169. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. Part 2: Answers to Readers’ Questions on Financial Aid, by Mark Kantrowitz - http://nyti.ms/eCJTTm

"Colleges do have flexibility in how they reduce the aid package. Some colleges will substitute the scholarship for their own grant funds, yielding no net financial benefit to the student. Other colleges will let the scholarship replace the loans, effectively reducing the out-of-pocket cost to the student. How the college reduces the need-based aid package will be specified in the college’s outside scholarship policy."

2. Gunning for the GAO, by Doug Lederman - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/f02H1O

"The report -- commissioned and released by the Coalition for Educational Success and conducted by the consulting firm Norton/Norris, which conducts its own "mystery shopper" reviews for what its principals say is a mix of for-profit and nonprofit colleges -- documents what its authors say are dozens of misrepresentations by the government agency that when taken together, they assert, seriously undermine its conclusions."

3. A Program Is Not a Plan, by John N. Gardner and Andrew K. Koch - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/dRCCXz

"Simply stated, higher education institutions in the United States focus heavily on student success programs, but rarely do they have a comprehensive plan to guide those programs. In the absence of a plan, redundancies and gaps occur, and retention stagnates. In short, a program or programs do not a successful plan make."

4. Tense time for workers, as career paths fade away, by Rick Hampson - http://usat.ly/gHOPfN - RT @USATODAY

"Although most economists expect the U.S. job market to register at least small gains this year, many Americans who have a job still fear losing it. Many who don't have a job fear they never will find one. And many in both camps worry that the recession, which officially ended a year and a half ago, speeded up inevitable changes in the workplace."

5. University Of Phoenix Enrollment Plunges 42% - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/12/university-of-phoenix-enr_n_807934.html

‎"The university and other for-profit colleges have recently faced increasing government and media scrutiny, due in large part to high student loan default rates, nefarious recruiting practices and low graduation rates. The average for-profit college graduation rate is 22 percent."

6. Dartmouth College, University of Chicago Get Record Undergrad Applications, by Janet Lorin - http://t.co/OmHcoNB via @BloombergNow

"Dartmouth’s total for the next academic year rose 16 percent to more than 21,700, from 18,778 a year earlier, Maria Laskaris, dean of admissions and financial aid, said today in a statement. Chicago’s total increased 12 percent to 21,669, from 19,374 a year earlier. . . ."

7. Tucson Shootings Suspect Worried College Officials, by Marc Lacey and Serge F. Kovaleski - http://nyti.ms/gndwj8

"Over all, there were seven contacts between Mr. Loughner and campus police in seven months, including two in one week. He clearly was on the radar screen of the authorities, though the documents suggest that they were uncertain how much of a threat he might be, or unclear on how to respond to him."

8. Dealing With Mental Disorders on Campus - Room for Debate - http://nyti.ms/i4alvb

"What are colleges to do with mentally disturbed students, given limited budgets and resources? What is the extent of a college's responsibility for keeping track of thousands of students, who may not be living on campus?"

9. For-Profits Break Monopoly on What College Can Be, by Peter Wood - http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/for-profit-colleges-on-the-brink-part-4/28299

"The deep value of for-profit education is that it breaks the practical monopoly on what a college can be."

10. Second-guessing red flags, action taken in Tucson case, by Mary Beth Marklein and Brad Heath - http://usat.ly/e0YWp1 - RT @USATODAY

‎"The college suspended Loughner last year for classroom and library disruptions, according to a statement from the school. Officials briefed his parents, and told Loughner to come back only after a mental health professional had assessed that he was not a danger to himself or others. After that, "there was no further college contact with Loughner," the college says."

11. Jared L. Loughner's Troubles at Pima Community College - http://documents.nytimes.com/jared-loughner-pima-community-college-documents?ref=us

Pima Community College released 51 pages of public safety reports and documents related to Jared L. Loughner, the former student charged with the mass shooting in Tucson."

