Out-of-State Students May fix the UC Budget
Posted on January 5, 2009
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Mike Dang
Dream of moving to eternally-sunny California to go to college? Now may be your best chance. The Los Angeles Times reports that UC officials are exploring the possibility of admitting more out-of-state applicants to boost revenues in face of a massive 10 percent budget cut. California natives currently pay about $8,100 in fees while out-of-towners pay an extra $20,000 — half of which is profit for the system. Lt. Gov. John Garamendi says chasing this kind of money as a substitute for state money is bad public policy, but UC regent Judith Hopkinson said the financial and social benefits provided by a more geographically diverse student body should be considered:
“We ought to look at it,” she said. “Because I believe it is in the financial benefit of the university in the long run, I like to keep an open eye to all options.”
Only six percent of undergrads are out-of-state students at UC schools compared to a national average of 16 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education. With a record number of UC applications received this year, California may have a way to keep their colleges afloat — they just have to think outside the state.
Words to Watch in 2009
Posted on January 5, 2009
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
Happy New Year! Got any word-related resolutions? The Word Warriors at Wayne State University do. They’re making it their mission to bring some multi-syllable joy back to the English language, highlighting a big new/old word every week in the hope that people will start injecting a little color into their daily vocab, beyond “LOL” and “jk dude.” This week’s word is “insouciance,” as in, “All that holiday-related insouciance has gone out the window now that I’m back to work/school/working on my college applications.”
On the flip side of the word wars is Lake Superior State University, who has just published their 2009 List of Banished Words. Among the overused, over-it buzzwords are “going green,” “maverick,” “bailout,” “staycation,” “not so much,” and the entire phrase, “It’s that time of year again.” I don’t think I can give up “not so much” so easily, but it’s still a noble mission. Here’s to some better language in 2009!
University of Washington Senior Shot By Police
Posted on January 2, 2009
Under News, Police Blotters | By Lucas Kavner
Well, this is a strange story. According to the Seattle Times, police shot and killed Wash U senior Miles Allen Murphy early Thursday morning after responding to a complaint from a local resident. The resident said several men were “shooting vintage, military-style rifles and shotguns into a dark alley” behind their Seattle home. When police arrived at Murphy’s apartment, Murphy opened the door wearing a WWII-era German uniform and “brandishing a long rifle with a bayonet,” which he raised up and pointed at the officers. After repeatedly warning him to drop the weapon, the officers shot him “several times.” He died in the hospital on Thursday morning.
Murphy was a frequent World War II re-enacter and history buff. Friends said that Murphy would “entertain at parties by playing everything from old German folk songs to Britney Spears tunes on his accordion.” Murphy also played a variety of instruments and spoke German and Swedish quite fluently. He’d hoped to eventually become a professor of German literature. During a service in Murphy’s honor, fellow student Spencer Bray said that he’d never heard the “peaceful” Murphy “espouse any Nazi ideology; none of that interested him. He liked the physical stuff from WWII because he was such a history buff.” (Source: Seattle Times)
The Screen-to-Screen College Interview
Posted on January 2, 2009
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Mike Dang
High school students are used to filling out college applications online, so it’s no surprise to find them using the ‘nets to interview with admissions officers. According to the AP, college webcam interviews may soon become just another part of of the admissions process, and will save families from spending a ton of cash to travel hundreds of miles for a 30-minute face interview. So far, Wake Forest University is the first to lead the pack for the undergraduate level, but as colleges adjust their admissions process for applicants who grew up using the Internet, webcam interviews are expected to increase. Although critics say changing the process will give cam-less students a disadvantage, others say a resistance to change could have worse effects. Carrie Marcinkevage, director of MBA admissions at Pennsylvania State’s Smeal College of Business, where webcam interviews for applicants have been the norm for three years, said using applications such as Skype and Google Instant Messaging help colleges communicate better with students.
“It’s literally a matter of speaking their language. I don’t think it’s the students. It’s the unfamiliarity of the staff that doesn’t know how to use it,” said Marcinkevage, cautioning that the virtual world should not replace an actual campus visit when students make their final choice.
We suspect colleges will keep an eye on how successful Wake Forest is with their webcams and then make the technological jump. After all, it’s 2009 now.
Thank you, sir! May I have another college cliche?
Posted on December 30, 2008
Under Culture, Media | By Ester Bloom
The classic college movie Animal House is part artifact, part rallying cry, and part advertisement for American university way of life. It is also now thirty years old and, considering the state of its liver, about due for a mid-life crisis, at least on the part of administrators:
Perhaps Dean Wormer has given way to Dean Coddler. Administrators from other countries, Mr. Sandeen says, now tease their American counterparts about “babying” their students. On the modern campus, Bluto’s bad behavior and failing grades surely would cause administrators, staff members, and resident assistants to intervene long before his cumulative average fell anywhere close to the 0.0 he carries at Faber.
