Why am I doing this?
At last, 15 minutes of quiet time after a busy day! The computer is on, the textbook is open, there is ice cream in the freezer, and the TV is playing softly in the next room — only two discussions, three chapters and a quiz to worry about before the day is officially done! So why am I doing this? It would be so easy to just slam the book closed, turn off the computer and sit in front of the TV eating ice cream.
But something is driving you to finish your degree. Believe me, you are not alone in wondering why you are working so hard to finish your education. If you need a single measurable reason, I would like to draw your attention to a 2014 Urban Institute article by Sandy Baum entitled “Higher Education Earnings Premium.”
“Overall, people with a college education do better in the labor market than people with no education beyond high school,” Baum says in the very first paragraph of the article. “Higher levels of education correspond, on average, to higher levels of employment and a higher wage.”
The key phrase in this opening paragraph is “on average;” not everyone will earn high wages, but on average, obtaining a higher degree will help graduates reach a higher level of income, gain more personal satisfaction, find employment and advance faster.
“Skeptics of the value of a college education often argue erroneously that the payoff is declining. For those with bachelor’s degrees or higher — and particularly for those with advanced degrees — the earnings premium has increased markedly over time,” Baum says.
Finally, Baum says that while we often focus on labor market returns, not all benefits from higher education are monetary. College graduates are healthier and more engaged citizens. Earning the degree often means less family and leisure time, but remember, the statistics are on your side. So, answer the discussion questions, read the chapters, take the quiz and then eat the ice cream.
Best wishes & hang in there!
Eric Cunningham, Ph.D.
Senior Director, AHE Academic Support
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Last-minute tax tips for adult college students
It’s tax season again and April 15 is just a couple of weeks away. You might be among the millions of Americans who haven’t filed yet. You might also be among the many adult students who have returned to school and discovered that filing taxes has changed a bit since the last time you were in college.
No worries. Keep calm and file on with these last-minute tips from Columbia College Student Success Services.
“First of all, take advantage of a couple of education tax credits,” says Rachel Smith, advisor with Student Success Services. “Education tax credits reduce the amount of tax you owe and are designed to make college easier to afford – not to be confused with a tax deduction, which reduces the amount of your income subject to tax.”
The first one is the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which helps pay for your first four years of college. This federal tax credit is set to expire in December 2017, though, so get cracking. Worth up to $2,500 per year, tuition and books count toward receiving the credit.
There is also the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, which is worth up to $2,000 of undergraduate and graduate costs. This one is nice if you’re enrolled less than half time in undergrad classes or are taking classes for professional development. Tuition, enrollment fees and some books count toward receiving this credit.
Key tips: You can’t claim both credits for the same student in the same filing year. But if there is more than one student in your family, you can spread the tax credits around among family members. Also, there are income “phase-out” rules for these credits, meaning if hit the lotto this past year, you may not qualify for these credits.
So, how you do cash in on these credits? Well, you have to get moving on your tax return. The quickest way to do that is to e-file.
“According to the IRS, nearly 129 million Americans e-filed their taxes in 2015, which the agency website says is easy, secure, offers refund payment options and helps you get your refund faster,” says Smith. “You can purchase commercial tax software, have your accountant e-file for you or e-file for free through IRS Free File.”
That’s right, you can do it for free through the IRS website. Fear not – you can visit the IRS website and brag to your friends about how tax-savvy you are. In fact, you can even use the free IRS Interactive Tax Assistant, which will do a quick check to see which education credits you qualify for and provide you with a list of documents you’ll need to complete your return.
Already filed your taxes? Look at you, rock star! Know what you’ll love? Financial Literacy month in April! Check out the CC Money Stacks Facebook page for awesome financial tips all month long.
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Be an EBSCOhost eBook master in 3 minutes
In this age of technology, you may think you need an e-reader and a fancy subscription to enjoy e-books. Columbia College Stafford Library to the rescue! With its EBSCOhost eBook Collection of more than 140,000 free titles, you can do your reading on any laptop or mobile device. This is really fantastic news if you’re working on a research paper or just want something leisurely to read between work, the gym, studying, laundry, sleeping and taking the kids to karate.
