Economy to blame for lack of education

As I've noted before, it's hard to pay for college. Tuition alone is outrageously expensive, and the cost of textbooks and living only increases the exorbitant price of higher education. According to an article in today's issue of The Tartan, Carnegie Mellon's student newspaper, 70 percent of students who choose not to attend college do so because of economic reasons.

It saddens me that many students are robbed of the chance to further their learning because they are limited by funding. I don't think that's right. If you ask me, it's time for the government to step in and solve this problem. Because, as expensive as college might be, the benefits reaped from attending a university far outweigh the cost.

What do you think? Feel free to post your comments.

Professor evaluations 2.0

An untraditional list of best professors and institutions was released this morning by marketwatch.com. Unfortunately, this ranking probably won't be taken into consideration by news magazines as they compile their issues about the best colleges across the nation. That's a shame, because I'm willing to bet that this rating system is fairly accurate.

The winners were not determined by the amount of financial aid the schools provide or the breadth of their academic programs. These top finishers were chosen by students on ratemyprofessors.com. The Web site allows the people who are actually experiencing a professor or the college to cast their vote. That sounds like a smart idea to me.

And here's the extra fun part: Marietta College has a page on this site. If you'd like to visit it and cast your vote, click here

After all, people should know the truth.

College on the coast

It's snowing in Marietta today. And regardless of how many of us love the floating flakes, there are a vocal few who wish they were somewhere warm. Too bad they didn't go to a beach school.

Nowadays, you can choose a college simply because of its location. A Saturday article from signonsandiego.com humorously titled "College life's a beach" included a list of the top ten surfing colleges in America. I mean, colleges that are located on a beach and therefore provide students with the opportunity to go surfing. Whatever.

I guess you could pick a college merely because of it's proximity to the ocean. But should you? A couple more months of snow, and it may not look like such a bad idea.

Adjusting to college made easy

An article in today's online version of U.S. News & World provides African American students tips for feeling more comfortable on a primarily white college campus. I think that this is a great idea, but I would argue that the advice can be used to benefit students of all races. For most scholars, college doesn't immediately feel like home. That said, I have tweaked the list of helpful hints and included it below:

1. Identify resources

2. Immerse yourself in the campus culture

3. Attend class regularly.

4. Find a faculty mentor.

5. Find a sympathetic upperclassperson

6. Find a "cohort."

7. ...but also go outside of the "community."

8. Establish and maintain a spiritual network.

I would encourage you to read the original article for even more ideas.

'High impact activities' a must

According to an article from the Nov. 10 issue of USA Today, college students learn best when they participate in "high impact activities," such as community service, internships, or study abroad. Apparently, it's best not only to gain knowledge about a concept but to implement those lessons learned by doing and experiencing.

I'm proud to say that Marietta has hit the nail on the head when it comes to making sure that students have the opportunity to participate in all these activities. Many majors actually require that students have an international experience or an internship, and the college proudly participates in Make a Difference Day and Community Service Day each year.

Feel free to post comments about your thoughts on these experiences.

Presidential election over

All the mudslinging and campaigning is over. Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. It happened so quickly that I didn't even realize a final decision had been made. The polls hadn't even closed before John McCain gave his concession speech.

Whether or not you support Obama, this election was still a monumental even for a country and, I believe, a step forward. That's pretty cool.

But you have your own feelings about this election. Please feel free to post your comments below.

'Overscheduling' not always the best choice

Apparently, it is a miracle that I have not failed at life yet. This is because I am an over-scheduled overachiever, and, according to an article that was posted today on bnd.com, people like me are not on the path to success. Despite our best efforts, our impressive list of after-school activities are not enough to get us into college. Actually, they may keep us out.

The article states that what colleges look at when choosing a student really is the scholar's transcript. The current belief is that, if students focused on one or two activities and dedicated the rest of the time to their schooling, they'd be much better candidates for elite colleges.

I'm not sure that this argument holds much weight. (This may be an appropriate time to mention that I had a perfect GPA and a slew of extra-curricular activities and AP classes, but no one wanted me.) If you ask me, I think it's more important to be a well-rounded individual than a straight A student.