Alex Chediak

Helping young adults thrive at college and beyond

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Thriving at College

Grade-Changing Dean at Texas Tech Resigns

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Moral of the story? Don't mess with the professor's assigned grade. Scott Jaschik, with Inside Higher Ed, writes: Jay Conover, a professor of mathematics and statistics at Texas Tech University, got quite a surprise when he learned three of his former students graduated from the business school's graduate program this year. He was surprised because he had given the students grades so low he thought they wouldn't be able to graduate. It turns out the Business School's Dean, Lance Nail, had gone behind Conover's back to get another prof to set up an alternate exam for a group of five students … [Read more...] about Grade-Changing Dean at Texas Tech Resigns

Colleges Coddle Students, Too

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Great piece by Jeff Selingo. The opening: An article in this week’s Washington Post nicely summarized a new book on the failings of helicopter parenting, especially when it comes to preparing kids for college. But parents shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for why college students seem incapable of taking care of themselves these days. In the past decade, college campuses have turned into one big danger-free zone, where students live in a bubble and are asked to take few, if any, risks in their education. Read the whole thing. It's excellent. Students need objective, regular, and (when … [Read more...] about Colleges Coddle Students, Too

Repayments Rates are More Telling than Default Rates

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Cohort Default Rate (CDR) is the federal government's standard accountability metric for colleges. It refers to the percentage of a college's graduates from a specific year who default on their student loans. The problem is it's a super-easy test to pass: As long as fewer than 40 percent of your alumni default on their student loans within three years of entering repayment, and as long as your CDR doesn't go above 30 percent for three straight years, you're good. That's why only 11 colleges have been penalized in the last decade--even though almost 500 colleges had CDRs over 25 percent in … [Read more...] about Repayments Rates are More Telling than Default Rates

Earnings Boost from Major, Not Choice of College

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One of the myths I challenge in Beating the College Debt Trap is the notion that it's worth taking on significant debt to attend a prestigious university because the extra earnings you'll reap make it worth the huge price tag. Wrong. Nine times out of ten, that you go to college (and graduate) matters more than where you go to college. In fact, if future earnings were the sole criterion (not recommended), your choice of major makes a bigger difference than your choice of college. That's what a new study from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program concluded. … [Read more...] about Earnings Boost from Major, Not Choice of College

Living With Your Parents: How to Make It Work

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Boundless just published an article I wrote for them on living with parents as a young adult--the good, the bad, how to make it work. Here's the opening: So it happened. You thought you'd be on your own by now, but you're not. Whether you're trying to land a steady job, get out of debt, or finish college on the eight-year plan, if you're living with your parents as a 20-something, you're not alone. More than a third of 18 to 31 year olds are living with their parents, according to the Current Population Survey. Maybe you can't move out — and shouldn't. Your parents' health or finances are … [Read more...] about Living With Your Parents: How to Make It Work