Predictions not just for the upcoming year, but for the upcoming decade, are rolling out like no one’s business in Forbes and other news outlets (maybe it’s my Career Services obliged addiction to LinkedIn, but I feel like every writer for Forbes has spat out their predictions). I am no futurist (yet), particularly with the complexities that shape around making long-term predictions, and maybe part of that is because I’m currently not fully sold on some of the predictions that are being made around higher education.

When it comes to a topic like climate change, sure – I am pretty confident that change is going to suddenly take off and grow exponentially. I think that’s starting to happen now, thanks to the hype around Greta Thunberg, and it’s now a conversation that no Democratic candidate can ignore.

When it comes to higher education, work after college and the value of college have always been linked, but now it is becoming more important in the minds of the public because of rising college costs. When I look back at why I started studying the value of higher education and advocating against student debt, I realize that it wasn’t just because I don’t want people to end up unable to pay back extortionate loans: the rising price of college is at the crux of why the public feels resentful towards higher education.

The problem is that part of the rising cost has to do with expansion. Expansion is not in itself the problem – the people who are now attending college and contributing to its expansion more and more represent students from low-income and minority backgrounds, and that’s a very good thing. Unfortunately, expansion was not handled well from the angle arguing for low-cost higher education. Market forces were introduced, and that is part of the reason why Admissions is a very hard game to play.

In the next decade, we are likely to see colleges continue to expand into new formats of providing learning. More certificate programs, partnering with bootcamps, online or hybrid classes… But I think we will also see the one-on-one aspect of areas such as advising increase in value as well.

College is becoming more accessible for students low-income and minority backgrounds thanks to a number of reasons, including initiatives such as eliminating the requirement to submit SAT and ACT scores with your college applications. But merely making college admissions more accessible does not equate to coming to college with the same kind of understanding of the nuances of how college works or how to succeed in an office-bound workplace. Students of more affluent backgrounds typically have at least one parent who earned at least a Bachelor’s Degree and continued on to work in an office-job. Most importantly, there was time for these kids to learn from their parents; hidden social cues such as the right questions to ask a guest lecturer or the leader of an organization to indicate your knowledge and interest in what they do, for example. Learning how to network is all about culture and communication, and if the focus for the day is making sure there’s a warm meal on the table that most of the family can share, when do you have time to learn how to “properly” shake someone’s hand?

This is why Career Services is likely to grow at colleges (and why I am not looking forward to the day sometime in the future when I might need to decide between Career Services and Study Abroad – I know which one is more secure). But Academic Advising is just as important, and isn’t just about which class a student takes next. In less lenient degree paths, academic advisors are key for making sure that students graduate on time, because the order of classes can get really messy. Academic Advising is additionally the stop for getting advice on what other resources might be available on a college’s campus and how to take advantage of some of those resources, such as mentors or research opportunities.  

I recently listened to Paul Tough’s latest book, The Years that Matter Most: Why College Makes or Breaks Us, and in one of the last chapters he discusses the push in higher ed to establish Student Success centers because they appeared to improve student outcomes. At Menlo College (where I work), Academic Advising and Career Services fall under this umbrella called the Center for Academic and Professional Success, along with tutoring, disability services and study abroad. Individualized attention will lead to the success of the student.

And some students do need extra attention. It could be for any number of reasons, but the purpose is to look at a student’s circumstances, and help that student navigate their situation to learn and overcome challenges.

Unfortunately, providing one-on-one attention is expensive. I certainly hope that in the 2020’s we find a better financial path to meeting the following goals:

  • Making college accessible to everyone;
  • Providing one-on-one attention to those who need it;
  • Making a comfortable life accessible to everyone.