The Debit Card Trap

Several years ago, Congress made it more difficult for  credit card vendors to woo colleges students by offering them free stuff if they'd sign up for a credit card.  Now it seems like the problem still exists but in another format.  Our advice? Read the fine print and ask questions!  It pays to be a good consumer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/business/on-campus-new-deals-with-banks.html?_r=1&ref=education

Knowing the Risks of Students Loans

Knowing exactly what a college education will cost you is difficult, but there is a proposal in the US Senate that would require schools to educate students and parents about the risks of loans and the options available. In addition, there is an effort to make financial aid information more standard.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/opinion/full-disclosure-for-student-borrowers.html?_r=1&hp

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

That is the title of a recent article in The Atlantic, and while I am not sure how I feel about the research yet, I will let you be the judge.

The Benefits of Taking a Gap Year

Although taking a gap year before going to college has been popular in Europe for a long time, students in the United States are not as familiar with the idea.  There is evidence however, that taking a year off between high school and college (and doing something with that year!) can be very beneficial in the long run.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/gap-year-momentum-grows-studies-show-higher-performance/story?id=16339935

The On-Going Student Debt Debate

Over the weekend, The New York Times published yet another interesting article about student debt, and Room for Debate offers several suggestions for what to do about it.  As you will see however, it is a complicated subject, and there are many reasons for the growing problem.  Certainly being honest about what you can afford and better educated about the terms of any loan is a good place to start.

Friday Follow Up

With graduation almost upon us, I wanted to share this quote from the Evansville Courier and Press.  "A highlight of this year's University of Evansville commencement was a line from President Thomas A. Kazee -- and the line seemed to be most popular in the sections for attendees who are family members of graduates. He won applause for telling students: "Move away from home and get a job as soon as possible. Your parents love you, but enough is enough."

If you have been reading The New York Times blog "The Choice" (we've linked to several of their comments on our blog), you may have noticed this new one titled "So Done With School, Anxious About College."  I suspect that many of our seniors feel the same way.

Since we've been discussing on-line courses recently, I also wanted to share with you this article about earning college credit for "prior learning" or "experiential learning."  The practice has its share of supporters and detractors.

Finally, in spite of the bad news about college these days (some people would say it's not worth it!), here's some positive news about the impact college students can have on our world.

Congratulations to the GPS class of 2012!

Can public service lead to a career?

In this tough job market,  volunteering can lead to potential careers and opportunities for professional development.  Today's New York Times has some good advice to offer on this subject.

The Need for Female Engineers

Stephanie Hill, president of Lockheed Martin's Information Systems and Global Solutions Civil Division, makes a good case for why the nation needs more female engineers. In fact, as she states in the article, the need for engineers has never been greater! She also discusses the need for more mentors and company partnerships. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/college-inc/post/why-the-nation-needs-more-female-engineers/2012/05/03/gIQAufuhwT_blog.html

Free On-Line Classes Follow Up

If you've seen the announcement about the collaboration between MIT and Harvard to offer free on-line classes, here's a good follow-up article that points out some possible problems.

The Politics of Student Debt

College affordability has been in the news quite a bit lately, and both sides weighing in with their opinions.  Inside Higher Education offers an interesting look at the politics of student debt, and while we are not advocating for one side or the other, we think it's a topic that will be in the news for quite some time, especially since it is an election year.

Free On-line Classes

Following in the footsteps of other universities, Harvard and MIT announced a partnership called "edX that will offer free on-line classes.  Students will receive a grade and a certificate of mastery, but they will not receive college credit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/education/harvard-and-mit-team-up-to-offer-free-online-courses.html?_r=1&ref=education

A Teacherless Classroom

In Virginia Tech's largest classroom - Math Emporium - there are no teachers!  Working in a large computer lab, students work in a self-paced environment with only a few roving guides to help them if needed.  It may sound crazy, but the school's philosophy - you learn math by doing math - seems to be paying off in a big way.

More News on Law Schools

As we have been saying, the nature of law schools (and even med schools) is changing.  Due to an overabundance of lawyers, one law school has decided to admit fewer students.  Could this be a trend?

Also of interest, are some law schools dropping the LSAT requirement?