While I have a Bachelors and Advanced Degree from a very well-respected university, it makes me cringe when I see what people spend (or think they need to spend) to get a college degree. Having taken a few non-traditional steps to get my education, here's a few thoughts and ideas to think about if your kids are getting to be college age or if you (like many JW's) are thinking about going to college later in life:
1. Community Colleges are a Bargain!
Go to a large university, and in all likelihood in your first year or so, you are in huge classrooms/lecture halls with hundreds of students. You may have very little contact with your Professors the entire semester. The basic, core courses taught at most colleges are very similar. For example, English I and English II at your local community college will be very similar to English I and English II at your State University, etc. The main difference will be the Community College will be about 60-80% less than the cost of the State University.
2. Choose your courses carefully at a Community College
If you plan on a 4 year degree, DO NOT take courses at a Community College that are unique to that school. THEY WILL NOT TRANSFER TO THE UNIVERSITY. If you know what you want to major in at the University, go to the University, get the list of classes you would be taking if you attended there, and talk to a counsellor on the equivalent classes at the Community College. If possible, talk to a counsellor at both the Community College and the University. If you take the proper courses with the University degree in mind, all of the courses should transfer without any problems. Take my word for it: I once tried to transfer a course entitled "American Theatre" to a University that had a course called "Theatre." The Univeristy would not accept it as an equivalent course without me providing a syllabus of the course, show my exams, speak with the head of the department, etc. etc. In the end, I got credit for the course but it was barely worth the hoops I had to jump through.
3. Don't worry about the lack of "prestige" of a Community College
If you plan on getting a University degree, it makes virtually no difference where you studied for the first two years. When a future employer or someone wants to know "where did you go to school", you just mention the name of the University: Penn State, University of Delaware, University of Kansas, etc. What you did before that is of little interest to most people and/or recruiters. For example, if you say you have a bachelors degree in Finance from Florida State with a 3.5 Grade Point Average, that is what they want to hear.
4. Get good grades
I cannot stress this enough. If you don't want to work hard, try something else. If your kids aren't doing well in high school, then a technical school may be a much better choice. You can make a good living as an electrician, welder, or machinist and they can't export your job to a call center in Asia. However, keep in mind that college required a lot of dedicated effort. It typically gets much tougher in college than in high school.
5. Scholarships
Apply for anything you can find. Colleges, large and small, have hundreds if not thousands to apply for. Apply for anything that looks like it fits, throw it at the wall and see what sticks. Even a few small scholarships can add up in the long run. You will be competing with others who want the same benefits. Better to get a a few small scholarships (small $500-$1000 ones) than have to add it to a student loan. Also, check scholarships that are specific to a particular niche. For example, a wealthy alumnus with a love a roses may have made a significant donation in perputuity as a scholarship to a worthy student. It sounds a bit tacky but spend a few days, learn all you can about roses, and apply for the scholarship based on your love of roses and desire to learn more. Believe me, there are hundreds of scholarships like this. Also, if you keep your grades in the top 20% or so (A's and B's) you will have many more opportunities for scholarships and benefits.
6. Take summer courses
If you just need to crank out some credits as electives to fulfill the total, summer courses can be great. Many are set up where you take a course for just a few weeks but several hours a day. In a typical semester course, you may attend class twice a week for an hour and half each class for a total of 3 hours a week. In a 14 week semester that would be a total of 42 hours. However, as a summer course, you could go to class 2-3 hours a day for 3-4 weeks and get the required hours. Take a course in the the morning and another in the afternoon and you can complete what would otherwise be a half-semester of work in just a month. Some colleges even have an early summer schedule and a late summer schedule. I wouldn't do it for most math or science courses, but it is a great way to get electives out of the way or other courses that don't require much work after class. Also, I have found that summer classes are less crowded, a more relaxed atmosphere and often have a few students that are not the cream of the crop and actually need the class. So if you are a good student, it can be easier to shine above the others. If you have the motivation to go to college in the summer, you can cut a 4 year degree to around 3 years time.
7. Get a low-profile job (mailroom, clerk, etc) in a larger company with good benefits.
Many companies provide educational benefits to their employees. Many have a cap on the total $$ amount for education for the year, others pay some percentage of the amount (maybe 90% for an A, 75% for a B, 50% for a C, etc.). Talk to the manager or human resource department. The only "problem" with this is that once you start taking a few classes at their expense, you will likely be given a raise, promoted and/or given more responsibility that can put a crimp on your free time. Been there, done that.
8. Take courses that translate to good jobs
Unless you are independently wealthy (you probably wouldn't be reading this if you are), you probably need a job when you have completed your degree. It's no secret that majors in History, English, Social Work and many other Liberal Arts disciplines pay very little unless you add several more years of education and get a Masters or Doctorate. Even Science Majors in Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc. can be of limited use at the Bachelor level. However, Math and Science in combination with Engineering, Computer Science, Finance, Accounting, etc. can open doors much quicker and are typically in demand. It's no secret that the USA cannot produce enough people in these and related disciplines but needs to rely on countries such as India for students to fill the available jobs.
I hope this diatribe was not too long-winded but I am aware that growing up as a JW can introduce numerous impediments in regard to education. This applies to young ones and even adults who wish to advance their careers.
Good luck fortune, or best wishes, or whatever we are allowed to say.
Rub a Dub