What's driving the trend towards more luxury in student housing? Ingra Saffron gives an even-handed (albeit brief) analysis of the subject in yesterday's New Republic: Today’s student accommodations are being built to resemble the kind of apartments you would find in a new urban high-rise. It’s not unusual for a suite in one of these upscale dorms to include individual bedrooms with private baths and kitchens equipped with a full complement of stainless steel appliances—dishwashers and the obligatory granite countertops included. When admissions officers describe “amenities” to incoming … [Read more...] about The Trend Towards Luxury in Student Housing
Thriving at College
Highest and Lowest Paying Majors
Update: I don't believe earnings prospects should be the major factor in how a teen goes about choosing a college major. They should look to the intersection of their God-given talents and interests, as I've explained here and here. That said, studies show that many teens don't have a realistic sense of their earning prospects when they choose a college major. As a result, they might take on tens of thousands of dollars in student debt, and spend years struggling to pay it off. I'm not suggesting Christians should avoid low-paying careers. But we should decide how to pay for college in … [Read more...] about Highest and Lowest Paying Majors
Why U.S. News’ College Rankings Hurt Students
U.S. News & World Report released its college rankings at midnight last night -- and once again, the results are meaningless. CBS News has a good short piece explaining why. 1. College rankings hurt low and middle-income students. 2. The rankings ignore job prospects. 3. The rankings don't care about learning outcomes. 4. U.S. News runs a beauty pageant. 5. College rankings fuel ever greater college costs. Read the whole thing. … [Read more...] about Why U.S. News’ College Rankings Hurt Students
The Dumbest Generation: The Digital Age and Young Americans
Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University, is the author of what sounds like an irresistibly fascinating 2009 book: The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30). The aim of the book is to describe the intellectual condition of the young American (using empirical evidence). Peter Lawler (former member of President Bush's Council on Bioethics, and professor of government at Berry College) says this book: "shows that young people are getting smarter in some ways, but dumber in others. … [Read more...] about The Dumbest Generation: The Digital Age and Young Americans
A Third of High School Grads Not College Ready
Phillip Elliot of the Associated Press wrote last week:The ACT reported that 31 percent of all high school graduates tested were not ready for any college coursework requiring English, science, math or reading skills. The other 69 percent of test takers met at least one of the four subject-area standards. Just a quarter of this year's high school graduates cleared the bar in all four subjects, demonstrating the skills they'll need for college or a career, according to company data. The numbers are even worse for black high school graduates: Only 5 percent were deemed fully ready for life … [Read more...] about A Third of High School Grads Not College Ready
Interview with Michael Lindsay, President of Gordon College
Todd Ream interviews Michael Lindsay, President of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, for Books and Culture. An excerpt: Gordon College is one of only a handful of evangelical Christian colleges that has not invested in online and/or degree completion forms of education for undergraduates. What challenges do those decisions pose for Gordon? I am persuaded—and I think almost all my colleagues are as well—that some dimension of online pedagogy is going to be part and parcel of the undergraduate experience for every institution over the next five to ten years. We've seen this … [Read more...] about Interview with Michael Lindsay, President of Gordon College