Getting started with the EBSCOhost eBook Collection is easy. Simply go the Stafford Library eBook Collection homepage, and sign in at the top (or create a free account).
From the homepage, you can search for books by keyword, browse by category such as Biographies & Memoirs, Fiction, Home & Garden, Political Science and Philosophy. You can also peruse “carousels” of featured and popular books like “Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie” by Jonathan Han and Sean Egan for your music appreciation class.
Once you select a book, you read a brief description, view the full table of contents, pull up the entire book in a PDF or even download it to read offline with easy-to-navigate pages! You can also add it to a folder to reference later.
Once you start reading, you can search the book for specific terms, highlight and look up words using the dictionary function, and create and save notes on specific pages as you read. Need a citation? It does that too. The citation generator gives you full citations for multiple styles, including MLA, APA, AMA and Chicago.
As if all of this weren’t enough, the EBSCOhost video tutorial will walk you through the eBook Collection and have you talking like a master librarian in less than three minutes. Want some one-on-one help? Call, text email or chat instantly with Stafford Library staff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aNVLkFcdtA&index=1&list=PL821C21F386845387
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Job Interviews 101: “What’s your weakness?”
There comes a time in virtually every job interview when you will be asked the dreaded “What’s your weakness?” question.
Having thoroughly prepared for the interview, you chime in with an answer that shows you have no downsides, perhaps disguising a positive attribute as a weakness. Do answers like, “I’m too much of a perfectionist” or “I work too hard” sound familiar?
“These answers are the worst,” says Dan Gomez-Palacio, director of the Grossnickle Career Services Center at Columbia College. “They have been so overused that few employers are going to believe these answers, and they could show you as disingenuous and insincere.”
While employers are digging to see which skills or qualities you might lack, what they’re really up to is figuring out if you have a realistic and honest view of yourself – and if you can talk openly about it.
But there is such a thing as too much honesty. Common sense is your friend.
“A common mistake is to give a true weakness that will negatively impact the job you’re interviewing for,” says Gomez-Palacio. “You may not enjoy difficult people, but it’s not a weakness you would want to explain in an interview for a customer service position, for example.”
So what’s the best strategy to help you ace this question in your next interview? First, understand the expectations of the job thoroughly so you can identify which weaknesses could derail the interview. Then, choose an honest weakness you can use to answer the question and explain how it’s not going to slow your performance.
“Many people have a strong fear of public speaking, and that would make a perfectly good answer – but don’t stop there,” says Gomez-Palacio. “Follow up by saying what you are doing to mitigate this weakness. For example, ‘I often get very nervous speaking in front of groups. Knowing this weakness, I put myself in situations where I can safely practice public speaking. Giving myself that practice and gaining positive feedback is making me more confident in my communication skills.’”
This top-notch answer shows the employer that your weakness isn’t going to negatively impact your job, and that you have an impressive level of self-awareness and foresight needed to improve yourself. Go you!
For more master tips on interviewing, resumes, job hunting and more, contact the Grossnickle Career Services Center or visit their Facebook page.
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Six Sessions: What you need to know
Big changes are happening in academic year 2016-2017 and we’re excited to get students involved. We’re adding an additional session! But this is not just another session, this sixth session marks the transition to our new semester structure. There will be three semesters: fall, spring and summer. Each semester includes an early and late eight-week session.
The primary purpose of this transition is to better serve our students. We understand the time it takes to receive a degree is a top priority. A sixth eight-week session puts the control in your hands by increasing your opportunity to complete your degree faster. By adding the sixth session, we are now able to offer registration for the entire semester, or both early and late sessions. This means students will be able to plan more effectively and register in less time.
Lastly, this transition allows us to increase our ability to meet the Columbia College mission, which is to “improve the lives of diverse undergraduate and graduate learners through exemplary teaching.” We will now be able to reach a broader student base by adding greater course flexibility and the ability to complete their degree faster.
These are big changes. We understand that you’ll have questions. Please be sure to check out the Six Sessions Student Portal for more information.
We’d like to hear from you! Help us build the FAQs by submitting your questions.
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