What is college? And should you go? In our first episode of Crash Course How to College, Erica talks us through some of the reasons you may or may not want to go after that degree.

In this episode of Crash Course: How to College, Erica helps us think about how to best choose the right school for us. There's a lot to think about, like: what kind of learner you are, what kind of environment you like, how to know if your school is looking out for your success, what kinds of support do different schools offer, and of course what do you want to study?

In this episode of Crash Course: How to College, Erica talks us through what preparing for college could entail and how we can be active in that preparation. Applying to college is exciting and stressful and lots of other things that cause a whole lot of emotions. But you can take steps now that will make the college admissions process a lot easier once you get to that point.

Now that we're to the point of actually applying for college, things can get a little overwhelming. But, not to worry, Erica has some helpful ways to manage everything you need to keep track of, fill out, and even ways to save some money in fees.

Paying for college is stressful and there's a lot of research we need to do. So we want to be methodical and patient, and make sure we know what all of our options are. So, in this episode, Erica walks us through how to know our options, what steps to take to get the funding you need to be successful in college.

Choosing majors can feel overwhelming and even confusing. It can feel like your whole life can be based on this one choice? And then what happens if you figure out you don't even like this major? Well, don't worry, we're here to help. In this episode, Erica talks to us about what majors are, how to choose one, and how to know if you should consider changing your major.

Now that we have a better grasp on chosing majors, let's talk a little about specializations. There's a lot to talk about, from declaring a minor to just taking electives that help you get an edge in the job market. And how do you find out what classes may help in the job market? Erica walks us through ways to find this out and how to think about specialization in your college journey!

One of the most challenging parts of going to college is feeling like you belong. You're away from home, maybe for the first time. You're around a whole new group of people in an entirely new setting. Maybe you're also on your own for the first time. There's a lot to take in and a lot to adjust to. In this episode, Erica goes through ways you can work to make sure you feel like you belong and have a place!

Sometimes you realize the school you're attending just isn't right for you. Or, you discover you want to change majors and a different school has a better program. Or, you've completed your gen ed classes at a community college and are ready to transfer to a 4 year institution. For whatever reason, transferring is something we may have to deal with to complete our college journeys. And, yes, it can be a pain. But, in this episode of Crash Course: How to College, Erica walks us through transferring!

Working in college is necessary sometimes. Whether it's for experience, living costs, or extra money, we sometimes need to balance school, life, and work. In this episode of How to College, Erica walks through some of the ways you can find work and make sure you're balancing work with your studies and your personal life. Which are ALL important!

There is a lot of stress and anxiety around college, whether you're fresh out of high school or you've decided to go back to school years later. It can be tough to navigate. But, one of the best ways to navigate keeping yourself focused so you can succeed is by being aware of the pitfalls. This way, you can head into your college experience with open eyes and the knowledge of the places and people you can turn to for help.

So... you may think that graduating from college is automatic, but it's actually not. You need to be keeping an eye on your progress and talking to your advisors to make sure you're where you need to be so you get to put the cap and gown on and celebrate your accomplishments!

So, you did it! You're done and now you need to look beyond college. What's next? How do you know what's next? Do you want to go to grad school? To work? In this episode, Erica talks about how to think about what comes after college.

If you've taken out student loans, graduation can start a ticking clock in terms of when your first payments will come due. So it's important to know how to navigate those loan payments and your own finances so you can make sure you're on the path to get your loans paid off and you don't have any negative effects on your finances and credit.

The end of college isn't the end of your education, it's just the end of a chapter of your education. But before we think about what comes next, we should really pause to celebrate. Congratulate ourselves. The work to get through higher ed is challenging. And it can be really helpful to use a celebration to close the book on it so you're ready to move on to the next chapter. In this final episode of How to College, we talk about the road ahead.