138. MVCAP fyi

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1. U. of Virginia Explains Its Return to Early-Admissions Arena, by Jacques Steinberg -http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/virginia/

‎"The 22,500 students who applied for the 3,240 seats in the current freshman class represented an increase of 4,000, or 22 percent, over applications three years earlier. With U.V.A.’s decision over that same period to accept the Common Application — which helped add to its popularity by making it easier to apply — the institution seemed to have little incentive to bring back early admissions. And yet. . . ."

2. Flogging For-Profit Colleges, by Doug Lederman - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/elgJF2

"The study, released Tuesday by Education Trust, largely repackages previously published data on higher education companies -- their booming enrollments (particularly of minority and low-income students), escalating dependence on federal financial aid, relatively low graduation rates (compared to most public and independent four-year colleges), and high student debt and default levels . . . ."

3. Opening Up Dormitories, by David Moltz - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/eOrJmo

"The institutions are a half mile apart, Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti and Washtenaw in Ann Arbor. The university is also the top transfer destination of students from the community college. But when Eastern Michigan had extra dorm space to spare, the two institutions drew even closer. “They approached us,” said Linda Blakey, Washtenaw associate vice president of student services, of Eastern Michigan officials."

4. College Student Borrowing On The Rise: Pew Report - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/23/college-student-borrowing_n_787587.html

"The rise in attendance numbers at private, for-profit colleges has caused the uptick in student borrowing, Pew reports: Over the past decade, the private for-profit sector has expanded more rapidly than either the public or private not-for-profit sectors. In 2008, these institutions granted 18% of all undergraduate awards, up from 14% in 2003."

5. Rise of College Student Borrowing, by Rebecca Hinze-Pifer & Richard Fry http://pewsocialtrends.org/2010/11/23/the-rise-of-college-student-borrowing/

‎"Undergraduate college student borrowing has risen dramatically in recent years. Graduates who received a bachelor’s degree in 20081 borrowed 50% more (in inflation-adjusted dollars) than their counterparts who graduated in 1996, while graduates who earned an associate’s degree or undergraduate certificate in 2008 borrowed more than twice what their counterparts in 1996 had borrowed. . . ."

6. Where College Hoops Reign Supreme: Best Colleges for Basketball Fans - http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/best-colleges-to-attend-for-basketball-fans/

"There are many students that choose a college based on the quality of a school’s athletic program. If you’re one of those students looking for a school with a top-notch basketball team, this list is for you."

7. Don't Let the Student Loan Crisis Kill Families, by Jennifer Openshaw - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-openshaw/act-now-to-avoid-college-_b_786531.html

"As students take on more debt -- $14,000 on average for those earning just associate degrees at the for-profits -- the default rates are growing. Some $275 billion in loans made to students at for-profit colleges will default over the next 10 years. In fact, these for-profit universities represent 10% of all university students, yet they account for 43% of all student-loan defaults, according to the Department of Ed. . . ."

8. International Students: Who Is Attending American Universities, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://t.co/JEdmr8m

"The influx of international students is hardly new. Since 2006, every college admission cycle has attracted more foreign students who are eager to study in the United States. Chinese students are the biggest source of international students by far, according to the annual Open Doors report conducted by the Institute of International Education."

9. Report Finds Low Graduation Rates at For-Profit Colleges, by Tamar Lewin - http://nyti.ms/fqGCuv

"A new report on graduation rates at for-profit colleges by a nonprofit research and advocacy group charges that such colleges deliver “little more than crippling debt,” citing federal data that suggests only 9 percent of the first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree students at the University of Phoenix, . . . ."

10. Report Faults For-Profit Colleges As Providers of 'Subprime Opportunity', by Kevin Kiley - http://chronicle.com/article/Report-Faults-For-Profit/125486/

"The report finds that, on average, only 22 percent of students who enroll in four-year-degree programs at for-profit colleges graduate within six years, compared with 55 percent and 65 percent at public and private nonprofit colleges, respectively. But there was wide variation within the for-profit sector."

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134. MVCAP fyi

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1. College job market to see slight rebound MSU News Michigan State University http://t.co/122LM4m

"Overall hiring is expected to increase 3 percent, with bachelor’s-level and MBA-level hiring both surging 10 percent, said Phil Gardner, director of MSU’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute, which conducted the survey of some 4,600 employers. Geographically, the Great Lakes region, which took the brunt of the recession, will see a robust 13 percent increase in bachelor’s-level hiring, which is tops in the nation, Gardner predicts. The region consists of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.But the good news should be taken with a word of caution, Gardner said. An uptick in job growth is simply the first step out of a very deep hole, he said, and hardly represents a return to the heady economic days of the late 1990s and early 2000s."

