30 Ways to Rate a College

We’ve always been a bit suspicious of the usefulness of college rankings, believing that it is up to the individual to decide, based on their own criteria, which schools top their lists of “Best Colleges”. This powerful graphic by the Chronical of Higher Ed show that the college rankers themselves (Forbes, U.S. News, etc.) have also “personalized” their college lists by selecting their own criteria on which they rank colleges. Interestingly, there is very ... more >>

America's Best Colleges

According to a new report by Forbes, Williams is the college that best meets students needs. Having just visited Williams last month, I can tell you that the campus is stunning, the facilities are state-of-the-art, the faculty are very impressive, and their Tutorials Program, based loosely on the tutorial style teaching at Oxford and Cambridge, make this a top-notch place to live and learn. It seems like a no-brainer to encouage students to apply here. ... more >>

Backpacks amoung the breifcases

Some students thrive on the noise and excitement of urban life and are excited about the many unique opportunities of living in a city. However, for some, being a college student in New York places them in a strange nether-world between “tourist” and “resident” and the thrill of being a self-sufficient, independent urbanite is muted by the effort it takes to take buses to classes, figure out what to wear, and learn how to fit in. ... more >>

Admissions office probes applicants\' scary depths

It turns out that it’s not just me who thinks that sometimes seniors’ final choice of college is – let’s just say it – whimsical. After a year of visiting, touring, researching, discussing, and agonizing you’d expect a thoughtful, well-reasoned decision when the final college choice is made, but often when I ask them to explain why they made their choice, the reply is simply, “It just felt right.”

It turns out that, when making ... more >>

Tenure, RIP: What the Vanishing Status Means for the Future of Education

Facing finacial pressures, colleges and universities are increasingly turning to adjunct faculty to teach their classes. The downside may be that students’ educational experiences will be compromised. And, with fewer tenured faculty, who will dare to be the voice of dissent on campus?

New Policies Accomodate Transgender Students

Colleges are working to figure out how to best accomodate their transgendered students. While there seem to be no easy solutions, some colleges are instituting gender-neutral dormitories.

A new set of rankings for colleges has just been have released. Payscale has compared the return on investment (ROI) for over 800 colleges and has posted the study on their website Average-cost-for-college-ROI. . With the high cost attending private colleges families are clearly questioning whether it’s worth the investment. We are certianly hearing that more and more in our offices and understand as well as appreciate the appropriateness of the question. While useful as one of the factors in ... more >>

Experts Ponder the Future of the American University

In reponse to the globalization of commerce and culture, increased accessibility of information, and changing demographics in developed countries colleges and universities are being forced to rethink their traditional models of education. The University of Phoenix is, in many ways, on the leading edge of some of these changes and it will be interesting to watch how other schools respond.

4 Reasons why the library should affect your college choice

I’ve always been a fan of libraries as a place to study, read quietly, and hang out with friends. But with the advent of Kindle and the ready availability of information on-line, schools and colleges are starting to question if and why they should devote space and capital resources to maintaining their libraries. Here are some compelling reasons why libraries are, and should remain, the hub of a school’s ... more >>

School is almost over and now is the time to plan those college visits. Summer can be a great time to visit colleges especially those that are a greater distance from home. Admissions offices are also now scheduling interviews as well. Without missing school or having to worry about school obligations you can take advantage of the summer to tour college campuses and interview.