Chapter 10: Egosystem and Ecosystem Goals and Adjustment to College

Research indicates that a college education has many personal benefits for lifetime earnings, professional mobility, health, and improved quality of life for oneself and one’s family, and social benefits such as increased productivity and tax revenue, and decreased reliance on government support (Porter, 2002). Furthermore, a college education can greatly enhance a person’s potential contribution to solving social problems and improving the quality of life for others. Yet, obtaining a college education requires an enormous investment of time and resources; tuition and fees at a private college in the United States can range up to $40,000 per year. Tuition and fees paid by students and their families represent only a portion of the actual cost of providing a college education, however. Contributions from governments, institutions, philanthropic foundations, and other sources make up the difference.