Here’s some exciting news from The Governator’s state, California:

“. . . a University of California regents panel on Wednesday approved a 32 percent fee increase for undergraduate and graduate students, including a midyear increase that will hit students’ pocketbooks in January.”

Here’s the scoop from the LA Times: More »

The relentless search for tax revenue is taking an increased interest in college students. As Hillary Clinton said, “We tax everything that moves and doesn’t move . . .”

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Democratic mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, wants to tax the tuition that Pittsburgh’s college students pay. As if going to college wasn’t expensive enough. Check this out:  More »

What do you think of when you hear the word “posse”? I think of movies about the wild west. “Round up a posse and we’ll bring that varmint to justice!” Posses have a generally negative connotation. Check out these formal definitions:

So you think you’re ready for college, eh? I remember how I fancied myself a good writer when I was in high school. Then, in my college freshman English class, I got the first D of my life on a paper I wrote about Billy Budd. I wanted to jump overboard just before walking the plank.

I quickly made the necessary adjustments to my compositional style, though, and went on to become a famous Internet blogger [insert loud laughter here]. Seriously, now’s the time, high schoolers, to take a good, hard look in the Mirror of Truth to see just how well prepared you are for college. Here’s what can happen if you gloss over those gaping shortcomings before that crucial first semester on campus: More »

I was just thinking about this while walking the other day. Just what, exactly, is college for, anyway?

I deal with many high schoolers who go on to college and maintain contact with some of them over the years. Of course, I have two children who went through the college experience, as did I (back, as I always say, when dinosaurs roamed the earth). In thinking about my question, I wondered if the true, idealistic purpose of “higher education” has ever completely realized among the majority of the millions who have passed through the ivy gates.

Well, as luck would have it (there are no coincidences, you know), I found a cool article by John M. Crisp, who teaches in the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. He has answered my question, in some ways more completely than I could have answered it myself, even after an extra-long walk. Here’s his opinion of what college is all about: More »

If you are a high school student, let me ask you a question. Does your school have an honor code? If so, I’d like to know how well it works. Please drop our readers some information about that in the Comments section below.

If your school doesn’t have an honor code and you’re headed to college, perhaps it might help you to know what to expect when you go to a college that expects its students to follow one. Here’s some helpful information about the primary purpose of Codes: More »

In my experience counseling high school seniors, I often hear the question, “Hey, how important–really–are test scores?” That’s a good question, especially in light of all the schools these days that have opted out of the mandatory test score submission arena.

There are varying opinions about the relative importance of the SAT I and ACT. In my professional view, however, I think that colleges are loathe to admit just how important they view test scores, even the test-optional schools. Why? Well, professing too much emphasis on scores makes them look somewhat mono-dimensional and detracts from their contention that they use a “holistic methodology” (wow, cool phrase there, huh?) to give their applicants a fair-shake, broad-swath look.

Anyway, our test-prep friends over at IvyBound.net have issued an interesting statement about the importance of test scores. Here are some excerpts: More »

Let’s talk about motivations. One of the crucial fundamentals is analyzing the first thing that comes into your head about the elite college admissions process. Have you ever thought: “Hey, I never had the chance to go Ivy when I was a kid. So now, by gosh, my kid’s gonna get that chance”? If so, you may suffer from VKS. You may be trying to relive your life through that of your kid’s. Lots of potential land mines here, folks.

Okay. What exactly does vicarious mean? In general, it means, “taking the place of another person.” You have to ask yourself the hard question: “Do I want my kid to seek Ivy so that the ‘prestige’ [whatever that means] will rub off on me?” Be honest. You’re reading this in private and no one is impatiently waiting for your answer. Just nod your head if it’s true. You don’t have to attend a VKSers Anonymous meeting, stand up, and say, “Hello. My name is Dave Berry and I want to live vicariously through my kid.” Just be aware of your stance here. More »

With all the shrieking about corporate executives’ pay, along with that pay czar dude’s pontifications, one has to wonder about the rationale for some of the compensation levels bestowed on college presidents. The new numbers are out and some of them are rather amazing.

The New York Times reports a rather amazing statistic. More »

Part of the appeal of being at college is being able to hop aboard super-fast computer networks. This, of course, opens multiple doors for creative minds that need little sleep. One of the more popular activities is file sharing–downloading songs, movies, and other copyrighted materials from the Web and then creating your own awesome archives to enjoy when you’re not watching reruns of The Office on TV while studying for that Bio mid-term.

Of course, file sharing can be risky business. You may have read about the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) suing 16 Cornell University students for copyright infringement. There are other examples of such litigation, so what’s an enterprising collegian to do? Well, here’s some very savvy advice: More »