Hi, I'm Erica Brozovsky, and welcome to a new Crash Course series; How to College! This series is part of a Study Hall Program, a partnership between Arizona State University and Crash Course.

There's a lot happening with this partnership. Like a new Study Hall YouTube Channel where you can find Fast Guides to college majors, foundation classes, and general helpful hints and tips on how to prepare for, apply to, and succeed at, and graduate college. But it's starting here with this series.

When you hear the word "college," it might make you think of everything from crowded parties to tweed-wearing professors on bicycles. Just me? But college is so much more than that. Like a lot more.

After high school, formal education can be messy. The system is complicated and it's expensive. But post-secondary education is also super valuable. It's about learning, obviously, but it's also about careers, social groups, growth and discovery - sometimes about yourself and sometimes about the world.

It's designed to make you a more powerful, competent, thoughtful, and effective person. We know that students learn in different ways through different mediums, and that includes YouTube.

How To College is meant to get students of all ages and backgrounds to, and through, college. We've always been wildly enthusiastic about the power of education, and How to Colege is designed to make anyone and everyone feel confident about pursuing a college degree.

Whether you're starting college, want to fill some gaps before going back to school, or just want to explore all of your options, we want to help as many people as possible be successful in their education.

In this series we're going to talk about the process of earning a college degree, from sending in an application to completing a major. Episodes will tackle topics like: What is college? What's the difference between trade schools, community colleges, and universities? How do you get to college? How do you stay focused? And, of course, how do you pay for it?

We'll also talk about how to get and stay organized, how to choose courses and majors, and why choosing a major is so important, and a ton of other info.

Also, a little about me! Hi, I'm Dr. Erica Brozovsky and I have a BA in Linguistics, and an MA and PhD in English. My college journey started with me not actually thinking about going to college and instead becoming a glassblower. Which is a perfectly legitimate career choice, but I thought about it more and decided I was more interested in English, Language, and learning in general.

Now, I'm a linguist, a teacher, and a writer and host for YouTube shows like this one and Otherwords for PBS Digital Studios. Is this where I pictured myself after college? Nop! Am I having a great time? Yep!

I didn't specifically go to college for this career, but it did prep me in ways no one could have expected. Worth it!

We know that there are barriers to pursuing higher education. That's why we're here to help you navigate them. Whether you're intimidated by the process of applying to your dream school, or you're already a college student unsure what resources are available to you, or you are thinking about returning to finish college or transferring between schools, we got you.

Like I said, the system is complex and can be a bit confusing, but we're here to help straighten it out for you. With How To College, we're trying to be honest, realistic, and non-judgemental. Our goal is to make sure we do everything we can to support learners at every stage of their academic journey.

Both Crash Course and Arizona State University are passionate about providing accurate, accessible educational content for anyone everywhere who wants to learn.

After our first run of the Study Hall series, we knew we wanted to do more. And that "more" was lowering barriers to entry for higher education, especially in that first critical year.

The mission of Study Hall is to make college education a reality for as many people as possible. If you want to go to college, you can. And we have the insider info to help you do it.

Our first episode launches next week and it asks two seemingly simple questions: What is college? And Should I go? I hope to see you there.

Crash Course: How to College is part of a program called Study Hall. Crash Course is partnered with Arizona State University to launch Study Hall on its own channel. Check out youtube.com/studyhall where you'll find more tips about navigating college, choosing a major, plus foundational courses connected to college credit course that students struggle with most in their first two years. Let's get started.