I’m currently writing a book that examines the disconnect between popular beliefs about what a four-year college education is all about and what it actually means.  My goal is to help close this “college knowledge gap” so that students can get the most from their education.

In the future I’ll add more substantive posts on these points, but for now here are some of the things I’ve learned:

1. Only three of every ten American adults have completed a Bachelor’s degree
2. Despite widespread beliefs to the contrary, college is not job training
3. Barely half of college graduates work in jobs directly related to their undergraduate major
4. The university is a giant sorting machine that distributes cultural capital
5. The best advice for choosing a major: major in something you love
6. The most important “job skills” you will get in college are learning to read, write and think
7. Employers don’t care (much) about your GPA – or your major apparently
8. Despite the rising costs, a college education is well worth it
9. Professors are rarely rewarded for being good teachers; but they are always rewarded for getting their research published
10. The more you know about the university and its institutional mission, the better your odds of finishing your degree and getting the most from your experience