F3 2: Student Perspectives

Entrance Exams

2009-11-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

PamelaSara Head

Some students claim that colleges should not put so much weight on entrance exams when considering student admission applications because they do not accurately measure student intelligence. However, colleges do put a significant amount of weight on entrance test scores for justified reasons. Specifically, entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT provide college admission boards with a standard, informed method of comparison between student applicants. If students who believe that these tests should be done away with considered how difficult it is to distinguish between students based on more personal criteria, maybe they could see the logic that underlies entrance exam requirements for college admissions.

According to Tabitha Miley, “[c]ollege entrance exams… should not be such a significant factor in determining college entrance.” She feels that such exams do not portray a student’s true intelligence and therefore provide a poor measure of how smart applicants truly are. Although Tabitha Miley makes a good point, that one of two standardized tests may not portray a student’s complete academic intelligence or ability to succeed in higher education, she neglects to realize the usefulness of such tests.

College admission boards receive hundreds to thousands of applications every year, and if they tried to consider every applicant based on completely personal criteria it would take way too long to decide who to admit and who to reject. According to Julia Aydin, “there needs to be some uniformity in testing or it will be impossible to understand where one student stands among millions of others.” In addition, it is crucial to remember that although test scores play a major role in admissions, they are not the only criteria. Colleges also look at GPAs and class rank when considering potential students. Entrance exams play a crucial role in college admissions for important reasons.

Some students claim colleges should not place so much weight on entrance exams because they do not reflect a student’s intelligence. However, these tests need to be utilized by colleges because there needs to be an informed method of comparison between the large number of student applicants. If students who believe that these tests should be done away with considered how difficult it is to distinguish between students based on more personal criteria, maybe they could see the logic that underlies entrance exam requirements for college admissions.

Altruism in community service

2009-11-12T22:32:00.001-05:00

By Farzon Lotfi

An altruistic society provides selfless concern for the welfare of others, motivated only by personal virtue. Such a society cannot exist in a society driven by profit or coercion. In the profit driven society the incentive to act altruistically dies a silent death as people only act for an expected pay day. In a coercive society altruism also disappears as genuinely of actions is done out of fear of retribution instead of personal virtue. As this is the case how do we promote altruism in the current college generation without destroying it in the process? Furthermore, if we incentivize altruism even a small amount do we really destroy it and is it better than coercing altruistic action?

The White House has taken a two tier method of tackling the problem. The first method the White House has used is public relations efforts to promote community service projects either through speeches or through advertisements. This method inspires altruism without any other adverse effects. The White House's second method for promoting community service is by adding 5.7 billion dollars to national service programs over eight years. The money would help students pay for college.

In a strict definition of altruism, such an action would hurt altruism. This is not the case in the real world as other factors need to be taken into account such as man hours that could have been spent studying or performing a real job with better economic benefits. Other factors that need to be taken into account is our own society which is profit driven. Since we living in a capitalistic society that stifles altruism, it is no surprise that pure altruism cannot survive. Taking into account all of these external factors the economic incentive provide for community service do not asphyxiate altruism.

Other plans to promote community service are to make it mandatory in universities. The purpose would be to broaden a student's humanity, teach teamwork, promote ethical behavior, and to sharpen leadership and problem solving skills. The problem here is that these are benefits of altruistic service, benefits that are lost when one is no longer driven by selfless concern but by requirement. What I mean by this is that when the concern of the person being served is lost for concern of one's own self a student's benefits like a person's humanity are not gained because social problems are seen just like math problems, things we have to do.

Video Game: New Addiction

2009-11-12T20:11:00.000-05:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

According to Cnet News Dennis Bennett was failing his college classes, his marriage was in trouble, and he wasn't being much of a father to his 1-year-old son. But he had progressed to Level 58 as Madrid, the Great Shaman of the North, his character in the online role-playing gaame "EverQuest," and that was all that mattered at the time. Game addiction has risen to become one of the main issues in the world today. Commitment to video games is very time consuming. That being said, college students do not have time to lose in the first place. College students that are addicted to video games would have a hard time maintaining their academic goals. Addicts often commit majority of their time to the game and loses their interests in other important matters. Children and even adults can be addicted to video games. Video game companies are finding ways to attract players. With all the technological advances, video games are made to be very entertaining and addicting more now than ever. Many video games today are online-based which introduced new aspect to the addiction. Online-based video game raises social network among players that gives players a reason to not leave their game and do other activities. Nicolas Yee, a psychology researcher of Hanford University made remarks about the addiction to video game: "[Online video games] can help a person if they're shy or have trouble forming social relationships," he said. "They have this environment where they can safely try new things out. They can experiment with being more vocal, or they can try out a leadership role, which may not be an opportunity they have in real life. Especially for teenagers, it lets them try out different roles and identities at a time when they may be really struggling with those kinds of issues." Video game addiction has been an important issue in society that has yet to be solved.

