CD's Top 40 Tips | CollegeDawg

CD's Top 40

OK, Here's a "Little Taste" to Wet Your Whistle

A lot of people start right here on our site---just to see if we have any game! We get it. But we're up for the challenge! With that in mind, below you're gonna see our Top 40 Tips, Subjects, & Strategies we share throughout the site (just the titles). But there are easily 100+, and some of those not listed may be in your

Top 10! So, check out the 40 below and see how many you know enough about to put into action RIGHT NOW. We're guessing not a ton. But that's what we're here for!

If after reviewing CD's Top 40, you think there might be a few you want to check out---they'll all be covered within our

3 Main Sections:

1. "Speed to Degree"

2. "Cost Cutting Tricks"

3. "The 8 Types of School"

We promise you it will be well worth your time and will almost certainly save you $10k+ if you put some of this stuff into action!

So, let's get to it...

*First Off, Just a Couple Quick Things to Make This Easier for You:

IMPORTANT: (in case you missed it on the Home Page) CollegeDawg’s website is laid out to go in order, kinda like a super-awesome booklet or manual “For Dummies”, which is ironic---since it’s designed for Higher Ed Candidates!

Anyway, to get the most out of this---consider these suggestions:

1. First, check out Who We Are (to see if we’re even worth your time)
2. Completely Absorb “Speed to Degree” – it’s the basis for almost everything
3. Next, “Cost Cutting Tricks” & FA Basics will ENSURE you’ve got a handle on the Money Stuff & “Angles”
4. With that done, move on to: The "8 Types of Schools” – so you can figure out where and how to use “Speed to Degree” and the “Cost Cutting Tricks” for your situation (or perhaps your NEW situation)

5. Finally----it's time to go to the "DATA HUB" to check out the visuals on Job Demand & Growth, Career Field Income Levels, & Top/Bottom Ranked Degrees. (There's also a tool you can use to compare 800+ careers as they pertain to those areas)

With all that said---here are the Top 40 Items We Cover (in Our Opinion)

These can be re-arranged 1000 different ways. We know some of those down by #30, would be in the Top 5 or 6 for some people.

We just really wanted to summarize the MANY KEY THINGS that are covered----while also demonstrating the crazy useful stuff that most of America hasn't been exposed to or weren't aware of how to "Make it Happen"

Our Ideal Outcome for You?

The Ability to get into an In-Demand Career by earning:

An Associate Degree in 1 year OR a Bachelor's in 2.5 years or less, OR a Master's in 3.5 years. All WITH MASSIVE SAVINGS.

You're not likely to find another site with this type of “Information Buffet”. It's all designed to provide Unique

College & Career Strategies, while also touching on Lesser Known or often Overlooked Opportunities for

HS Students, Parents, Grads, Adult Students & Veterans.

OUR GOAL? To Ensure You Can:

Beat "The House" in Higher Ed

CollegeDawg’s Top 40 Most Impactful Topics

1. CLEP & DSST Exams - Instant College Credit

2. Dual Credit - HS & College Classes All-in-One. (Why would anyone want to take them twice?)

3. Grading Scales @ Prospective Colleges (Better consider it if you must maintain a Scholarship GPA!)

4. Automatic Scholarships/Grants (City, County, Regional, State)

5. Automatic Institutional Scholarships - $2k-$4k per year for "Average to Above-Average" Students

6. MANY 2-Year Degrees or Military “Occupations” that pay way more than the Avg. Bachelor’s

7. Major Companies Offering up to 5k Tuition Assistance per year for PT Employees (or FREE COLLEGE via their Higher Ed Partnerships)

8. FAFSA & SAI--and How You Can Alter Results via "Professional Judgements" & "Dependency Overrides" in the FA office

9. Online College - MAX FLEXIBILITY & SPEED, Options, Benefits, and Strategies---& How They're Now Viewed by Employers

10. Taking Numerous HS Classes Specifically Aligned to One of the 71 CLEP/DSST Exams Available - (Then Prep Online & Test)

11. Selection of a Degree Major based on Job Demand and Income (THEN Your Interests)

12. "College-on-the-Cheap" - 12+ College Options that make a Degree WAY Cheaper (ranging from Free to about 1/2 the cost)

13. 54% of Grads don't work in their Degree Field & 45% remain "Underemployed" after 10 years (NSCG/Census Bureau & Strada Inst.)

