When I was in high school, I knew a guy whose motto was, “They say cheaters never win, but I’m doing okay.” Talk about pragmatists. Unfortunately, cheating has become so widespread that our academic culture is changing. Perhaps the biggest and most dramatic change may be about to happen in regards to taking the SAT.

You might have heard about the Long Island SAT cheating scandal, which may have been the straw that broke the Educational Testing Services’ back. It’s a fact that the cleverness of today’s youth, combined with our ever-evolving technology has created myriad challenges for those who deploy both standardized and in-class tests. Consequently, that same sophisticated technology is allowing test administrators to push back against the cheaters.

Can you say, “mobile DNA security scan”? Here’s the scoop from CBS New York: More »

In my humble opinion, conventional wisdom is a lot like stereotypes. They can both lead to miscalculation and, ultimately, disappointment, especially in the confusing and seemingly perilous world of college admissions. One example of conventional wisdom might be the “More is better” mindset. If two letters of reference are required, then four could be twice as impressive. If three Subject Tests are needed, then six . . . And so on.

We’ll never fully know why admissions committees make the decisions they make. There are hundreds of books, blogs, discussion forums, and other avenues of “insights” out there, proclaiming to have insider information about what works and doesn’t work in the college admissions process. But, surprisingly, even the true insiders — those who work on the admissions committees themselves — sometimes don’t follow a strict set of guidelines to admit or deny applicants. It can very often be a very subjective selection process that feels a lot like flying by one’s seat of the pants (no offense to clothing manufacturers out there).

So, I started to search the Web for evidence of erroneous conventional wisdom regarding the process of applying to and getting into college. It didn’t take long to discover an excellent article by Jay Matthews, who has a long track record of pithy opinions on higher education that appear in The Washington Post. His “5 wrong ideas about college admission” make classic sense and call in an air strike on stereotypical conventional wisdom. Here are some key points from what Jay said: More »

I recall with great fondness sitting in my college classes and wondering what my professors’ true motives were. Some seemed apathetic. Some were extremely passionate. Others were rather matter of fact. A few acted like they were doing us a favor by showing up to disperse their elegant pearls of wisdom before us mere swine students. Usually, that latter group had Teaching Assistants (TAs) at the ready to take over the instant the lecture was finished, similar to a press secretary taking questions after the president hurriedly departs the rostrum.

Those of you seniors who are anticipating your first-year experiences in the halls of ivy may be wondering about what you will encounter in the way of professorial behavior, motives, and demeanor. Along those lines, have you ever perused the opinions on RateMyProfessors.com?  Of course, there are myriad motivations for posting the likes of some of those opinions, but many are quite entertaining. For example:

STAY AWAY! Does not want you to succeed. Is condescending and does not like opinions that differ from her own. Also doesn’t do well teaching online due to she cannot comprehend what you mean. Will give zero for paper if she feels you didn’t address her question fully. Also gives zeros for work turned in even 20 minutes late. BEWARE!!!!

But I digress. The real purpose of my post here today is to give you a peek inside the head of one professor whose behavior, motives, and demeanor aren’t in the “BEWARE!!!!” category. Far from it. I think it’s good that professors speak out in a candid sense about what they’re trying to accomplish in the classroom. If you’re wondering what you might encounter this fall, then hope that you can get a majority of faculty members like this one. Here are a few excerpts from inside this professorial head: More »

Just as in professional sports, there are two levels of participants: rookies and veterans. When it comes to college admissions and all that’s related to that complex field, the vets have a decided edge over the rookies, especially in the crucial area of financial aid. The vets have been through the mill at least once, maybe more than once, discovering what sources are available to help pay for the exorbitant costs of higher education.

Pity the poor rookies, though. They have to wade into the quagmire of FAFSAs, CSS Profiles, and possibly private colleges’ own detailed applications for financial aid, all without the benefit of having done these before. Of course, there are a number of resources that can help buffer the impact of ignorance. Perhaps one of the best ever is the College Confidential discussion forum’s financial aid section. The reason this treasure trove of knowledge is so effective is because of the friendly interface between veterans and rookies.  If you know little to nothing about financial aid, you won’t be embarrassed asking your questions here. So, I encourage you to spend as much time as you need reading the highly informative and easy to understand answers and comments.

Trying to explain the intricacies of financial aid to a rookie can be frustrating, both for the veteran and the rookie. I’m always on the lookout for efficient ways to do this. That’s why I was intrigued by the article I found on the 20sfinances.com site by (simply) “Corey” entitled Different Types of Financial Aid. At least to me, this is the kind of information that I wish I had had access to when I was a financial aid rookie. So, for all of you other rookies out there, let’s take a look at what you can expect when you go looking for help paying for college, courtesy of some excerpts from 20finances.com. More »

Been wondering about the next new thing in higher education? Well, it may already be here: Badges. “Say what?” you say? Yep, just like the Boy Scouts.

There’s a highly interesting article in The Chronicle of Higher Education that shines a spotlight on the badges initiative, which has been underway for some time now, apparently right under many of our noses. In my humble and sometimes not fully informed opinion, the badges concept likely falls into the “Do what you want and the money will follow” camp. Essentially, what badges entails is hooking up with a legitimate (hopefully certified or accredited) sources of learning (can you say, “MIT”?) and meeting the requirements for a very specific kind of discipline (think along the lines of mentorship or digital video editing). Once you have met the standards of the online course material, you receive your badge in that skill, which then becomes a resume line item.