Preparedness: Bridging the gap, or not so much

2009-11-11T17:38:00.001-05:00

Emily Korby

Many students believe that a high school diploma and a college acceptance letter are enough to prepare them for college. However, what many people fail to realize is society's education system tends to end after senior year. Many students are then left unprepared to face college alone. Raymond Simon, a former deputy secretary of education, argues "We really don't have a K-16 system. We have a K-12 system, and we have higher education." In other words, Simon believes that the current education system disconnects higher education and high school. Many high school students then enroll in college unprepared for the tough courses that encumbers their schedule for the next several years. According to a study by Strong American Schools, one-third of college freshman have to take remedial courses in order to catch up with higher education’s curriculum.

High school and higher education need to bridge the gap of knowledge in order for freshman students to be more prepared for college curriculum. If high schools encourage students to take more challenging courses then students will be better prepared for challenging courses that await them in college. For many high schools their top goal is to have their students graduate. This is a problem because they do not focus on preparing students for higher education. Many freshman students are then not only forced to adapt to a new lifestyle, but they must also adapt to an academic challenge that they are not prepared for. In order for students to be more prepared for college, high schools and higher education need to coordinate and help students transition better into college.

Recorded Lectures

2009-11-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Copeland

Many college professors are now considering recording their lectures and posting them online, but some are concerned that students will be more likely to skip class. According to Steve Kolowich, “students’ likelihood of skipping class has no correlation with whether a professor decides to capture her lecture and post it the Web.” Contrary to Kolowich, recorded lectures will cause students to be more likely to skip class. Students who simply do not feel like waking up to go to class will feel like they do not have to go anymore because they can just watch the lecture on the web later. Professors can do things like give small quizzes to encourage attendance to class. Many students may decide the quizzes are not worth enough points to come to class, but students who care about their grade will come.

Although recorded lectures may discourage some students from attending class, they could prove to be a very useful resource for students. Students who miss a class because they are sick can then see the lecture online to find out what they missed. This way they will not fall too far behind in class. The recorded lectures are also useful to students who went to class. If a student missed something the professor said or just wanted to listen to something again to help clarify what was being taught, they can then go online and listen to the part of the lecture they want to hear. So although some students may chose not to go to class, recorded lectures are still a valuable advancement in technology.

And General Education for All...

2009-11-09T15:11:00.000-05:00

Nick Rentz

According to Mary Beth Marklein, the United States ranks third in the percentage of students enrolling in college (35%) while Japan does not even rank in the top twenty-five. At the same time Japan ranks first in percentage of student completing college (26%) while the United States ranks sixteenth (17%). But the question remains is college participation better or college graduation?

Since the United States has a higher percentage of students enrolled in post-secondary institutions, they still have the capability to produce more graduates with a general knowledge. Since more people are enrolled this allows for a larger range of people with different levels of intelligence to participate in higher education. Since Japan has such an exclusive higher education system, only the most exceptional students are given the opportunity to advance. Which system is better? According to Amelia Newcomb, China, one of the largest economic powers in the world, is striving to raise its college participation from twenty percent to fifty percent in the next forty years. This more general education can be beneficial in several ways. For one, it allows more people to get a higher education. This means that there is a smaller gap between the powerful and knowledgeable and the wage earners that earned a high school diploma. This system is able to do this by offering prestigious schools for the exceptional students but also smaller universities for average or slightly above average students. Both systems still foster a wage earning class and not everyone can obtain a higher education. However, this is simply how the system works. The world needs wage earners, CEOs, and everything in between. The best educational system to produce this is a more general higher education system.

Making the Most Out of College

2009-11-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

Pushkara Chaganti

As the video above demonstrates, most high school graduates are excited about going to college. They are excited about the new atmosphere, new friends, an independent life and a whole new experience. What most high school graduates forget to think about are the responsibilities that come along with all this excitement. Understanding these responsibilities and fulfilling them is what helps students make the most out of their college life.