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136. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

Follow the most important stories on college admissions and financial aid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rottenbornj

For links to articles on college admissions and financial aid, you can "friend" Joe Rottenborn at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544

"Like" the MVCAP fan page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544#!/pages/Mahoning-Valley-College-Access-Program-MVCAP/284002915922

You can join the group MVCAP Financial-Aid Friends at this page: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=126580419181

1. Four Sure-Fire Ways to Derail Your College Search, by Sue Biemeret http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/biemeret-3/#more-24669

‎"My mantra is simple: “The school that fits you best is the best school for you.” When a student finds a college that fits him academically, socially, emotionally and financially — and the college feels the exact same way about that student — fit happens and the college admission “game” is a win/win. But it’s so easy to stray off course, to make things other than fit matter. And when that happens, the college search can get messy, uncomfortable and just plain wrong. In that spirit, here are four easy ways to derail the college search:"

2. Consensus or Groupthink? - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/9p5Pet

"The convergence around the "college completion agenda" -- put simply, the now widely held view that the country must in the next 10-15 years significantly increase the number of Americans with a quality postsecondary credential -- has been driven by many factors, most notably the imprimatur of President Obama within the first weeks of his term. But arguably even more important has been the fact that the country's highest-profile foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the most visible foundation focused primarily on higher education, the Lumina Foundation for Education, have both thrust college completion to the top of their agendas."

3. Colleges Ask Prospective Students Creative Essay Questions http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/19/most-creative-college-ess_n_785443.html

"The University of Chicago is also famous for its unorthodox questions. According to the school's admissions homepage, the admissions essay is "an opportunity for students to tell us about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions. They can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between."

4. Top 10 Ways to Improve Students' Achievement and Create Learners - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pam-lowe/top-10-ways-to-improve-st_b_786205.html

"One of the major negatives is that change is rarely welcome. People tend to like the status quo and do not want the apple cart overturned. Our first year was fraught with change; change in vision, strategies, instructional methods and materials. Through it all, our staff preserved as we worked on our improvement. Over the course of my educational experience I've collected a list of criteria that I believe create an atmosphere ripe for improving student achievement. Here I will call it: Top 10 Ways to Improve Student Achievement and Create LearnersDisclaimer: This is by no means all that schools should be doing. Note that these are broad actions; there are many more detailed actions that need to be taken."

5. Early Decision Applications Are Soaring: Here's Why, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://t.co/d7Dtu6J

"Many elite schools that accept early decision and/or early action applications are experiencing more students applying to college through the early bird options. Vanderbilt University, for instance, received 1,666 early decision applications this year, which represents a 30% jump. Northwestern University’s early decision applications (2,127) soared 26% and the University of Chicago’s early action applications increased 18.5%.Students are applying earlier because at many schools they enjoy a greater chance of acceptance. Some schools are filling half of their classes with students who apply to college early."

6. Rise in College Applications Raises Concerns About Access, by Caralee Adams - http://t.co/2C5IHhX via @educationweek

"With the rise in applications for admission, more colleges are rejecting more students and becoming more selective. The report suggests this could close doors of opportunity for more low-income, first-generation students in all sectors, as these students typically are less certain of their academic goals, received less rigorous college preparation, and have more difficulty negotiating the college bureaucracies. Applying to more schools only to be rejected by more institutions also makes the application process more costly for students and schools, the report notes. While applying to more schools may give students more options for the best fit or the best financial aid package, the report shows growing evidence that financial aid investments are outstripping investments in teaching and learning in the classroom, ultimately canceling out the students' advantage."

7. Teaching for America, by Thomas L. Friedman - http://nyti.ms/dp5tJa

"Here are a few data points that the secretary of education, Arne Duncan, offered in a Nov. 4 speech: “One-quarter of U.S. high school students drop out or fail to graduate on time. Almost one million students leave our schools for the streets each year.... One of the more unusual and sobering press conferences I participated in last year was the release of a report by a group of top retired generals and admirals. Here was the stunning conclusion of their report: 75 percent of young Americans, between the ages of 17 to 24, are unable to enlist in the military today because they have failed to graduate from high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit.” America’s youth are now tied for ninth in the world in college attainment."

8. Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction -http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/technology/21brain.html?pagewanted=1&ref=general&src=me

"Researchers say the lure of these technologies, while it affects adults too, is particularly powerful for young people. The risk, they say, is that developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switching tasks — and less able to sustain attention. “Their brains are rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing,” said Michael Rich, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the Center on Media and Child Health in Boston. And the effects could linger: “The worry is we’re raising a generation of kids in front of screens whose brains are going to be wired differently.”

