The practice of taking a gap year between high school and college is growing in the U.S. And with good reason. Some studies show that students who delay college for a year tend to have a better GPA and are more likely to graduate on time. However, doing a gap year the right way requires a lot of work and planning.
Read MoreWhat would your bracket look like if you picked colleges who did a good job educating their students, while still winning basketball games?
Read MoreA recent study shows that students in majors that provide technical training are able to escape the underemployment plight that plagues many graduates with degrees in the liberal arts. Should students all switch to engineering degrees? Not necessarily...
Read MoreOnly 43% of students who began college in 2007 finished their degree where they started. This means that the majority of students drop out or transfer schools, placing a huge financial burden on themselves.
Read MorePresident Obama recently ruffled some feathers when he stated that "...folks can make a lot more, potentially, with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree...". In fact, he has already issued an apology to an Art Historian from the University of Texas who emailed the White House to complain.
Are his claims truthful? According to the data on our own website, the earnings potential within the field of fine arts is poor. Graduates with a fine arts degree start with an average salary of $34,663, and have an average mid-career salary of $52,775.
However, it gets a little bit more interesting when you view our list of the highest-paid fine and studio arts graduates. For example, graduates from Princeton University with a fine arts degree, have an average starting salary of $48,460, with a mid-career salary of $78,141. That's starting to look whole lot better!
Of course this doesn't take into account what career path students eventually followed, who they may have networked with to get their jobs, or if they received additional education after graduating college. However, it does show you what's possible for graduates to achieve, if they know what they want and where they are heading.
All you aspiring art historians, sculptors and painters can take heart that you are not necessarily doomed to poor earnings!
What does UFC president Dana White have to say about choosing a college?
Read MoreAbout 80% of college students change their majors at least once, and often more than once. It's no wonder most students accept this as 'the norm'. But have you thought about the financial impact not knowing your ultimate 'destination' will have? What will losing a semester of college credits cost?
Read MoreRelying on your high school guidance counselor to help you with your college journey? So aren't 470 other students. Budget cuts continue to shrink the counselor pool, right when we need them the most.
Read MoreWould you begin a four-year journey without understanding your final destination? Would you board a plane not knowing where it will land? Probably not... Yet every year, millions of college students do just that. Evidence is mounting that not knowing your best major-interest fit negatively impacts your chances for success.
Read MoreMajoring in English? You may be surprised to see how much your starting salary can vary depending on your college.
Read MoreBefore you tweet about that unfair homework assignment or post a rant on Facebook about how much you hate your biology teacher’s grading policy, stop and think about how college admissions officers might view your words.
Read MoreIf, due to some miracle, the salaries of public school teachers were suddenly tripled, would you change your major to education?
Read MoreFind out how to choose a college, major and future career in a way that 's easy and fun! College Factual provides college matching tools and tips to help you graduate from a school you love without tons of debt holding you back.
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