There were two times that stick out in my college career as being epic failures on my part. The first was early on, my freshman year, and it was in electrostatics and magnetism, a calculus-based physics class [...]
There were two times that stick out in my college career as being epic failures on my part. The first was early on, my freshman year, and it was in electrostatics and magnetism, a calculus-based physics class [...]
It was a wild break. Almost everyone I know is still rubbing their holiday guts and mumbling about getting back in shape. Your body isn’t the only part of you that slowed down a little over winter break, though. Your brain needs a kick start to get back into the [...]
The human brain is mind-blowing. The fact that I’m even able to say something like that is evidence of just how advanced that gray matter really is. Think about that, about thinking, and you’re showing off your capacity for metacognition, something uniquely human. The brain has plenty [...]
You spent months agonizing over the decision. Should you stay or should you go? Well, after sleepless nights, countless conversations with friends, and some soul searching, you’ve finally nailed it down. Whether you’re going back to university for a graduate degree or seeking an entirely different' [...]
When you think of a college professor, a really stereotypical professor, what image comes to mind? Chances are, your mental image has a beard, a tweed jacket with leather elbows, and a leftist leaning. While this isn’t wrong, per se, it’s probably [...]
At long last, women have surpassed men as the primary breadwinners of many households across America. It’s not an even split yet, which is a touch disheartening, but we’re making progress. Back in 1970, an unmarried man' [...]
We’ve all heard about it: print newspapers seem to be on their way out. Personally, I still get a lot of my news from the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, but I do so almost entirely online. (I say “almost” because I do pick up the tangible [...]
Universities across America are making the news for all sorts of reasons. From green news to surprising finds in lavatories, things are hoppin’ on campus lately. Looks like we’re starting off 2010 with a bang!
Big News on Campus: 5 Universities Making Headlines Blown Away at Southwestern. [...]There are plenty of resources out there for college students looking to save some cash while attending school. Many of the little tricks and tips are sound [...]
The Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Education recently attacked a decision made by a major accreditation association. The decision was to accredit accelerated five-week distance education courses, which are worth nine credits a piece.' [...]
My dad went to NYU. Growing up, I remember him talking about giant lecture halls in which classes were taught by TAs. Apparently, seeing the actual professor was a rare occurrence. When it came time for me to head off to school, I was concerned about not having the opportunity [...]
I had one year left until graduation, provided that I didn’t fail any classes, and school was getting to me. I remember the day clearly. I had an appointment with one of my professors, ostensibly to chat about graduate school. In the days between scheduling some face time and actually [...]
In just a few days, everyone will be talking about New Year’s resolutions. This time of year brings out the cynics. I’ve heard more than a few people resolve to stop making resolutions. It’s true that New Year’s is a' [...]
Career retraining is gaining popularity in education. With the employment rate showing no signs of letting up until spring 2010, many are looking to take the career training they already have, add some targeted education, and reenter the workforce. This great idea has [...]
The holiday season has gotten a lot less stressful since I moved back home. The short drive to my parents’ house, where the tree awaits, reminds me of my early years in college. It wasn’t an incredibly long drive, only about seven hours, but it always made [...]
I recently blogged about a great scholarship fundraising program. As it turns out, Arkansas isn’t the only state doing a scholarship fundraising lottery. Not only that, they’re not even the most successful. The Tennessee Education Lottery earned [...]
Some of my most memorable moments in college were protests. As a member of the Progressive Student Alliance, I remember heading out for a lovely Saturday morning protesting the war. We marched; we chanted; we bonded. We were full of that passion that comes with youth and moral absolutes. I [...]
We live in interesting times. A few years ago, when I was teaching middle school English, I had a rather depressing, though enlightening, conference with a parent. This parent was concerned about her daughter, who’d been hanging out with some stereotypically dark preteens. [...]
The newest–and definitely coolest–innovation in education is… video games. That’s right, video games. These prolific time-wasters are being turned into an educational medium, and it sounds like it’s actually being done well this time. I remember quite a number of educational games [...]
It doesn’t happen everyday, but sometimes someone comes up with a great idea that’s good for everyone. The Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) started a scholarship lottery recently, which reached $100 million in sales in [...]
Things are changing in the world of higher education, and it’s about time. Universities across the country are taking the bold leap into the 21st century, making some moves that promise to change the traditional classroom experience. Even raising your hand in class is [...]