This laser-focused cafeteriaization (whoa, a new tech term!) of educational credentials tends to fly in the face of the liberal-arts ideals of colleges and universities. Conceivably, one could go through life learning only about what one likes and has passion for. I guess the analogy might be a diet comprising only desserts.

Thinking back to my own college experiences, I know that my life is richer because of being exposed to information and areas that I may have happily ignored, if given the chance. However, our brave new world is hurting (economically) and the requirements for employment are becoming more and more specific. Thus, the badges concept appears to be an offspring of the mother of invention: necessity.

Let’s take a lok at some key points from this highly interesting article. More »

You know the feeling. It’s the second week of January and all your college applications are in! Oh, happy day! Well, as the famous phrase goes, “Not so fast there, Kemosabe!”

You may be thinking back to all those wee-hours nights/days when your eyes were crossed as you tried to come up with the perfect essay topics. You squeezed every drop of creativity from your brain trying to think of memorable ways to tell your dream school of what you would bring to campus to enhance diversity. You followed up on your recommendation letters and made sure that your parents are aware of all the financial aid process details. You dotted all your applications’ “i”s and crossed at the “t”s. Now you can relax, right? Wrong.

As the poet said, “Miles to go …” It ain’t over yet.

The finish line is not yet in sight, my friend. Another folkish phrase goes, “The devil is in the details.” So, what kind of devilish details should you be tending? Well, I found a cool article that spells it out in easy to understand language. On College: College application is finally in; now what? by Purvi S. Mody. So, let’s see what is “now what?”  More »

Most times it’s hard to think of the term “value” when it comes to college. The astronomical rise in higher education costs relates more to the Misery Index than to a best-buy mindset. So, what else is new? Things are tough out there. However, there are ways to chisel some costs from those money-monster bills that arrive in parents’ mail boxes.

The venerable source, Kiplinger.com, has come out with their new Best Values in Public Colleges, 2012 selections. So, at least according to Kiplinger’s criteria, these schools provide the best all-around mix of educational quality and overall relative low cost. If you’re wondering what those evaluation criteria are, here’s what they say about that:

Cost and financial aid (33%): We consider low sticker prices, generous need-based aid, and percentage of need met (the extent to which financial aid bridges the gap between the family’s expected contribution and the cost of attendance). More »

Have you ever been inside an amusement park’s “fun house”? Inside many fun houses is a room full of mirrors that give you a variety of images of how you look, at least in the reflection of those mirrors. Of course, the “fun” part is seeing yourself distorted by the various bends and contours of the mirrors’ construction. Well, finding out the “true” net cost of a college is a lot like being in that room full of mirrors. The truth is very often distorted.

A new report shows that six in 10 American families rule out some colleges based on sticker price, despite the fact that the net price, or the actual cost after grants, scholarships and other tuition discounts are factored in, is much lower, according to the American Enterprise Institute.

Let’s take a look at the key points of this informative report. Hopefully it will help you gain more confidence about considering colleges that you once thought beyond your reach. More »

Long ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to stop making New Year’s resolutions. You know the drill. Resolution: “Starting January 1, I will change my careless eating habits, get off the couch, and maintain a healthy diet while getting regular exercise, in order to lose 25 pounds.” Sound familiar?

Then reality sets in. By January 7, a week after your resolution kicked in, you are so sore from your “exercise” that you can barely get out of bed and make it down the steps for your pathetic little bowl of Special K. Plus, your dog and cat find new places to hide from you because you’re so cranky from being hungry and hurting all the time. That, in a nutshell is why I stopped making New Year’s resolutions. I’ve found that making significant lifestyle changes work better when they kick in during the summer months. It might have something to do with the weather being more accommodating.

Anyway, for all you college students out there (or those of you who are about to become college students), I’d like to share some wisdom from a cool article I found that discusses ways to make the coming year a more positive and hopefully more productive time in your academic life.

These suggestions come from Kelci Lynn Lucier, who has nearly ten years of full-time experience working with and at colleges, in positions ranging from a college admissions adviser for teenagers in foster care to a Program Officer at a consortium of twelve colleges in the Midwest. So, she knows what she’s talking about. Here are some excerpts from Kelci’s article. More »

Dealing with college financial aid offices can be tricky. Sure, they lay out the welcome mat before you apply: “We meet full demonstrated need!” “Merit scholarships available!” And so forth. The trick for wide-eyed rookie applicants and their parents is knowing how to read between the lines and interpret what isn’t written on that welcome mat.

In cruising the college-info-related Web the other day, I came across a very interesting article that speaks to this very situation. Although a year old, its message still rings true: Beware what financial aid officers don’t say. That’s where reading between the lines comes in. As I’ve said many times here, the higher-education deck is always stacked in favor of the colleges. That’s where your poker playing skills can come in handy.

So, what exactly lies between the lines of all that welcome mat vebiage? Here are some highlights from David Weliver’s and Annamaria Androitis’ helpful SmartMoney.com article. More »