9. Download or print the free MVCAP Powerpoint presentation "Paying for College" at our site: http://issuu.com/mvcap/docs/paying_for_college

10. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj

127. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. What's Gained, and Lost, When the College Search and Application Are Virtually All Online, by Sue Biemeret - http://nyti.ms/atoCpo

‎"Today’s students can conduct their entire college search online. It’s wonderful! You can learn about internship opportunities, e-mail a department head to ask about a specific major, download and complete an application, submit your transcript and even learn of your admission decision all online. Students can access their college application account anywhere there’s an Internet connection, making the process portable and convenient. You can carry your entire academic future on a jump drive. When technology works, it is pure music. However, when it doesn’t work, it is pure chaos.What do you do when the “Details and Accomplishments” section of your Activities page on the Common App disappears? Or when your Docufide transcript doesn’t show up in your electronic file at Nirvana U? Whom do you call?No one. You can’t talk to anyone about your online application. You can e-mail the support center and they’ll get back to you within 24 hours. . . ."

2. Technology and the Completion Agenda - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/cV5em9

"Data analytics is shorthand for the method of warehousing, organizing, and interpreting the massive amounts of data accrued by online learning platforms and student information systems — now as elemental to higher education as classrooms and filing cabinets — in hopes of learning more about what makes students successful, then giving instructors (and the platforms themselves) the chance to nudge those students accordingly."

3. Proficiency of Black Students is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected, by Trip Gabriel http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/education/09gap.html?_r=2&hpw

“What this clearly shows is that black males who are not eligible for free and reduced-price lunch are doing no better than white males who are poor,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the council. The report shows that black boys on average fall behind from their earliest years. Black mothers have a higher infant mortality rate and black children are twice as likely as whites to live in a home where no parent has a job. In high school, African-American boys drop out at nearly twice the rate of white boys, and their SAT scores are on average 104 points lower. In college, black men represented just 5 percent of students in 2008."

4. The 10 Most Diverse Colleges - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/the-10-most-diverse-colleges_n_778373.html#s173581

"The schools that scored closer to one on the index are those "where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from racial or ethnic groups different from their own. "Racial categories include Hispanics, non-Hispanic African-Americans, non-Hispanic Whites, American Indians and Native Alaskans, and Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders."

5. 4 Weirdest Colleges You've Never Heard Of - http://bit.ly/avKrEn

‎"Here, HC lists four schools in the U.S. that you may have never heard of before, but now you’ll be glad you did."

6. Enlisting Armies of Compassion to Close College Gap http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-bridgeland/enlisting-armies-of-compa_b_777547.html

"Help in closing the college gap is certainly needed. Every year, more than 90 percent of low-income teenagers say they plan to attend college, but only half do. Only 20 percent who enter a two-year institution graduate within three, and about four in 10 students who enroll in four-year institutions will receive their degree in six years. At these rates, America's companies will continue to look abroad for skilled workers."

7. Scaling Education, by Shai Reshef - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shai-reshef/scaling-education_b_770566.html

"If we really want to accommodate everyone, especially working adults, we need to follow and build upon what the online universities have started. These universities were designed to be flexible, meeting the needs of the students and the marketplace. Both their schedules and their offered programs are built around these parameters. Additionally, online universities allow a greater number of students to enroll, given that there are no physical space restrictions. Therefore, the investments these institutions make are directly related to the number of students, not the number of buildings."

8. Why the U. of Chicago’s Story Matters, by Eric Hoover http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/why-the-u-of-chicago’s-story-matters/27695

"For one thing, Mr. Boyer describes the complex nature of the modern admissions office: in addition to evaluating applicants, it promotes the university and its virtues on a national (if not global) scale. And admissions outcomes (measured in application totals, admission rates, and “yield”) shape the public’s perceptions of colleges. In turn, those perceptions can enhance colleges’ literal and figurative fortunes."

9. Eight Ways to Avoid For-Profit School Scams RT @newsweek http://bit.ly/9DJEtD

"They accept any student who applies, selling themselves as a more convenient education with more flexible scheduling than traditional competitors. These schools now enroll 1.8 million students—a near-sixfold burst from just several years ago. The industry's leader, University of Phoenix, rivals the enrollment size of the State University of New York and has enough students (about 443,000) to make it one of the largest higher-education systems in the country. On one hand, this growth is good news for students: more options make it easier to find the massage-therapy certification that the local community college didn't offer or to take courses online instead of commuting to a classroom. But the profit motive can be a nasty thing: investigative reporters and government inspectors have caught for-profit colleges using all sorts of underhanded tactics that hit students in the pocketbook, from overcharging for classes to pushing applicants toward unnecessary education loans. . . ."

10. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj