Why Get a Degree and Why Get a Walsh Degree?

Why Get a College Degree?

Time and finances are two big factors that prevent people from going to college. We all have busy lives and many responsibilities that occupy our time. For many of us COVID-19 has only added to our challenges. In addition to time constraints, the challenges of affording college are also a main factor in preventing the pursuit of a degree.

The question that people need to ask is what a degree can do for me (is it worth it)!?

The main benefits of a degree should be to enhance career opportunities and personal growth potential (through the absorption and understanding of relevant information). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019), an average of 62% of people over the age of 25 were employed in 2019. However, only 53-61% of high school graduates were employed, while students with some college ranged from 63-70%. Bachelor’s degree or higher graduates ranged between 72-77% employed. Additionally, the unemployment rate for college grads is 2.0 percent versus 3.8 percent for high school grads (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020).

The world is a global society. In order to stay competitive in the global market, we must be competitive intellectually. Nearly half of the non-domestic individuals who came to the US in the past decade have a college degree. While we love to see international students coming in and hope that the number continues to rise, US students are lagging behind their international peers. US-born students are on average are 5% less likely to have a bachelor’s degree than even naturalized citizens in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020).

Why Get a Degree from Walsh?

• Practical and personal learning that is applicable to your career

Walsh is focused on helping students get the education they need to stay competitive and succeed in their careers. Walsh features smaller class sizes so students get more personal attention and one-on-one opportunities. Learning at Walsh is focused on practical application that will be used in the workplace. This is reinforced by the majority of faculty being adjunct who are working and teaching what they are practicing day to day in their fields. Combine this with our career services opportunities (including career fairs, internship/mentorship opportunities, career coaching, resume and cover letter writing, a large/filtered job database, employer partnerships, on-campus recruiting and interviewing, and professional presentations), and you quickly see how Walsh gives students all the skills they need to succeed. In fact, on average, over 97% of Walsh student are employed (within 10-18 months after graduation) with most gaining employment in their field of choice before graduation (Walsh, 2020).

• Study around your schedule

When it comes to time, Walsh works around your schedule. Most in-person classes (after COVID) start at about 6 PM. Online courses are one option that allow you to work at your own pace. The new virtual synchronous classes allow you to Zoom in from your workplace or home. Virtual hybrid classes allow you to attend in person or over Zoom. Two plus two classes allow you to have two hours in class and two hours online per week. And blended classes don’t meet every week, so there is more opportunity to do your work from home. These multi-modal learning styles, along with advising to help you set year-round registration schedules, make it easier to find the time to study. One last thing on the note of expediency, Walsh offers a FastTrack pathway that can allow you to complete an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree is as little as 5 years.

• Affordable

Finally, college can be expensive. Walsh is an upper division school so student at the undergraduate level can transfer in up to 90 credits from a community college (or other regionally-accredited school) saving tens of thousands on tuition versus going to a 4-year school right out of college. But, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Walsh offers competitive tuition rates along with financial aid in the form of loans, grants, and scholarships (we even started adding new scholarships through RaiseMe). To simplify things further, we have a financial aid section in our portal and students apply to all the scholarships at once instead of selecting them one by one. We also offer payment plans for students struggling to meet payment deadlines, but either way payments are not due until a while after the semester starts.

As someone who is already pursuing my MBA at Walsh, I can also testify to the quality of education I am receiving and feel confident that a Walsh degree will help me with my career.

To learn more and apply, please visit walshcollege.edu.

This report was written from my personal perspective on the issue and does not necessarily reflect the views of Walsh as an organization.

References:

United States Census Bureau. (2020, March 30). U.S. Census Bureau Releases New Educational Attainment Data. United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press- releases/2020/educational-attainment.html

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2019, September 11). 44.6 percent of high school dropouts and 72.3 percent of college graduates employed in August 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/44-6-percent-of-high-school-dropouts-and-72-3-percent-of-college-graduates-employed-in-august-2019.htm?view_full 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2020, February 12). Unemployment rate 2.0 percent for college grads, 3.8 percent for high school grads in January 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/unemployment-rate-2-percent-for-college-grads-3-8-percent-for-high-school-grads-in-january-2020.htm?view_full

Walsh. (2020). February 2020 Fact Book. Walsh. https://www.walshcollege.edu/upload/docs/About_Us/Walsh_Fact_Book.pdf