Universities Weblog

Shoppers often consider several options before deciding on a purchase: cost, quality, return policies. Should 'shopping' for the right college be any different?

But for parents and students mulling one of the biggest investments of their lives, a college education, comparison shopping is nearly impossible. The most popular college guides tell more about the test scores of incoming students than about how many came out four years later with a degree. While the federal government calculates graduation rates, nearly 50% of students are missing from the data.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings wants to change that. Last month, she proposed a privacy-protected database that would collect information on all students attending college. It would open the way to comparative data and greater accountability. But given the controversy the proposal has kicked up, Spellings will likely need a go-ahead from Congress to spend money on it.

What do you think? Is collecting this data going too far? Or do potential students, and their parents, have a right to all the facts before making one of the biggest and most important purchases of their lives?

(Source: University of Virginia)

On the heels of similar decisions at Harvard and Princeton, the University of Virginia has dropped its early admissions program, citing disadvantages for low-income students.

"This action is an effort to remove an identified barrier to qualified low-income students and their families who have long believed that top-tier universities were not within their reach," said University President John T. Casteen III in a press release. "It is a logical next step in the ongoing effort to remedy flaws in the national and state systems of financial aid for needy students, to provide incentives for all students to pursue the most rigorous high school programs of which they are capable, and thus to qualify for admission to the top colleges, to broaden the range of economic diversity represented within the student body.

"It has become the case since about 1990 that few students from low-income families have applied for early decision," Casteen said. "The reasons are several, but in the end the effect of early decision nationally and here in Virginia appears to be that the opportunity that early decision has represented has come somehow to be the property of our most advantaged applicants rather than the common property of all applicants.

"The message is that the playing field is level for all who aspire to compete for admission, and thus that secondary schools everywhere should both promote enrollment in Advanced Placement and other top courses and encourage students who seize the challenge to apply to any college or university that might be their goal."

To hear more about UVA's decision, listen to this podcast featuring dean of admissions John Blackburn.

(Source: Boston College)

Advocates of the liberal arts claim that such an education prepares one for life, not just a career. Those representing more vocational (pre-professional) tracks, such as business or communications, argue that their graduates get better jobs, and faster. How does a prospective student decide?

Read this piece, courtesy of Fox.com, to learn more. And while you're at it, have a look at Fox's expanded coverage of "college life."

(Source: Columbia University)

The recent moves by Harvard and Princeton to drop early decision admissions options have rekindled debate about the merits and shortcomings of such programs. Observers are curious if other Ivies will follow suit. So far, none of the schools is willing to drop early decision and lose its inherent advantages.

Here's how the AP captured it:

The recent decisions by Harvard and Princeton to drop early admissions have reignited a spirited debate: is ending the practice a recipe for making the college application process better, or worse?

Many support the changes, saying early admissions – particularly early decision – "structurally" discriminates against disadvantaged students. They say poorer families won't risk committing to one school without seeing what kind of financial aid they are offered elsewhere. And their guidance counselors may lack the expertise to properly advise them.

Read the rest here.

(Source: MIT)

I hate to do it. I really do.

But because it was in the news and because it pounds a useful drum, here goes. Courtesy of CNN, we have an article on (exhale…) admissions anxiety. Yes, it's true. There are some students who harbor the I've-gotta-get-into-the-Ivies-or-I'll-just-die syndrome. They push themselves too far, physically and emotionally, and their parents certainly don't help. This piece shows us once more that it's cool to just chill out and not press so hard.

Let me reiterate: Don't panic. Your world won't end if an Ivy name is emblazoned on a thin envelope. You'll survive. You'll get a job. You'll have a life. No one will care.

Get. Over. It. And tell your parents to knock it off.

(Source: Princeton University)

It was bound to happen. As I reported last week, Harvard dropped its Early Action admissions option. I suggested other Ivies would follow suit.

Up first? Princeton, which just announced that it, too, will eliminate Early Decision. Unlike Harvard's, Princeton's program was binding, meaning that applicants couldn't apply elsewhere. Almost half of Princeton's entering class was admitted early.

Who's next? (Are you listening, Yale?)

(Source: Forbes.com)

Got the admissions scene all scoped out? Know all the tricks that'll ensure a thick envelope? You may not.

Test your Ivy acumen against this Forbes feature called "College Admissions Myths." It includes tips on essay writing, extracurricular activities, AP courses, grades and affirmative action. Worth a look.

(Source: University of California-Berkeley)

In only 125 years, California sure has assembled an impressive history of higher education. The rise of world-class public institutions such as Berkeley and UCLA. The Free Speech movement of the 1960s. The ascendancy of Stanford to the top ranks. The proliferation of community colleges. The Game. The Play ("The band is out on the field!").

To commemorate that history, the L.A. Times has produced a series of articles, which you can find in this special section. It's a must read for left coasters.

(Source: harvard university)

Beginning next year, applicants to Harvard will no longer have the option of applying early. Such policies have come under attack in recent years from opponents who claim early decision programs put undue stress on students and disadvantage those from the lower socio-economic rungs of society. Harvard offered an early action program, a non-binding option that allowed students to go elsewhere even if admitted. Many elite schools, though, prohibit students from considering other choices when applying early. Critics charge that these varying options confuse families and, in some cases, prevent them from maximizing financial aid packages.

What are the implications for early decision programs in toto? Harvard's influence might lead others to abandon their programs for egalitarian purposes. More importantly, the other elites will no longer have to fear losing candidates to Harvard by eliminating their programs. Harvard already has enough of an advantage in the admissions game; now that it has dropped early action, Ivy brethren can follow suit and not lose even more ground.

So far, none of the other Ivies have responded in kind. Time will tell.

Here's how the New York Times reported the story:

Harvard University, breaking with a major trend in college admissions, says it will eliminate its early admissions program next year, with university officials arguing that such programs put low-income and minority applicants at a distinct disadvantage in the competition to get into selective universities.

Many admissions deans and high school guidance counselors greeted Harvard's decision – which is to go into effect for applicants in the fall of 2007 – with astonishment and delight.

You can read the rest here.

Today, of course, marks the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Like every other American old enough to remember, I recall where I was when I first heard the news. I had a meeting with the president of the college where I worked; we were devising a communications strategy to respond to the new U.S. News rankings, in which we had dropped a tier. His assistant interrupted to tell us a plane had hit one of the towers. Odd, we thought, but not unheard of. A while later, she broke in again to say that another plane hit and that it was no accident. Rankings, for some reason, suddenly seemed rather meaningless.

The president immediately suggested that the hijackers had to be pilots because no commercial pilot, regardless of the duress, would intentionally hit such a target. He'd sooner crash on the ground and spare lives. The president, we later learned, was correct.

One of the more memorable moments from that day was Andy Card's whispering in George Bush's ear during an elementary school appearance. Card, chief of staff, had to tell Bush that the nation was under attack. A few months later I attended a dinner with Card (he's a former trustee of the college where I worked), and listened to him describe those few terrible moments. Talk about hearing history first hand.

Today, colleges and universities nationwide will commemorate 9/11. It's a solemn occasion, to be sure, and a reminder that this world forever changed five years ago.