Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
ACT Scores Show Most Students Aren’t Ready for College
According to results released today , the proportion of tested graduating seniors who are “college ready” as defined by the ACT grew from 22 percent in the class of 2008 to 23 percent in the class of 2009. College-readiness levels remained within two-tenths of a percentage point of where they’ve been since 2005.
“We need to increase the number of high school graduates who are prepared to succeed in college,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement released through ACT Inc., the Iowa City, Iowa-based nonprofit organization that designs the test.
Many students who take this test get highly discouraged. But what many are not told is that they do not need to take the test to be accepted into College. Students can get accepted to many colleges without ever sitting for this exam.
Many institution have done away with requiring the test due to the fact that the test does not accurately provide information regarding a students ability to achieve or excell in college.
Information regarding schools that do not require the test can be located at www.fairtest.org.
“We need to increase the number of high school graduates who are prepared to succeed in college,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement released through ACT Inc., the Iowa City, Iowa-based nonprofit organization that designs the test.
Many students who take this test get highly discouraged. But what many are not told is that they do not need to take the test to be accepted into College. Students can get accepted to many colleges without ever sitting for this exam.
Many institution have done away with requiring the test due to the fact that the test does not accurately provide information regarding a students ability to achieve or excell in college.
Information regarding schools that do not require the test can be located at www.fairtest.org.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Cost is more than its worth!!!
Some of the nation's biggest for-profit colleges and vocational schools are boosting enrollment in tough times by making more loans directly to cash-strapped students, knowing full well many of them probably won't be able to repay what they borrowed.
The schools still make money because the practice boosts their enrollment and brings in tuition dollars subsidized by the government. But some of these students could end up saddled with high interest rates and loan payments they can't handle, a burden that could damage their credit for years to come.
Among the for-profit colleges that are booming are ITT, Corinthian Colleges and Career Education Corp. They and other such institutions have an estimated 1.2 million U.S. students pursuing degrees in such fields as nursing, computers and the culinary arts.
Many students at these schools get thousands of dollars in tuition grants under various government programs, and take out loans to cover the rest of their costs.
But because the economic meltdown has made it harder for students to get bank loans, several of these schools are increasingly stepping in, financing degrees in the same way a furniture store or used-car dealer might extend credit to customers.
Most students have no idea what they are getting into. I have personally been acquainted with students who paid upwards of $90,000 for an associates degree in Auto Mechanics. This means that the student would be strapped with a loan for at least 30 years with no chance of paying it off.
The question you may be asking....is this cost of education worth it? Definitely not!! Any students who wants to attend college can attend college for FREE. And if they choose not to acquire funding the student (or Guardian) should at least shop for an institution before being pushed into classes by a swampland salesman disguised as an academic advisor. There are other things that you should look out for when selecting a school. Visit www.freecollegeeducation.com for more details.
The schools still make money because the practice boosts their enrollment and brings in tuition dollars subsidized by the government. But some of these students could end up saddled with high interest rates and loan payments they can't handle, a burden that could damage their credit for years to come.
Among the for-profit colleges that are booming are ITT, Corinthian Colleges and Career Education Corp. They and other such institutions have an estimated 1.2 million U.S. students pursuing degrees in such fields as nursing, computers and the culinary arts.
Many students at these schools get thousands of dollars in tuition grants under various government programs, and take out loans to cover the rest of their costs.
But because the economic meltdown has made it harder for students to get bank loans, several of these schools are increasingly stepping in, financing degrees in the same way a furniture store or used-car dealer might extend credit to customers.
Most students have no idea what they are getting into. I have personally been acquainted with students who paid upwards of $90,000 for an associates degree in Auto Mechanics. This means that the student would be strapped with a loan for at least 30 years with no chance of paying it off.
The question you may be asking....is this cost of education worth it? Definitely not!! Any students who wants to attend college can attend college for FREE. And if they choose not to acquire funding the student (or Guardian) should at least shop for an institution before being pushed into classes by a swampland salesman disguised as an academic advisor. There are other things that you should look out for when selecting a school. Visit www.freecollegeeducation.com for more details.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Male vs Female Salary
The author of the paper, Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, a sociologist at Ohio State University, used the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, combining data sets to compare men and women who graduated from high school in 1972 and 1992, and to compare their salaries seven years after high school graduation. (Only those employed full time, following a college degree, were compared.)