November’s unemployment numbers are in, and they’ve been hailed as both unexpected and not something to get too excited about. While the drop from 10.2 to 10 percent may not sound like a lot, it’s important to remember that, right now, the rate’s staying stable would’ve [...]
Attributed to such amazing speakers as Anonymous, wise and wizened relatives, and Confucious, the saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life,” is difficult to stand by when' [...]
It makes a lot of sense when you stop and trace everything back to the root. Unemployment went up. When unemployment goes up, people go back to school. The people who go back to school because they’re [...]
Now that we’ve made it through the turkey-induced food comas and for the most part–we’re nearly there–survived another Black Friday of bargain-crazed consumers, it’s time to take stock of of a few things. It’s time to start thinking about that New Year’s resolution. It’s time to start prepping for the [...]
The people who give out the Webby Awards posted their “The Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade” list the other day, and they included some pretty momentous occasions. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Craigslist–but [...]
In high school, I took a correspondence course. At the time this was a fairly normal thing to do. Today, the idea of mailing tests and essays back and forth between teacher and student is tantamount to writing checks for groceries–it’s time consuming, archaic, and totally out-moded. Since then, [...]
When I read about today’s college students and their gastronomical penchant, I couldn’t help but get nostalgic and hungry. From the Associated Press article:
“The culinary literacy of college students is increasing,” said Tom Post, president of campus dining for Sodexo, a food service and [...]
A recent study shows that twenty percent fewer Americans think science is our nation’s greatest achievement (47 percent in 1999, 27 percent in 2009). For 2009, Civil Rights/Equal Rights tied with Other with 17 percent. War and Peace clocked in at 7 percent, [...]
With goals as lofty and abstract as providing “an occasion for key stakeholders to make a new commitment to the development of higher education and agree on action-oriented recommendations which will enable higher education and research to better respond to changing labour market needs and to the growing and multiple [...]
Quite possibly the biggest nod that online education has ever gotten, a new study from the U.S. Department of Education has found that good teaching is enhanced by new technologies. The study found all [...]
Jack Welch, former General Electric Co. Chief Executive, has put his stamp of approval on the MBA program at Chancellor University. Of course, Chancellor University has only recently donned this name. Myers University, the formerly bankrupt, is now Chancellor University System [...]
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of college funds. I’ve mentioned more then once that I had a college fund before I was born, thanks to my wonderful parents. I can’t imagine how different and debt-ridden my life would [...]
The online education news world is hopping this week. With a cyber charter school in Pennsylvania unionizing (the first of its kind to do so), Herzing University voted ‘Best School' [...]
Times are strange. Don’t take my word for it, though. Let’s have a little education news rundown.
First, the good news: Arne Duncan, who is the Secretary of Education, has just announced an $18.5 million dollar plan to “enhance libraries in 57 low-income school districts across the United States” (from the [...]
Americans are spending less and saving more this year. The savings rate got up to a 14-year high of 5.7 percent of our disposable income in April or this year. This is the sharpest increase in saving since the numbers started [...]
On April 7th, 2009, the journalism school at the University of Missouri made a bold move: they sent out an email to all incoming freshman telling them that, in addition to their other school supplies, they’ll be required to have an iPhone or iPod Touch. The [...]
The phrase haunts the halls of academia: publish or perish. It refers to the need for professors to publish work, lest their contracts run out. It’s stressful, and it takes valuable time away from teaching. [...]
Possibly one of the most idiotic assumptions of all time–namely, that men are innately better than women when it comes to math and science–has been shot down once again. This cultural belief has always baffled me, perhaps because I grew up with a sharp-as-a-tack mother working on both the quantitative [...]
Online education programs are more popular than ever before. For programs that started off online, this just means that business is really taking off. For programs with brick-and-mortar roots, though, increasing online enrollment means it may be time for an agonizing reassessment of the [...]
Loan forgiveness is a big deal in today’s job market. The idea that simply by putting in some hard work in the right place, students can get some or all of their loans forgiven is a big draw. Forgiveness programs in nursing, for example, influence [...]
At the commencement ceremony for Arizona State University, President Obama delivered quite a call to action:
“Did you study business? Go start a company or why not help our struggling non-profits find better, more effective ways to serve folks in need. [...]
The House just passed a bill that would give $6.4 billion to rebuilding–and greening–schools. This investment in America’s future has some controversy attached, though. Much like any investment, the return needs to be factored in. Will this bill actually work as [...]