Fair enough! So what and where is today’s Bluto?
Bluto has become an obsolete archetype, according to Mr. Engelman. … Or maybe Bluto has just become harder to spot. After all, many students who drink excessively are not “fat, drunk, and stupid,” as Dean Wormer describes one Delta brother. They are often clean-cut, high-achieving, and smart.
Now that’s booze for thought.
(Source: Chronicle of Higher Ed)
More U.S. Students Headed North of the Border for College
Posted on December 30, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
Oh, Canada! We love their universal health care, cheap prescription drugs, and maple syrup. And it looks like more American students are learning to love their institutions of higher education. According to the Boston Globe, the number of U.S. students attending college across our friendliest border has doubled since 2001. What attracts the 9,000 Americans going way-out-of-state? For one thing, the tuition is lower, U.S. financial aid can be applied to Canadian schools, and the American dollar is goin’ strong against the loonie. Did we mention the drinking age is 18 AND/OR 19 (depending on your province-of-choice)? And that hockey players are really cute? Sure, their spring-break beaches kind of suck, but that’s what America is for.
Athletes’ SAT Scores Really Are That Bad
Posted on December 29, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Gross
Dumb jock jokes are more than just rib-poking.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, at least, is out to prove they’re based in truth. In a study of 54 public universities across the country, released yesterday, the paper revealed that football players’ SAT scores were 220 points lower than their peers’. (Basketball players fared even worse.)
Then again, these schools’ brainiacs likely would fare poorly on the football team. Talent isn’t just a matter of test-taking prowess:
“If the university says they’d help us meet team needs, that’s as important as finding an oboist for the orchestra,” said Nancy McDuff, the University of Georgia’s associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management.
(Source: MSNBC)
The Problem with Paper Towels
Posted on December 29, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
If your New Year’s resolution is to be a little more green, here’s a good way to get started. The New York Times’ Green Inc. blog interviewed Rob Gogan, recycling and waste manager at Harvard University, who revealed that paper towels alone account for between 20 and 40 percent of waste thrown out by office buildings and dorms. Most dorms don’t allow for the luxury of hand towels, and anyone who’s ever tried those air-powered hand dryers knows they take a lot longer to dry you off than a simple wipe. So how does Harvard plan on cutting back in 2009?
Unfortunately, getting dry hands without generating high volumes of waste is easier said than done. Some Harvard dorm bathrooms are now decked out in helpful stickers reminding kids to use paper towels considerately. They’ve considered recycling the towels, but bathroom garbage (full of non-towel materials) needs to be sorted, and paper towels themselves contain little recyclable fiber. Harvard may try composting the towels, as will San Francisco State University. But paper towels are a surprisingly tricky proposition, and few organizations have found a waste-reduction solution that sticks. If the idea of a communal towel freaks you out, just try cutting down on the number of sheets you grab after you wash your hands. The trees will thank you (or at least the Lorax will).
Happy Holidays from the Prereq!
Posted on December 23, 2008
Under The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
The adorable dog says it all. We’re out of here to get some holiday spirit going–we’ll be back next week!
College Application Update: The Good, the Bad, and Even More Bad
Posted on December 22, 2008
Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Jessica Dye
Despite attempts to inject a little holiday cheer into current events, the latter half of 2008 has been a major buzzkill for colleges. The New York Times reported today that, while early decision and early action apps are up at many private colleges, the regular decision pile is dwindling, big time. Sure, the January deadlines might still be far off for high schoolers who like the last-minute essay-writing adrenaline rush, but admissions officials aren’t sure a day-before deluge is in store this year.
While not every private college is suffering a regular-decision shortage, the NYT’s anecdotal evidence is still pretty awful: Regular apps are already down 30 percent at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, 14 percent behind at Colby College, and 15 percent down at Gettysburg College. The good news is that early applications are going gangbusters–but that’s not enough to fill an entire class. When Beloit College in Wisconsin enrolled 36 fewer students than it had budgeted for, they were forced to cut 40 staff positions.
The scene at public schools, meanwhile, is a mixed bag for other reasons. Applications are flooding in, thanks to the bargain prices, but state budgets aren’t providing enough financial leeway to let them all in. An undergrad admissions officer at Penn State University told the NYT that they’ve already received 2,000 more applications than they had at this time last year, and, of admission offers already out there, they had 500 more acceptances than usual. It’s like “The Gift of the Magi” for college admissions officers…let’s just hope there’s a heartwarming little moral tied up at the end of this one, too.
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