1. Recommendations
Based on the data collected both statistically and from interviews with students it
can be concluded that a mandatory life skills/ finance course is needed at the
University of West Georgia.
The curriculum for the course should be structured so as to provide students with
basic knowledge of finances such as how to file taxes, apply for and pay off
loans, establish a budget, and how to critically analyze and communicate in a
business setting.
According to the Council for Economic Education, only sixteen states require
student testing in economics and only seventeen require a course in personal
finance. Georgia is one of the states that does both; however, Code: IHF (6),
160-4-2-.48 High School Graduation Requirements for Students Enrolling in the
Ninth Grade for the First Time in the 2008-2009 School Year and Subsequent
Years in section (IV) Social Sciences concludes that only one-half unit of
economics shall be required. The curriculum for economics in Georgia high
schools therefore is allowed to mix personal finances with macro and
microeconomics.
As a graduate of a public Georgia high school in 2012, it is my personal
recommendation that a finances course be required at the University of West
Georgia for all freshmen to ensure that our graduate are duly and truly prepared
for the administration of their own financial and business responsibilities.