On September 8^th, in a national address to students , President Obama said “We can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world — and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities.” In other words, unless students fulfill their responsibilities, there is no point of education. There are some common responsibilities that most college students have and will have to fulfill in order to get the most out of college experience.

According to this website “The purpose of a college education, as far as the student is concerned, is to equip him with knowledge that he can use throughout his life. He endeavors in his pursuit of excellence.” In other words every college student must aim upon making use of his/her college education to design his/her future. This process includes choosing the appropriate classes, doing the homework, getting good grades, working towards internships and research opportunities, networking, and remaining motivated throughout college. However, fulfilling these responsibilities does not imply neglecting the fun filled social life of college that most high school graduates look forward for.

Thus a balance between a fulfilling the responsibilities as a college student and the exciting non-academic part of college is what helps students make the most out of their college life.

Facebook: Tagged College Rejection Letter

2009-11-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

Many high school and college students have Facebook account. Each of the Facebook pages represents pictures and profile of each individual. In addition, if the student did not set their Facebook profile to private, any individual view that student’s Facebook profile. Although many students feel that Facebook is a entertaining social network website, few are aware of the risk of how Facebook could hinder their opportunities. In recent years, some college admissions are starting to look up their applicant on Facebook. Inappropriate comments or photos on the student’s Facebook profile can be highly misrepresenting to the college admission officers. In some special case Facebook profile might hold accountable for the student being rejected in the college application. The Wall Street Journals has some brief information about the process:

“Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, says the school will do an Internet search, including Facebook and other sites, if an application raises "red flags," such as a suspension from school. Mr. Griffin says several applicants a year have been rejected in part because of information on social-networking sites. In a recent case, the university researched a student who disclosed on his application that he had been disciplined for fighting. The school found a Facebook page with a picture of the applicant holding a gun. "We have to use this information to make the best decision for the university," Mr. Griffin says.”

Inappropriate contents on the student’s Facebook page can make a significant impact on the student’s life. Students should set their profile to be private. Or if the student wishes to allow their profile viewable by the public, they should keep their Facebook profile clear of inappropriate content.

Technological Short Comings

2009-11-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

PamelaSara Head

Computers are useful tools for students and professors because they facilitate communication, research, and assignment submissions. However, as computers have increased in number on college campuses, both students and professors have become overly reliant on the technology and this can lead to problems. Specifically, students and professors become too reliant on computers and as a result assignments and lessons slow down whenever problems with computers, servers, or online assignment submission websites arise. If students and teachers were less reliant on computers, maybe such problems would not persist.

Computers are useful tools on college campuses and they facilitate communication, research, and assignment submissions. According to the College of Education and Human Development, laptop computers allow students and professors to keep a portfolio of the writing, to submit or post assignments, to gain wireless access, and to use the internet for research. It’s true, computers on college campuses make communication, research, and assignment submitting and grading much more efficient. Professors don’t have to keep track of hundreds of papers and students don’t need to keep up with multiple assignments because it is all saved in a computer system. However, because students and professors rely on computers for so many functions, problems arise when computers or online submission websites fail.

When computers, servers, or online submission websites fail, students cannot submit assignments on time, communicate with professors through email, or use the computer for internet research and professors cannot post assignments or resources for students. When such problems arise, assignments and lessons slow down. Some systems have become known by IT staff at multiple colleges to be prone to failures or other problems in navigation. In fact, Bill Brenner explains that the IT staff of Northeastern University in Boston whether they are fully prepared or not, will need to deal with multiple problems that arise with the new windows vista systems because of the rise of students with this system on their personal computer. If students and professors were not so reliant on computers, maybe such problems would not arise.

Students and professors rely on computers for assignment submissions, assignment posts, communication, and research because they facilitate these actions. Computers allow students and professors to keep track of written work in a computer system rather than on paper. As a result, lessons and assignments slow down when computers, servers, or online submission websites fail. If students and professors were less reliant on computers, maybe such problems would not arise.

Graduate school worth the cost?

