Building Trust Between Colleges and Parents
Presidents of colleges and universities love to talk.
They love to talk about the schools they lead, and why they are great. They love to talk about problems facing America and the world, and how U.S. higher education is producing the next generation of leaders to solve those problems. And they love to talk about the federal government, and how it is not spending enough money in support of colleges and universities.
Actually, college presidents love to talk most of the time. When it comes to certain subjects, they grow quiet.
Eight Ways to Help Pay for College
The National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education reports that the cost of higher education has risen dramatically. Between 1987 and 1996, the cost of attending public institutions rose by 132 percent, and the cost for private institutions increased by 99 percent both during a period of relatively low inflation with a modest 52 percent increase in family disposable income.
Rights and Responsibilities in College Admissions
The bumper sticker slogan, “Freedom is not free,” applies to college admissions just as it does to democracy.
Students have the freedom to apply to college wherever they want, and colleges are free to accept their application, or not.
And just as in democracy, freedom in the college admissions process comes with both rights and responsibilities, for the school and for the applicant.
PURSUING A PASSION BEATS CHECKING ANOTHER BOX
Parents often ask me about the importance of extracurricular activities when it comes to supporting a college, graduate school or job application for their son or daughter.
Here’s how I answer that question. First, I make clear that four other components of the application are more important because schools and employers have found them to be greater indicators of initial success. These components are:
Building Bridges Between Schools and College Parents
Not too long ago, the role of college parents at the start of a school year was akin to employees at a moving company: fill up station wagon, drive to appointed destination, unload items and leave town.
Now, thanks to a growing recognition by colleges and universities of the changing roles and expectations of incoming college parents, these one-time pack mules for their children’s belongings are beginning to feel more like invited guests to a command performance.
Cultivating Your Child’s Potential: At What Cost?
As parents, we always want what is best for our children. What better way to provide them with the best opportunity to succeed than to send them to the best college or university? What happens when the costs of going to college are not completely covered by...
Making a Resume Stand Out
Your child has dedicated a large amount of time and effort to his/her college education and experience, and accomplished a great deal. You know it. Your family knows it, but when it comes to landing that first job or internship, your child needs to make sure the recruiting director knows it!
What I Read Over my Winter Vacation
While many of you were catching up on your pleasure reading over the recent holidays, I took a different route.
Call me a martyr, but one of the many higher-ed-related tomes I tackled by the fire on those dark late December nights was Tuition Rising: Why College Costs So Much , published by Harvard University Press and written by Ronald G. Ehrenberg, director of the Higher Education Research Institute at Cornell University. I really welcomed the nearby fire, because Prof. Ehrenreich’s conclusions were rather chilling.
Words to Know
Academic Probation – A student can receive this if they fail to keep up with their school’s academic minimums. Those who are unable to improve their grades after receiving this warning can possibly face dismissal.
Beer Pong / Beirut – A drinking game with numerous cups of beer arranged in a particular pattern on each side of a table. The goal is to get a ping pong ball into one of the opponent’s cups by throwing the ball or hitting it with a paddle. If the ball lands in a cup, the opponent is required to drink the beer.
Schools Should Prove and Demonstrate Financial Accountability
Not only should all colleges and universities – public and private – be financially accountable, they should also be to prove that accountability and to demonstrate it to all of their constituencies, including their parents.
Several groups specializing in academic finances are advising higher-ed institutions to adopt provisions that mirror those targeted at publicly traded corporations in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the federal law that was designed to better police corporate governance.