://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/macomcom/home.asp https://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/macomcom/home.asp