Students may not take the SAT tests seriously, but it makes practical and intelligent sense to fully understand how the SAT is linked to getting into the right college. The right college will then lead to the right degree, enabling you to set yourself apart from your peers that only earned their high school diploma.

There are a lot of different studies confirming the value of a college degree in comparison with a high school diploma. The numbers range depending on age, sex, choice of school, and choice of degree, however, educational attainment studies point to shockingly large gaps between the two groups, even when all of these factors are taken into account.

After earning a high school diploma, the available job market averages between $15,000 and $28,000 annually. While this might seem like a lot of money, the available jobs tend to be limited and involve little benefits and extended work hours. When tallying costs like housing, bills, and other expenses, many high school diploma holders find themselves working multiple jobs in order to enjoy anything close to a conventional lifestyle.
Conversely those who take college preparation seriously, tend to successfully earn their bachelor’s degree. Bachelor’s degree holders open themselves up to a much more appealing monetary bracket, ranging between $33,000 and $50,000 annually. With this level of earnings, degree holders can live a much more comfortable lifestyle in an area where they hold academic specialization. This means that not only with the undergraduate degree holder have more employment options, they usually find more personally satisfying work.

Going past bachelor’s degrees, master’s and doctoral degree holder’s step themselves up with each degree accomplishment by at least a $12,000 increase in annual income on average. Therefore, students considering SAT test prep should not only aim for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, but also keep higher degrees in mind as they gain more experience in their field of concentration.

With these figures in mind, it becomes obvious that earning a college diploma will provide a better salary and quality of life. However, there are other benefits to earning a college degree besides monetary. The college experience offers interactions with new ideas and ways of thinking, not only from professors but other students as well. Friendships can form with roommates, campus residents, classmates, students met at activities or clubs, or even the most random encounter.

Similarly, earning a college degree offers the opportunity to network in a way that simply can’t be achieved through high school only. College campuses and alumni associations provide opportunities for internships, part time jobs, full time jobs, and so on. It isn’t uncommon to intern for a company early on in your college career, work a summer job at the same place, and then find yourself offered a starting position at the same company when graduation rolls around.

College preparation will help you to achieve the goal of a college degree, allowing you access to a better job market, higher average annual salaries, the essential college experience and the ability to network in a way that will last throughout your career. Starting with SAT test prep will get you started down the right path towards a college degree and all of the doors it can open.