The good news for women is that during the time period studied, their average salary increased from 78 cents for every male dollar earned to 83 cents. But when Bobbitt-Zeher controlled for various factors, she found that the share of that gap attributable to selection of major had increased. She controlled for a variety of factors that may result in some people, on average, earning more than others: industries that employ them, socioeconomic status, SAT scores, the competitiveness of the colleges students attended, and whether students subsequently earned a graduate degree.
When controlling for all available factors, Bobbitt-Zeher found that the choice of major explained 19 percent of the income gap between college-educated men and women for the high school class of 1999, nearly twice as much of an impact as could be documented for the class that graduated 20 years earlier.
For comparison purposes, Bobbitt-Zeher divided majors into four categories: business; math, natural sciences, and engineering; education; and the social sciences, arts and humanities. Men are more likely than women to major in the first two categories and women more likely than men to major in the latter two. What Bobbitt-Zeher then noticed was that both men and women are increasingly majoring with more women, but that while men are headed toward parity, majors that are more popular with women are becoming increasingly dominated by women.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Your Wait Listed - Now What!
Many private colleges are putting more students on waiting lists this year than they typically do. Some advice for wait-listed students:
• Decide if you want to stay on the wait list.
If you do, contact the school and tell them you are still interested. Ask where you place on the wait list.
• Make plans to go to college somewhere else.
Consider the wait-listed school your backup plan – even if it's your top choice. Enroll at a school you've been accepted to and put down the necessary deposit by May 1.
"A waiting list essentially means, 'No, but maybe if a whole bunch of other people do something else we'll get back to you.' To me that's a no," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
• Realize that it could cost you.
Schools don't know until after May 1 if they will take any students from the wait list. If you get in from the wait list, you will lose your deposit at any other school you enrolled in. And most schools don't give financial aid to students on the wait list.
• Stay in touch.
Write to the admissions office of your wait-list school and tell them new information about yourself. Don't rehash information already included in your application. Do mention any awards, publications or other accomplishments you've earned since applying.
"Do not be a pest by any means, but keep in contact with them and let them know of your continued interest," said Mira Loma High School counselor Joan Adams.
• Call in the troops.
Consider sending an additional letter of recommendation or asking your high school counselor to call the college on your behalf. You can also ask the school if you can have a second interview.
• Chill out.
Maybe the school that wait-listed you isn't the best one for you anyway. Spend the next month thinking about what life could be like at the schools that accepted you.
– Laurel Rosenhall
• Decide if you want to stay on the wait list.
If you do, contact the school and tell them you are still interested. Ask where you place on the wait list.
• Make plans to go to college somewhere else.
Consider the wait-listed school your backup plan – even if it's your top choice. Enroll at a school you've been accepted to and put down the necessary deposit by May 1.
"A waiting list essentially means, 'No, but maybe if a whole bunch of other people do something else we'll get back to you.' To me that's a no," said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
• Realize that it could cost you.
Schools don't know until after May 1 if they will take any students from the wait list. If you get in from the wait list, you will lose your deposit at any other school you enrolled in. And most schools don't give financial aid to students on the wait list.
• Stay in touch.
Write to the admissions office of your wait-list school and tell them new information about yourself. Don't rehash information already included in your application. Do mention any awards, publications or other accomplishments you've earned since applying.
"Do not be a pest by any means, but keep in contact with them and let them know of your continued interest," said Mira Loma High School counselor Joan Adams.
• Call in the troops.
Consider sending an additional letter of recommendation or asking your high school counselor to call the college on your behalf. You can also ask the school if you can have a second interview.
• Chill out.
Maybe the school that wait-listed you isn't the best one for you anyway. Spend the next month thinking about what life could be like at the schools that accepted you.
– Laurel Rosenhall
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Free Medical School for All
In a bold step, the University of Central Florida's new medical school has arranged to offer its entire inaugural class full scholarships totaling $7 million.
By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: July 31, 2009: 11:39 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com ) -- The incoming freshmen at one of the nation's newest medical schools will have more freedom to choose whether to become a specialist or help fill the shortage of primary care doctors.
That's because the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando will have another freedom -- freedom from about $160,000 in debt of four years of medical school.
