Champagne Dreams

You may be wondering about the title of this blog entry.

So, what are champagne dreams you ask?
 
Well, I came up with the term to describe the aspirations of my students. A toast often follows the attainment of dreams, especially those that may not be visibly in the initial stages of planning. The ultimate toasting beverage is champagne, which can be quite an expensive commodity to purchase, especially if you reside in the Caribbean [inflation, price gouging and all].

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​Everyone has a dream school. Or to be more general, for those thinking about college/university, there is a school they would love to attend. It is natural to reach for the stars. In some cases, reaching for the stars takes us beyond what is visibly achievable or practical. Is that so wrong? 
 
What I have learned over the years is that everyone’s idea of ‘dream school’ is relative. For example, Harvard isn’t everyone’s ultimate dream school. Ivy league schools may be ideal for some; however, a dream school is quite subjective and varies at the individual level. 

While dreams are encouraged, there is always room for pragmatism and logic. There are cases where the bigger picture should be at the forefront of decision making. In other words, higher education should make career sense, financial sense and academic sense.
 
I’m reminded of when a certain school in Washington D.C (and no, not Howard University), was my dream school. This school became my dream school because I stayed on campus as part of a summer program I attended. I loved everything I saw and experienced there. It became the dream. However, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t the right fit based on my own circumstances. I did achieve my dream of studying abroad but it wasn’t at this school nor was it in Washington D.C.   I attended a smaller school that was better known for the field of study I had chosen, where there were greater opportunities for internships and was one plane ride away from home. My parents were equally ecstatic when they saw the cost was significantly lower than the ‘dream’ choice. Looking back now, logic and pragmatism prevailed for me in the end without taking away from the bigger goal.
 
Education is a tool that should be used to gain knowledge and skills from which one can create a livelihood.  These days, whatever knowledge and skills obtained should be versatile enough to allow someone to create different revenue streams. Therefore, an investment in education should bring equal and/or greater return. 
 
Here are some questions in pursuit of your champagne dreams:

1. How much are you willing pay for your education?
2. Is your dream school within your reach academically and/or financially?
3. Is your dream school meeting all of your academic, personal and financial preferences? 
4. What will be the return on this investment?