So, the government wants to start providing the majority of student loans. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Well, that depends on what camp you’re in. (more…)

For many of us, the biggest worries at college are the due dates of research papers, how to get some extra cash for the weekend, or maybe why our roommate keeps avoiding those post-it notes left on the bathroom mirror.

But for some international students, crises back home weighs on their minds and hearts as they try to bury their worries and focus on their studies. Whether they’re attending traditional college or earning a degree online, international students can be bombarded with thoughts of their families and friends back home. (more…)

Happy short week, campers! In honor of Memorial Day (you remember that bit about honoring the soldiers, right? In between barbecues?), we start off with a discussion of Sen. Jim Webb’s updated GI Bill, aka the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. It passed the House on May 15 by an enormous margin, and passed the Senate on May 22 with a veto-proof 75-22 vote across partisan lines.

Webb, the only serving U.S. Senator with a child in Iraq, wants to update the GI Bill to reflect current educational costs. Many historians cite the original GI Bill as one of the most important factors in post-WWII American prosperity. Instead of returning to factory and skilled labor jobs, young veterans were able to attend college and qualify for the professional careers that lifted families across the U.S. into the middle class and launched the Baby Boom. (more…)

Think all college students spend their free time doing keg stands and shots of bourbon? Well, for many students, college life is more than late-night study sessions and parties on the weekends. For them, college is a time of life to push the social norm a little bit and volunteer their time for a good cause.

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That’s right – some colleges actually allow you to create your own major. For some students, this idea is horrifying – they find it hard enough to pick a major from a list, much less come up with their own idea of one.

But for others, the freedom of Interdisciplinary Studies means unlimited choices of what you can officially earn your degree in. Plus, enough variety for those easily-bored students who tend to think courses like statistics are about as exciting as candle making. (more…)

It’s Monday morning, boys and girls! You know what that means.

Direct injection of caffeine into the veins. I mean, the Blog Roundup!

For starters, elearnspace pointed me to a handy list of Web research tips and tricks at Fortnightly Mailing. For students who aren’t intimately familiar with the vagaries of Google (and there are more out there than you think), this makes a good primer.

The ever-reliable Higher Ed Watch gives us a ray of hope shining through the black cloud of doom that is student lending. It involves “bonds” and “municipal offerings,” so I’m not quite sure what happened exactly, but if they say it’s good, I’ll believe it. (more…)

The California State University college system recently announced its plan to raise the cost of tuition for undergraduates 10% by next autumn. The new rate will call for undergrads to pay an average of $3,797 per year, nearly twice the amount shelled out by students in 2000. According to The New York Times, Governator Schwarzenegger ordered the tuition hike hoping to reduce the Golden State’s budget deficit.

So what does this mean for college students in other states across the country? Should they be worried? (more…)

Not your typical after-school internship. A college freshman who would otherwise be chillin’ on summer break is instead reviewing a city budget of over $28 million.

No, he’s not a business major working on a summer project. He’s a 19-year-old political science major who’s just been elected mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma. (more…)

We start with a post from Educated Nation citing some new numbers for adult education (6.9 million enrolled in fall 2007, to be exact). And if the Sloan Consortium is right, slightly less than half of them are studying online.

Could I ever finish a blog roundup without the help of Higher Ed Watch? I don’t think so. They are doing an excellent job of watchdogging the NCAA as it fails to impose its promised academic standards on colleges that don’t graduate enough players.

Last week I posted a (very) brief students’ guide for navigating the choppy economy. Inside Higher Ed posts a (much more comprehensive) one for colleges themselves.

Remember how we keep talking about Open Educational Resources (OERs)? This blog is rounding ‘em up for you, although we can’t vouch for the quality.

Some people are lucky enough not to notice the impact of an economic downturn. If you’re in school, or in a job that’s not affected by the ups and downs of the housing market (like healthcare or public service), sometimes you don’t realize that the economy’s sneaky fingers are goosing you until it’s too late.

So if you’re in school, or going back to school, or thinking about going back to school, what else should you take into consideration now that the economy has got its tail between its legs? (more…)