Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8460 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2016 goodADVICE How Anyone Can Save At Least 1/3 on the Cost of a College Education by AliciaWanek The savings of an education at Richland, or any other Dallas County Community College District two-year program, is exceptional, but so is the value. How can you save tens of thousands of dollars on the cost of a college education? You can apply for scholarships and grants, but what if there was an even simpler option? How about starting at a two-year college institution like Richland College? A Dallas county resident can take a full schedule of 12 semester hours for only $708. Compare that to a public university like the University of Texas at Austin where the same 12 hours will cost you $4984. Looking at a private institution like SMU that number rises to a whopping $22,347, not inclusive of the general student fee. Still, the cost of tuition is only part of the big picture; there are books, housing, food, and transportation costs to consider. A student may consider living at home for those two years. If so, the total estimated cost for a traditional 9-month academic year for an in-county resident at Richland, including tuition, books, room & board, transportation, and personal/miscellaneous expenses is only $8593. If they live in off-campus housing that figure rises to $14,632, but at UT- Austin that estimate is $26,626. The savings of an education at Richland, or any other Dallas County Community College District two-year program, is exceptional, but so is the value. There are many benefits to attending a two-year college program. Richland offers small class sizes to allow for close relationships with instructors – no 300-student courses here– and there are many opportunities for individualized instruction like the Richland Learning Center where students can get one-on-one tutoring for a wide range of courses absolutely free. Richland also offers a smooth transition to students wanting to go on to a four-year university through their UTD Comet Connection program. Students can seamlessly transfer their course credits and can benefit from the UTD Guaranteed Tuition Plan. Details are available from Richland’s Financial Aid office at rlcfa@dcccd.edu. Most students take the same core curriculum subjects the first two years of college. Consider doing so for one-third the cost and be no less prepared for your future. For more information, visit richlandcollege.edu.