Free Republic

From crime rates to life expectancy to income levels, statistics at the national level are next to useless when it comes to measuring the daily lives of ordinary people in the United States. This is because the United States — which is a huge and geographically diverse country — is simply too large to be summed up in a single number. This sort of generalizing is inappropriate for pretty much any place that's larger than a single metro area, but it's especially bad when applied to a place like the United States. Even the larger European countries are much...

Getting a college education is expensive, which is why more students are taking the time to search for affordable colleges with high four-year graduation rates. In the United States, about two-thirds of students who earn a bachelor’s degree graduate from college in four years, while the remaining 34 percent need a fifth or even sixth year to complete their studies (U.S. Department of Education). Completing an undergraduate degree in four years is not only easier on the budget, but it means getting out into the workforce earlier than students who need more time to graduate. Choosing an affordable college is...