2009-11-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

By Farzon Lotfi

College Freshmen are just now learning how to coup with their undergraduate degrees when they are bombarded by academic advisors with the prospect of a graduate degree. The growing consensus is that an undergraduate degree is not what it used to be. Some, promote graduate school as the new undergraduate degree. In other worlds, with the belief that the amount of undergraduate degrees has flooded the workforce a graduate degree is the universities answer to job security. The graduate degree is a degree that still pretty much maintains elitist exclusivity because of its high average cost of $20,000 at public universities without the likely support of parents to front the bill. While these conditions maintain a degrees exclusivity it also detracts from a degrees overall net worth.

As Yahoo finance points out less than 1/5 of graduate students receive scholarships, graduate students give up income from working in order to attend and "some graduate degrees barely increase earning potential -- and may even lower it." Taking this into account It is necessary to compare the education gain from a masters degree against the greater financial burden.

Professor James Joyner of the University of Alabama argues that like undergraduate tuition costs graduate schools also have to deal with dramatically rising tuition costs. In addition Professor Joyner argues that the advent of the research institution has killed the teaching institution. In other words, A research institutions focus on research has teaching loads of senior professors declining. Joyner elaborates that this has caused no noticeable education gain for today's undergrads and graduate students than a generation ago and has probably hurt education. With the focus on research Joyner says that students are seen as, "an interruption of one’s real work rather than the reason for the enterprise."

Taking professor Joyner's analysis into account along with the financial information from Yahoo finance It would seem that Graduate school is not right for everyone. At least until the day that education can be streamlined more for the masses and by that I mean an education more focused on students and a financial aid institution that can front the large financial burden of graduate school.

Is it hard to get into a college? That college must be awesome.

2009-11-05T12:32:00.000-05:00

Pushkara Chaganti

According to New York Times “Looking at 40 highly ranked private and public institutions, the authors found that the proportion of applicants they admitted fell by an average of about 25 percent between 1986 and 2003.” In other words the harder it is to get into a college the more “elite” it is considered to be. However this notion leads to the increase in the difficulty of getting into a college, as every college will want to raise its admission standards so it can be considered elite.

It is important for people to understand that colleges will tend to raise their admission standards and start accepting fewer people for the sake of reputation, because if colleges start doing so it greatly affects the nonexclusive nature of American higher education.

A website that talks about the barriers of high quality in American education says, “Institutions are rated by standards of exclusiveness and wealth, rather than how successfully their students learn.” In other words exclusiveness and wealth of a college are a matter of fame in colleges. It is understandable that college cannot accept every student and that admission can be offered only to a certain number of students. However colleges should be reasonable in their restrictions for admission and should not be over stringent in their admission policies just so that they can attain more fame.

In addition, society should realize that students and parents are themselves encouraging colleges to be more stringent in the admission process. According to an article in Newsweek “Most parents and students equate selectivity with a quality education, which in turn encourages even more applications and allows colleges to become even more selective.” In other words parents and students are making life harder for themselves. Thus the whole idea of the better colleges have harder admission policies should be removed from the society in order for the colleges to be fair in their dealings with admissions.

Hazing Happens

2009-11-04T16:15:00.002-05:00

Emily Korby

When many people look forward to their freshman year of college, they think of joining a fraternity/sorority, a club, or perhaps even a sports team. However, what many students fail to realize is that those groups may subject them to hazing. Many students have the incorrect notion that hazing does not take place on college campuses or that hazing will not happen to them. According to Inside Hazing, “five percent of all college students admit to being hazed.” Many students partake in hazing because they believe there is no harm in their actions; they see it as an initiation for new students. In Diverse Education, Paul Ruffins, claims the top hazing activities are drinking games and vast alcohol consumption, making up thirty-five to forty percent of all hazing activities, the second most common hazing technique being sleep-deprivation.

Many freshman students that are new to campus are afraid to let an authority know about the hazing, and are especially afraid to stand up for themselves. In some cases hazing can even lead to a student feeling depressed or having low self esteem. What many students believe is an innocent activity can have detrimental effects. Though some colleges are taking action to stop the hazing, it is still common on campuses. It is an activity that students should be aware of and not be afraid to stand up against.

Banning Internet from Classrooms

2009-11-03T23:28:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Copeland

According to Andy Guess, the University of Chicago Law School blocked Internet access from classrooms. This was done to stop students from surfing the web, e-mailing, and chatting online during lectures. This is not necessary or helpful in creating a better classroom atmosphere. Although this may encourage some students to pay attention to their professor, mainly it would hinder learning in the classroom.

