The key with PA is to start slow. If you build too much or hire too many teachers your expenses will outstrip your income from tuition, fucking you up completely.

Start with one teacher. Bump up the kids' grades with special classes. Make completing the Challenges a priority: they cause tuition income to rise.

Once you've got an income well above your expenses, then you can start spending. More/better teachers and facilities, especially if grouped together into the Popular Spots listed in the menu, attract more students, which means more tuition.

Repeat until 3rd years graduate. Before they graduate, ensure they have a good projected success rate in their career — if they don't, build a career manual and change them to one with a good balance of money and success rate.

Then repeat until year 10, gradually expanding.

EASY. Okay, maybe not. But once you figure out its weird abstractions, it's super-fun.

I absolutely agree though, while it's nice for some games to lead you in the right direction slightly, there's far too much, "NOW DO THIS!" in games like this now.