The Troubling Dean-to-Professor Ratio

I always wondered why the cost of obtaining a college education has almost tripled since I graduated from Tufts in 1998.  It’s only been about 15 years.  I read an article that talked about how when one college raises its pricetag, the other area colleges or colleges within the same level of competitiveness feel the need to raise their prices as well to maintain a certain image.  If a school was substantially lower in cost, then students and parents perceived the school as having less value or not being as good as the more expensive one.  While I found this article troubling, I accepted the author’s explanation because the psychology behind the consumer’s thinking made sense to me.  Well, this article sheds new light on what else is also going on.  Why are schools more willing to hire administrators than professors?  What is that all about?  I’m glad that some state schools are re-examining their staff duties to see where work is being duplicated.  Being accountable to taxpayers, state schools seem to be on the right path about this issue.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-21/the-troubling-dean-to-professor-ratio

MIT Gangnam Style

Just as entertaining as the original, proud to be a Boston native and to see the Boston skyline, even if it is MIT.  I never applied there.  If you ask me, this is quite the admissions video! 😛

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJtHNEDnrnY&feature=share

Party Colleges with Good Pay Later

2012 Princeton Review Party School Rankings

I’ve always counseled kids on the importance of having fun in college. 🙂

http://www.thebestcolleges.org/2012-princeton-review-party-school-rankings/

Mobile Showers Help Pay for College

I like hearing inspirational stories like this one.  The young man in the article has quite a practical and entrepreneurial spirit and is doing good by helping his parents pay for college.

http://fox8.com/2012/08/18/mobile-showers-help-pay-for-college/

CEO Breeding Ground

Here’s a shout out to my alma mater – Tufts University!  According to U.S. News & World Report three Tufts graduates are among the chief executives of the nation’s largest corporations.

http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archives/1441/ceo-breeding-ground

The 20 Smartest Colleges in America

What a different way of looking at colleges aside from the U.S. News & World Report rankings.  I guess I’m not surprised that M.I.T. came up on top.  BTW, my brother-in-law went to Carnegie Mellon, and he is a pretty smart guy!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-brainiest-colleges-america-164400109.html

Westwood High School Named National Blue Ribbon High School

I know the news has been out for a while now, but I wanted to give recognition to my high school.  It was here that I learned the writing and study skills that helped me successfully complete college.  Much love to the the English and history departments.  They did, and obviously, still do a great job of preparing students for the rigors of college work. 

http://westwood.patch.com/articles/westwood-high-named-national-blue-ribbon-high-school

Top 10 Colleges with the Happiest Students

Obviously, it’s very important to go to a college that has your major and challenges you academically.  However, I think some students and many parents, in particular, underestimate the importance of all the other variables that can make or break a college experience.  When counseling students, of course, I always advise them to do research on majors, to make sure that their list of colleges has their major subjects of interest among other deal breaker type issues, and tell students that they need to also think about whether they would be happy living there for four years.  Students can be surprised by my invitation to examine this issue.  I remind students that they and/or their parents are customers in this college admissions “purchase.”  No one wants to be disappointed, especially with the skyrocketing costs of a college education.  So, I share with you a list of the top 10 colleges with the happiest students…BTW, my sister Joyce attended Barnard and my sister Joanne went to Brandeis…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/unigo/top-10-colleges-with-the-_b_1840568.html?utm_hp_ref=tw#s1448191&title=6_Brandeis_University