Most students who use their class time to use surf the web would find ways around the Internet to distract themselves. They could use things without the Internet such as solitaire and other games. The students who are really trying to understand the material and are motivated to pay attention would not be surfing the Internet during class anyway. The Internet is utilized in many classes, so blocking it would hinder the advancement of the teaching in the classroom using technology. Many teachers use web services to have students submit activities or to take quizzes during class so ridding classes of the Internet would prevent this use. Students also use the Internet in some classes to complete work or follow along on the PowerPoint with the professor. This also brings up the problem of professors needing the Internet to teach the course. Many professors check their e-mail during class on their laptop or show students something on the Internet. Using an Ethernet cord solves this problem, but it is still more inconvenient then using wireless Internet. So ultimately, blocking the Internet would only hurt the learning environment because those who are not going to pay attention anyway will find ways around the Internet and those who do pay attention lose a useful and valuable resource.

Learning to Memorize

2009-11-02T17:15:00.000-05:00

Nick Rentz

Today’s learning system at Georgia Tech for general classes, as well as many schools around the country is based on a lecture and test format. The students enter a lecture hall with anywhere from one-hundred to three-hundred peers. The professor then begins to talk for the next fifty minutes. At the end of the fifty minutes the students stand up and leave. Every three or four weeks the students are given a test to assess what they have “learned.”

These classes are built to teach the test. Students merely try to make good grades on exams and find themselves cramming the night before in order to do so. According to David Glenn, cramming, or studying off flash cards for example, does not work. He states that it is a memorization of facts and stores the information in a student’s short term memory. Thus, a student gets a B on the test, for example, but will forget the information shortly thereafter. What he fails to examine is that this style of teaching is not encouraging students to actually learn the material. It is creating this standard that they need to focus on good test grades as opposed to understanding the coursework. One reason for this could be due to the decline of the emphasis on teaching itself. Joseph Schultz, Janet Meade, and Inder Khurana state that over time professors have begun to place a higher emphasis on research than teaching. This only hurts the amount of actual understanding and learning that is taking place at universities. Professors begin to focus more on their research and teach almost as a side profession. At Georgia Tech for example, it is rumored that professors on the tenure track are expected to spend only ten percent of their time teaching. This is astounding to think about considering the fact that at Georgia Tech, 20,000 students are there for education purposes.

Anyone can memorize, even a young child. Its learning that is important in order to know how to apply the material.

Glenn D. Why Cramming Doesn't Work. Chronicle of Higher Education [serial on the Internet]. (2007, June 8), [cited October 28, 2009]; 53(40): A17. Available from: Academic Search Complete.

Schulz Jr. J, Meade J, Khurana I. The Changing Roles of Teaching, Research, and Service in the Promotion and Tenure Decisions for Accounting Faculty. Issues in Accounting Education [serial on the Internet]. (1989, Spring89), [cited October 28, 2009]; 4(1): 109-119. Available from: Business Source Complete.

Illegal File Sharing Among College Students

2009-11-01T12:50:00.000-05:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

Most college students have been informed at some point about file sharing and how each school is taking the issue seriously. California State University defines illegal file sharing as: [Usage of] file sharing programs … to share or obtain copyrighted music, movies, games, and other software without the permission of the copyright holder. Although, college officials show seriousness in dealing with illegal file sharing, the department of education is still enforcing an act for colleges and universities to increase their strictness in dealing with illegal file sharing. Enforcement of Illegal file sharing upon college campuses has been overwhelmingly placed in the spotlight.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education: “Tracy Mitrano, director of information-technology policy and the computer policy and law program at Cornell University, called the legislation "unfair" and "silly" because the illegal file-sharing that takes place on campuses of colleges and universities is only a small percentage of illegal file-sharing that happens across the United States. [She said] large Internet service providers, such as Comcast, Verizon, or Time Warner, should also be subject to the same laws.”

As the matter of fact, college students are not the only population group that is illegally sharing files. Specifically subjecting college students is in a way unlawful. The federal should be rather focusing on other population, which in turn would more effectively reduce the overall reports of illegal file sharing.

Private Universities

2009-10-30T09:01:00.000-04:00

PamelaSara Head

Some students believe that attending public universities proves to be more beneficial than attending private universities because public universities are larger and tend to cost less while providing the same opportunities in education. However, what some students do not realize is that the benefits of attending private colleges outweigh the higher costs of tuition. Specifically, private colleges tend to have fewer students and therefore students receive more one on one attention from their professors. If students recognized the benefits private colleges provide, they might not be so put off by their higher costs.

