College and University Blog
Resources, help, and insight for your college experience
SAT, ACT Testing to Require Photo IDs to Prevent Cheating
The SAT and ACT have undergone multiple changes over the years, but new security requirements will be enforced this fall as an effort to prevent cheating. Beginning in in the fall of 2012, students taking the SAT or ACT will have to submit photographs of themselves when registering for the popular college entrance exams.
“Generation Me” Accurately Describes Some Egocentric College Students
Thousands of college students across the country are skipping the traditional beach vacations to perform volunteer work during their spring breaks. Others are making a difference after graduation by enrolling in programs like Teach for America and the Peace Corps. These humanitarians may be exceptions to the rule—recent studies have found that the majority of today’s young adults care more about helping themselves than helping others.
Smart Phone Use Among College Students at All-Time High
When the parents of today’s college students were on campus, computers were considered futuristic and people put coins into public pay phones when they had to make a call while they were away from their dorms.
Today’s teenagers can barely remember life without cell phones, but smart phones with touch screens, cameras and Internet capability seem to have taken over, especially among college students.
So You Got a College Rejection Letter: Now What?
Even if you’re a straight A student with perfect SAT scores who volunteers ten hours a week, your odds of getting into an Ivy League college are pretty slim. And even though you’re well aware that colleges and universities use a wide variety of factors to determine which students they decide to accept, rejection hurts.
It’s easy to get upset if you receive a college rejection letter. Feeling bad is completely understandable—we all want to be wanted. Although it might feel like the Earth has stopped spinning, it hasn’t. You’ve got to pull yourself together and figure out where to go from here.
3 Year Degree Programs Save Time and Money
College may be “the best time of your life,” but it’s also one of the most expensive. There’s a price to pay for joining a sorority, going to parties every weekend and hanging out on the quad while you pretend to study —depending on where you go to college, tuition and fees can be tens of thousands of dollars each year. A few U.S. colleges and universities have even started offering three-year bachelor’s degrees for students that want to wrap up their college experience as quickly as possible.
Colleges and Facebook: Friend a Professor or Let Your Account Be Monitored
Chances are, you’ve heard the warnings about keeping your online image “clean.” Drunken party photos or suggestive status updates on your Facebook timeline could hinder your chances of being admitted to your dream college.
Think it won’t happen to you? Think again. Eighty-five percent of Kaplan Test Prep’s 2011 Survey of College Admissions Officers participants said that their school uses Facebook to help recruit students. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents admitted to visiting an applicant’s Facebook page to learn more about them.
College Mascot Showdown: Fun Graphic
As you already know from the StateUniversity.com 12 Cool College Mascots post, those lovable cartoon-ish characters represent some of our favorite colleges and universities at sporting events and on collegiate-themed merchandise ranging from clothing to items for your home.
Because college mascots can get the crowd cheering under any circumstances, today we’re sharing this fun college mascot infographic created by Best Colleges Online. Enjoy!
Summer Internships: Employers Hiring More College Students in 2012
A summer internship during college is an excellent way to gain real-world work experience and might even help you get your foot in the door with a prospective future employer.
Applying for internships can get incredibly competitive, so students will be happy to learn that the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that employers expect to hire more college students for summer internships this year.
Remedial Classes at the College Level: Are They Necessary?
Remedial classes, which help students “catch up” on core subjects like math or English, are offered to help those who are having problems with advanced concepts before they can take college-level courses.
Remedial college classes essentially serve as refresher courses. They are fairly common at community colleges and typically recommended after students take standardized placement tests to predict their success with higher-level work.