2. How to Define College Readiness? Good Question, by Catherine Gewertz http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/11/lest_you_harbor_any_doubt.html

"What happened here? The Tribune analyzed how ACT's "college readiness benchmarks" lined up with schools' own ideas of their students' preparedness. At some of Illinois' most well-regarded high schools, as it turns out, rather substantial portions of students are falling short of the ACT's benchmarks, which are supposed to indicate how ready they are to succeed in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework.Predictably, this sort of thing can prompt some squirming and defensiveness in high schools that are used to elite distinctions. But it takes us back to that persistent question: Exactly how do you define college readiness?"

3. UVA Announces Early-Action Plan, by Eric Hoover http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/uva-announces-early-action-plan/27710

"In 2011, early applicants would apply to Virginia by November 1 and receive a decision in January. Successful applicants would have until May 1 to accept or decline their admission offers, and they would be able to apply to other colleges—under early-action, early-decision, or regular-decision programs. Several selective colleges have some version of an early-action program, but restrictions vary. Georgetown University, for instance, tells its early applicants that they may apply to other colleges’ early-action and regular-decision plans, but not to a binding early-decision plan.Greg Roberts, Virginia’s dean of admission, said he and his staff considered a variety of early programs over the last six months. “This provides the most flexibility and freedom for students,” he says. “It’s the type of plan that will result in the most diverse applicant pool.”

4. Black Students’ Proficiency: Cutting to the Chase, by John Jensen http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/education_organizations/102927.html

"African-American boys especially need deliberate retention of knowledge. Consider the kid and the bicycle accident we noted above. What’s the equivalent of an educational 911 call for the kindergartner already way behind? It’s to replace an osmosis model with a retention model. This becomes particularly obvious when the deficit can be clearly diagnosed and the diagnosis tells us what’s missing. If he’s missing a thousand words of vocabulary, a thousand words spelled, a thousand pages read, and a thousand number sets processed, is there a mystery here requiring a multi-year study? That his mother wasn’t swift at math, his dad is overseas, and his brothers are into sports doesn’t change his deficit. Call 911. If it’s a mystery to anyone exactly what the median, standard response is to repair the educational equivalent of a broken bone, our system is much worse off than anyone is facing. More of an osmosis model is not an adequate substitute for an effective retention model applied student by student."

5. Nearly one-third of students studied online last year - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/collegeinc/2010/11/survey_nearly_13_of_students_s.html

"The survey is a collaboration between the Babson Survey Research Group and the College Board and is "the leading barometer of online learning in the United States," according to a release. For-profit colleges and career-oriented public campuses have been swift to embrace online learning. Prestigious public and private colleges have been slower. It was a big deal last year when the University of North Carolina appeared to become the first flagship public school to require students to take a class -- Spanish 101 -- online."

6. Some sweet college essay advice (from a student) - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campusoverload/2010/11/some_sweet_college_essay_advic.html

"Today's guest blogger is Jimmy Mayers, a senior English major at St. Lawrence University in New York. Before you tense up, close your eyes, take a deep breath. The college essay is one of the most famous parts of the college application -- and for good reason. Here you can paint a picture of yourself that stands out from the numbers in your test scores and transcripts. So, if you're nervous about writing your college essay, change gears. Suspend your disbelief, as any good literature teacher would say, and accept for a moment that you're going to write a great college essay. Here are a few pointers:"

7. The Most Political Colleges: Top 10 Schools Where Students Follow The Beltway As Closely As Their Studies Unigo http://t.co/SEJcIuu

"As students, political activism is a compelling way to bring that entire body of knowledge together and truly make a difference. While some say activism during the collegiate years is declining, over 30,000 student votes paint a different picture, one in which political activity is a vibrant, integral part of the academic experience."

8. Jocktastic! Top 10 Schools Where Sports Rule Unigo http://t.co/Hjcs3XY

"Sure, there are some students who chose to observe sports from afar (or not at all), but for most, being obsessed with college sports is a way of life. We scored 30,000 student votes to identify the Top 10 Schools where the Big Game is a Really Big Deal."

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