Academics
What’s Happening to the Average GPA?
Are college students getting smarter?
If you looked at the grades they are “earning,” you might assume the answer is yes. The average GPA in college is 3.1. At private schools, the norm is a 3.3 GPA. In contrast, the typical college student had an average GPA of 2.52 in the 1950s.
In nearly every decade, the [...]
Are School Counselors the Weakest Link?
I heard from some high school counselors yesterday, who were furious with me. I wrote a post for my other college blog at CBSMoneyWatch about a new study that suggests that plenty of school counselors would flunk out if they were graded like their students.
In the Public Agenda survey, which was funded by the Bill [...]
What You Don’t Know About Liberal Arts Colleges
Yesterday I wrote this post about liberal arts colleges:
Which is Better: A Liberal Arts College or a University?
At the time, I promised that I’d summarize a thoughtful op-ed piece that Sanford J. Ungar, the president of Goucher College, wrote for the special liberal arts report that ran in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Unfortunately, [...]
Which is Better: A Liberal Arts College or University?
Which is better — a liberal arts college or a university?
Last night I had a conversation with one of my nephews, who is torn between attending Truman State University, a wonderful public liberal arts college, or the University of Missouri in Columbia, which happens to be my alma mater.
I’m proud of Tommy for being so [...]
Top 10 Books That College Students Are Reading
Want to know what college students are reading?
The Chronicle of Higher Education recently surveyed dozens of colleges and universities across the country to compile this top 10 college reading list. You won’t find any heavy literature on this list that includes three books dripping with zombie and vampire antics.
I’d recommend reading No. 2 and No. [...]
Good News for College Transfer Students
Where do college transfer students go after they earn their two-year associate’s degree?
It’s been a tough question to answer when you consider that colleges and universities have traditionally been focused on high school seniors. The transfer student who graduates from a community college has legitimately felt overlooked. But that reality could be changing for a [...]
How Much is a College Degree Worth?
How much is a college degree worth?
Turns out that a bachelor’s degree might not be as valuable as you think.
For years the College Board has suggested that a college graduate earns about $800,000 more over his or her lifetime than high school graduates. This earnings figure, however, is apparently way off.
The real lifetime earnings advantage [...]
Why You Should File the FAFSA, Freshmen Facts and Engineering Degrees
6 Reasons to File the FAFSA
Should you file the FAFSA?
Here’s my answer for just about everybody, including myself: Absolutely yes.
I admit it’s not fun to complete the FAFSA, which I am going to do today. If it’s any consolation, the FAFSA is easier to fill out than the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, which I am also [...]
2 Great Resources for Summer Programs for High School Students
Now’s the time to start thinking about summer programs for high school students.
The number of summer school programs and camps for teens can be daunting, but there are two resources that can make the search manageable.
Enrichment Alley
On this site you’ll find a great database of summer programs for teenagers that you can search using criteria [...]
Why I Chose Yale – Not
If you haven’t seen the campy You Tube musical called “Why I Chose Yale, you might want to check it out. I imagine that watching it will only increase the anxiety of any parent or high school student who thinks Yale (or some other Ivy League school) is the only higher-ed trophy worth bagging.
If you [...]