All 40 students of this charter class that begins Monday have received full scholarships totaling $7 million, donated entirely by members of the community -- including individuals, hospitals, banks and law firms.
"It's the first time that an entire class will go through medical school completely debt free," said Dr. John Prescott, chief academic officer with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). "I've never seen anything quite like this. It's a pretty gutsy thing to do."
UCF's initiative could be a model for reforming health care, allowing more would-be doctors to go into less lucrative but essential fields of medicine. Or it could just be a way for a new medical school to make a splash in the competition for student dollars.
Tom Boyd, senior consultant with Admissions Consultant, a firm that advises clients on college admissions, said most medical schools can't afford to give away education and training. Instead, most offer full or partial scholarships.
"They just don't have the resources to do this," Boyd said. "My view is that UCF is doing this to get its name out there. As a one-time thing, it's a great idea. But can they really do this every year?"
Contributors are sold: Attorney Michael Minton of the firm Dean, Mead, Minton & Zwemer -- whose firm established a $375,000 annual endowment to the medical school -- said the idea was "attracting the best and the brightest" to the school.
But since the new school would have no track record to speak of -- and is not yet a fully accredited medical school -- Minton said they had to find another way to attract the best students.
"So we thought, why not relieve them of their debt burden?," he said. "This levels the playing field for everyone."
In seeking the scholarships, Dr. Deborah German, the dean of the medical school, pointed to Florida's growing shortage of primary care physicians and specialists. About 13% of the state's physicians plan to reduce the scope of their practice or leave medicine in the next five years, according to Florida Department of Health's 2008 annual report.
"We're giving our students the opportunity to come get a medical education free from debt so that they can pursue their passion," German said. "We believe that when they're not in debt, they do their very best work, and they're not handcuffed to any particular specialty."
The school received more than 4,400 applications for admission, or 110 applications per available spot.
Taking a chance: Jennifer Villavicencio, 22, of Miami was accepted to medical schools at New York University and the University of Pittsburgh. But she turned them down for UCF -- but not without some doubt and concern.
"In the beginning, I was definitely concerned because this is a new medical school," Villavicencio said. "My main concern was about the residency program and whether hospitals would be interested in taking us."
Her concerns were allayed after she met with faculty members who assured her she would be "well-trained" at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
"Of course money was a very big factor for me picking UCF," she said. And after meeting with students in her class and the faculty, she was "surprised by the very high caliber" of both.
Choosing UCF was an easier decision for 21-year-old Bryant Lambe, who attended the university as an undergrad. He said his four years there were "phenomenal," and really wanted to stay another four years.
"Money is always an issue. Without the scholarship, I would have had to look out of state," he said."Now we're starting something new. All the students are so motivated."
Of the class of 40, more than half are women and 10 come from out of state.
Rethinking the curriculum: Lambe said he's excited about the curriculum, which German said focuses on using technology, such as simulation and animation, for training.
She said human patient mannequin simulators and online interactive virtual patients -- or avatars -- will complement learning from basic science concepts to clinical diagnoses and treatment.
"The advantage of starting something new is that you can do something different and break the mold," said Boyd of Admissions Consultant. "UCF has the advantage of not having a track record. So nothing's holding them back. Most medical schools are very conservative and don't favor radical change."
Grant Heston, a UCF spokesman, said the medical school was granted preliminary accreditation last year by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
"This is the maximum level of accreditation a new medical school can have at this point," Heston said."Final accreditation comes in the final year of the first class of students. For UCF, that is 2013."
A model?: German said the school is trying to raise funds for next year but added that "in this environment, it might be a challenge."
AAMC's Prescott said other [schools] have taken notice of German's efforts. "It's very difficult for most to replicate this concept of debt-free education," he said.
He said a more realistic hope is that the four-year all-expenses paid opportunity will encourage some of the students to go into primary care rather than higher-paid specialties, as the country faces a "real need for more primary care doctors."
But whether that wish comes true remains a big question.
"I have heard some students say they would consider taking a couple of years off after graduating to do primary care work, either in or out of the country," said Villavicencio. "I haven't decided what I want to do, but definitely a specialty."
First Published: July 31, 2009: 10:42 AM ET
By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: July 31, 2009: 11:39 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com ) -- The incoming freshmen at one of the nation's newest medical schools will have more freedom to choose whether to become a specialist or help fill the shortage of primary care doctors.
