Why Helicopter Parents are Here to Stay

High school students take notice: Don’t expect Mom and Dad to leave immediately after they move you in to school. On Monday, the New York Times ran an article highlighting the various ways colleges handle helicopter parents who are helping their children move in to their new dorms. More specifically, college deans and orientation leaders are finding that they must be more explicit when telling parents that their presence is not required for the remainder of orientation. This raises an interesting question: why might parents feel incentivized to stick around after schlepping and then arranging all of their child’s gear from the likes of Ikea, Bed Bath and Beyond, et ceteta? A blog post that same day, from the New York Times Economix blog team provided an intriguing, yet plausible answer.

Ten Universities with the Highest Student Debt

Last week, Gawker ran an article citing the top ten traditional universities that have the highest student debt. The data was pulled by a recent study by the Department of Education, which actually revealed that the top three institutions with highest student debt are actually for-profit schools, which are often criticized for not leading to lucrative-enough careers. Controversial legislation has even been passed regarding this issue. What’s a for-profit college? Think DeVry and University of Pheonix. These schools offer a range of degrees (think X-ray technician certifications to master’s degrees) and are run by private, profit-seeking companies or groups, which makes them an easy target for public criticism. However, this list focused on the traditional institutions that rack up the most student debt, as a large part of the U.S.’s college-going culture seeks admission to these revered schools. It’s important to note that these prestigious universities, also, do not leave students’ wallets unscathed. [...]

Comparing U.S. Education to Itself

When compared to the rest of the world, some say we’re far behind in education. Our science sucks, our math is elementary, and our language skills are as diverse as a Stephenie Meyer book signing.  When compared to the other rest of the world, some taut American education as more robust than most countries on the planet, as we have a solid trajectory of nursery-through-post-graduate options for anyone who can muster their way through the necessary bureaucracy and financing. But despite what any of them say… how do we compare to ourselves? The U.S. Census Bureau recently released statistics reflecting the 50 states by percentage of residents aged 25-34 who hold a college degree. I instantly thought about the dozens of annoying under-employed Census representatives who’ve banged on my door over the past few months trying to get me to fess up to the ethnicity of my next-door neighbor who [...]

Why College? Part 8 — Learning to Think

Higher education is not about money, not at the heart of it. Higher education is about learning to think, and while the ability to think is not as tangible as a cold, hard paycheck, saying “No way!” to college is saying “No way!” to a lifetime of both financial and cultural growth.

The Write Stuff

A recent article on The Huffington Post discusses a growing concern in higher education: how should we teach writing? What should our students learn?

Plan C: Wake Up, Colleges!

This article is in response to “Plan B: Skip College” by Jacques Steinberg, which was published on May 14 in the New York Times. “Plan B” details many reasons why some high school students may be better off pursuing a vocational course or apprenticeship rather than a college degree. Included among these are the high cost of time and money that goes toward college education, the urgent need for workers in many fast growing industries like nursing and customer service that require specific skill sets but not a college degree, and the fact that some students are “unlikely to be successful pursuing a higher degree” or “may not be ready to do so” and would benefit from more “credible alternatives.” Professor Richard K. Vedder, an economist at Ohio University who advocates for the need for multiple pathways to college and career, likes to ask why 15 percent of mail carriers [...]

Mother’s Day, or: A Celebration of How Your Future Is Decided?

The apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree. We all know that adage. For better or for worse, our moms (and dads) make a big difference in our college and career success. What to do if your parents were not well-educated or high up on the professional ladder.

Education Marketing Machines

How many solicitations have you received in the mail to apply for such-and-such university or check out a sneak preview day at so-and-so college? How many shiny, slick brochures with smiling faces and gleaming buildings have grazed your front door stoop? How many catchy “get a degree now” subject lines have popped up in your inbox? If you’re in the 18-24 age bracket and have submitted your contact information in any way shape or form to an educational institution, your response to the above questions is likely: “What solicitations? I lined the cat box with them.” I can vouch for this phenomenon. Not even a month after taking a certain college admissions exam, I was bombarded with spiffy university “viewbooks,” thick packets detailing the benefits of vocational school, and e-mails explaining why I should pack up and move across the country to major in some obscure field. It was overwhelming. [...]

Neutral or not: The gender-neutral campus housing debate

Students are taking a very active role in examining the policies that shape their college experiences—I think that we’re going to see more universities look at gender-neutral housing among many other initiatives that matter to students.

Academics Get Cronked

Web humor spews out of the subject of college, from CollegeHumor’s prank wars to PartySchoolTexts.com to fake Facebook college groups, but rarely does a funny site poke fun at the institutions themselves. Rife with administration bureaucracy and run by self-proclaimed intellectuals, colleges and universities are surely worth a jab for being the squarish bookworms of society. Enter The Cronk of Higher Education, a satirical news site about ridiculous issues in higher education, overblown academic conferences and fake intern/slave-wanted advertisements. In short, it’s The Onion with a PhD in post-post-modernist structuralism in Beowulf. The movie. Fake article topics range from tech-savvy colleges that admit students via Evite and college fairs that draw 3,000 parents … and zero students. From revered professors emerita to jaded school administration staff to the broke PhD going on a 6th year of candidacy, The Cronk sheds a lighter, more ironic light on academic culture than the [...]