Several of my major adult decisions have been motivated by coupons, including my choice of undergraduate institution. Many of my peers received the same terrific scholarship I did, but what we didn’t realize was it was the college’s going-out-of-business sale.
Halfway through my college career, the news broke that the institution was in serious financial trouble and another entity was buying my school. I’ll never forget the President struggling to describe the college’s financial position (debt which we now know totaled nearly $20 million), finally saying the decision became sell or close the doors of this place I called home. My ultra-small, religious, nonprofit college in rural Iowa was purchased by a for-profit, online university from Alabama in 2009.
As a journalism major and the editor of the college newspaper, I imagined being able to practice my skills with a story that was truly meaningful and newsworthy far beyond my campus. But I definitely learned other, harder, lessons about working in journalism.