That's because the students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando will have another freedom -- freedom from about $160,000 in debt of four years of medical school.
All 40 students of this charter class that begins Monday have received full scholarships totaling $7 million, donated entirely by members of the community -- including individuals, hospitals, banks and law firms.
"It's the first time that an entire class will go through medical school completely debt free," said Dr. John Prescott, chief academic officer with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). "I've never seen anything quite like this. It's a pretty gutsy thing to do."
UCF's initiative could be a model for reforming health care, allowing more would-be doctors to go into less lucrative but essential fields of medicine. Or it could just be a way for a new medical school to make a splash in the competition for student dollars.
Tom Boyd, senior consultant with Admissions Consultant, a firm that advises clients on college admissions, said most medical schools can't afford to give away education and training. Instead, most offer full or partial scholarships.
"They just don't have the resources to do this," Boyd said. "My view is that UCF is doing this to get its name out there. As a one-time thing, it's a great idea. But can they really do this every year?"
Contributors are sold: Attorney Michael Minton of the firm Dean, Mead, Minton & Zwemer -- whose firm established a $375,000 annual endowment to the medical school -- said the idea was "attracting the best and the brightest" to the school.
But since the new school would have no track record to speak of -- and is not yet a fully accredited medical school -- Minton said they had to find another way to attract the best students.
"So we thought, why not relieve them of their debt burden?," he said. "This levels the playing field for everyone."
In seeking the scholarships, Dr. Deborah German, the dean of the medical school, pointed to Florida's growing shortage of primary care physicians and specialists. About 13% of the state's physicians plan to reduce the scope of their practice or leave medicine in the next five years, according to Florida Department of Health's 2008 annual report.
"We're giving our students the opportunity to come get a medical education free from debt so that they can pursue their passion," German said. "We believe that when they're not in debt, they do their very best work, and they're not handcuffed to any particular specialty."
The school received more than 4,400 applications for admission, or 110 applications per available spot.
Taking a chance: Jennifer Villavicencio, 22, of Miami was accepted to medical schools at New York University and the University of Pittsburgh. But she turned them down for UCF -- but not without some doubt and concern.
"In the beginning, I was definitely concerned because this is a new medical school," Villavicencio said. "My main concern was about the residency program and whether hospitals would be interested in taking us."
Her concerns were allayed after she met with faculty members who assured her she would be "well-trained" at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
"Of course money was a very big factor for me picking UCF," she said. And after meeting with students in her class and the faculty, she was "surprised by the very high caliber" of both.
Choosing UCF was an easier decision for 21-year-old Bryant Lambe, who attended the university as an undergrad. He said his four years there were "phenomenal," and really wanted to stay another four years.
"Money is always an issue. Without the scholarship, I would have had to look out of state," he said."Now we're starting something new. All the students are so motivated."
Of the class of 40, more than half are women and 10 come from out of state.
Rethinking the curriculum: Lambe said he's excited about the curriculum, which German said focuses on using technology, such as simulation and animation, for training.
She said human patient mannequin simulators and online interactive virtual patients -- or avatars -- will complement learning from basic science concepts to clinical diagnoses and treatment.
"The advantage of starting something new is that you can do something different and break the mold," said Boyd of Admissions Consultant. "UCF has the advantage of not having a track record. So nothing's holding them back. Most medical schools are very conservative and don't favor radical change."
Grant Heston, a UCF spokesman, said the medical school was granted preliminary accreditation last year by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
"This is the maximum level of accreditation a new medical school can have at this point," Heston said."Final accreditation comes in the final year of the first class of students. For UCF, that is 2013."
A model?: German said the school is trying to raise funds for next year but added that "in this environment, it might be a challenge."
AAMC's Prescott said other [schools] have taken notice of German's efforts. "It's very difficult for most to replicate this concept of debt-free education," he said.
He said a more realistic hope is that the four-year all-expenses paid opportunity will encourage some of the students to go into primary care rather than higher-paid specialties, as the country faces a "real need for more primary care doctors."
But whether that wish comes true remains a big question.
"I have heard some students say they would consider taking a couple of years off after graduating to do primary care work, either in or out of the country," said Villavicencio. "I haven't decided what I want to do, but definitely a specialty."
First Published: July 31, 2009: 10:42 AM ET
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
