Is It Worth It? The Cost of College and What Is Right For Students

Catalina Cifuentes is the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness at the Riverside County Office of Education. Is college worth it? That is one of the more significant questions of today as we discuss what the economic environment looks like for our future high school graduates. From the "New" FAFSA glitches to students who didn't know they had a full-ride college trip, Catalina Cifuentes talks about the different obstacles that students face when dealing with financial aid to go to college. The Executive Director of College and Career Readiness explains why going to college and obtaining a Bachelor's Degree will create a more positive future for careers. Tune into this episode as Dominique and Catalina explore the financial aid world and how it can help high school graduates enter post-secondary education. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Is It Worth It? The Cost of College and What Is Right For Students 02:29 - How did Catalina get this role with the cost of college aspect? 03:12 - What sparked her passion for student support? 05:14 - Options for after college. 10:19 - Connecting with students. 17:04 - Student financial aid. 25:14 - 2024 FAFSA update. 30:46 - Advice for 2025 FAFSA. 34:34 - Final thoughts. 37:57 - Fire Round Listen to The Torch on: Apple Podcasts: https://go.rcoe.us/TheTorch-OnApple Spotify: https://go.rcoe.us/TheTorch-OnSpotify Hosted by Dominique Samario, The Torch: A Podcast by Riverside County Office of Education is a new show that dives into different topics in education. From family engagement to new laws that affect education, RCOE will talk with guests who are knowledgeable about these topics. Subscribe to RCOE's The Torch channels on Spotify or Apple Podcast, our YouTube channel, and follow our social media for notifications of upcoming episodes every 3rd Tuesday of the month. Connect with RCOE Online! Visit RCOE.us: https://www.rcoe.us Find RCOE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiversideCOE Follow RCOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riverside_coe/ #RCOEtheTorch #RCOE #financialaid #fafsa