14. Negotiation – Make Schools Compete on More Free Money, CLEP/DSSTs, Life Experience Credits, Transfer Course Substitutions etc...

15. Percentage Who “Lose” Automatic State or Inst. Scholarships (for GPA or Min Hours) - Freshman (40%), by Senior Yr. (60%+)

16. Public Universities - “Football Schools” vs Branch & Regionals. And what about Private Universities?

17. Community/Technical Colleges $10k+ Individual Annual Give-Aways

18. Career Colleges, Career Schools, Certifications, License Only Professions, & High-Paying "Trades"

19. Accelerated Learning, Life Experience Credits, & "After Hours" Education (for Working Adults/Veterans/Speed-Driven HS Grads)

20. Military – 100% Paid College Options Immediately, and “GI Bill for Your Kids” – ($125k - $150k?)

21. AP Exams – Now You Have 2 Test Options (plus, is it more effective to take AP classes in Spring? ----Why?)

22. How Much Does the Actual College Matter? How About the Degree?

23. The Value of STEM and Healthcare Degrees (the almost “Can’t-Missers”)

24. AP & Dual Credit "Guaranteed Acceptance" does not mean Guaranteed APPLICABILITY to your Degree - (uh-oh)

25. How to Earn 2 College Classes for passing 1 AP Exam or Certain CLEPs. + Foreign Language Exams that can = 5 Classes w/ 1 Exam

26. The Power of “Specific” Certificate Training Programs – Plenty pay $50k-$70k+ (after 9-15 months of training)

27. “Butts in Seats” Reality

28. Overall Prospective School "Rigor". Should You Consider Less Difficult to Mid-Level? (Multiple Viable Reasons)

29. CLEP Min. Scores/Acceptance (per school), PLUS Study Sites, Test Prep, & Tactics -- & Vouchers for FREE Exams??

30. 2025 "RAP" Repayment Assistance Plan & Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) + Loan Payback (or not?)!

31. VETERANS: Negotiate w/ Private Colleges for "Room & Board" Scholarships (w/o touching your MHA)

32. "Big Name" Schools - Junk Fees, Non-Disclosed Fees, & Extra Classes MANY STUDENTS Will Have to Take

33. “35% of Grads Regret Degree Choice, (44% after taking out STEM / Healthcare)” - "USA Today & Fed"

34. “Partial Athletic”, “Fill in the Gaps”, and “No Reason” Scholarships (@ Private Universities)

35. "Applied" Associate Degree, PLUS, 2-4 Professional Certifications "Strategy" (Certain Fields - For High Pay - FASTER)

36. Military Benefits & Career Options (Beyond School Money) - You May Be Amazed

37. Who are the Key College Administrative Players (Including Decision Makers)? And Who to Contact to Implement CD's Strategies

38. Why it can be Best to have 6-10 Electives Available for the Degree You Choose (for APs/CLEP/DSST/Dual Credits to fill them)

39. The True Value of Student Loans (and Misconceptions)

40. A Search Tool to Compare 800+ Careers (regarding Current/Future Demand Status & Average Income Levels)

(40a). * $10k-$50k in Savings FOR ALL (hopefully)! AND IT WAS ALL COMPLIMENTARY! (Now Kick Some Back to Our CD Charities!)

(40b). * If You Need a Little More Help—CollegeDawg is there for you. Just let us know!

So, Considering All of the Above,

Do Any of You Past College Grads Wanna Do-Over?

(Hello Parents, Relatives, & Friends...)

Simply put, if I had it to do over again, there would be so much more of this stuff I would apply. To be honest, when I was knocking out a couple degrees in the Marines – I only used, or was aware of 6 or 7 of these things. It coulda been a very different story professionally & financially for me had I implemented a good portion of this stuff. I did get LUCKY however; the Degrees/Majors I selected turned out to be fairly relevant and the "Speed to Degree" was great. In my case I just went with word-of-mouth & advice from like 3 people, along with WHICH COLLEGE AVAILABLE "ON BASE" WOULD GET ME THE DEGREE THE FASTEST.

Probably not the best tactic though, right?

However, YOU now have the info available to take most of

“THE LUCK” out of THE GAME!