According to Jane Jones, public universities have several major benefits. Firstly, they tend to be large and therefore have more degree programs, program choices, more athletic programs, more events, and more activities than other colleges. Secondly, because states grant subsidies to public universities, tuition costs rank in a lower price range than private universities. Due to these advantages, public universities appeal to many college bound students, but private universities have their own advantages that qualify them as good choices.

Students should consider attending private colleges despite their high tuition costs and smaller size. In fact, because private colleges are smaller, they allow for more one on one attention from the professors. Private universities provide an equivalent maybe even a better education and they have higher tuitions because they are not funded by the state. According to Scholarships.com, private colleges contain more professors and fewer teacher’s assistants and classes may have as little as 10-12 students. Therefore, students do not become lost in a large class of hundreds of students. When students have more feedback from their teachers, college level work can be less intimidating and students can get more help when they struggle with class materials. Because of these reasons, students need to consider private universities when contemplating where to attain their post secondary education.

Due to the fact that most private universities tend to be smaller and cost more than public universities, some students may not consider attending them. Students in this mind set fail to realize the benefits of a smaller private university. These benefits include smaller class sizes and more attention from professors to individual students. If students considered the benefits instead of the cost perhaps they would be more willing to consider attending a private college.

Higher Education reform

2009-10-29T23:58:00.000-04:00

By Farzon Lotfi

Federal education reform is coming, possibly as soon as next year. As with healthcare, policy makers are looking for cost cutting measures to meet growing state deficits while preserving the level of education. But before Congress takes up the issue I will by first looking at education examples from around the world to see what works and what doesn’t.

My favorite approach by far among governments is what the national student forum of England has had to say recently about higher education. The forum’s second annual report has called for students to be seen as equal partners in their education. The hopes will be that this new more flexible approach will foster more student involvement in research and greater investments in a student’s education. This approach would seem to solve the problem of a unprepared work force by making students more responsible for their education but it does not solve the growing costs of education—cost that are growing faster than the speed of inflation.

If we don’t find a solution to the cost we risk facing the failure of many universities similar to those currently going on in Japan because of falling enrollment and lack of government support. To solve the cost education some like Simeon Talley of the University of Iowa have proposed having high schools teach more college credited classes, cutting degree requirements by a year, and creating over the internet class’s to replace classes with no room or need for professor interaction. Mr. Talley also proposes consolidating more classes to cut costs as well. Mr. Talley argues that as state aid continues to decrease universities are going to have to find ways to solve their budget crisis that do not include increasing tuition costs and staff layoffs that would decrease the quality of education at universities. Furthermore Mr. Talley sees his solutions as a step in the right direction that will start the reform debate for higher education.

Backpack Back Pains

2009-10-28T11:15:00.002-04:00

Emily Korby

On college campuses many students can be seen walking to and from classes carrying backpacks. They are useful for college students to carry class supplies during the school week. However, what many students fail to realize is that backpacks can cause health problems. Heavy weight in backpacks carried daily can cause students to overcompensate and lean forward, which puts stress on the student’s hips and back. The constant strain on the back can then lead to future back problems for the student.

A survey by Charlotte Alexander M.D. found that of more than one hundred doctors surveyed, almost 60% of orthopedists have treated children with back and shoulder problems due to backpacks. Backpacks also have consequences on a student’s nerves and circulation. However, backpacks worn on both shoulders are better than backpacks carried by one strap or messenger bags. Bags carried on one shoulder lead to students overcompensating by leaning to the opposite side, which affects posture and could possibly morph the spine. Backpacks are a health threat to college students that could have drastic consequences on their spinal health for the rest of their lives. In order to prevent back pain read the tips Backpack Safety America has to decrease the stress on a student’s back caused by backpacks.

Undecided?

2009-10-27T23:36:00.003-04:00

Rebecca Copeland

Many college students with undecided majors need support from their school on deciding on a major. According to Karen Leppel, a study on freshmen persistence rates to the second year of college found that females with majors in business, engineering, education, health, and sciences each had over a 90% persistence rate, while those with an undecided major had a 77.58% persistence rate. The results were similar for males except all the aforementioned majors had at least an 88% persistence rate and the undecided majors had a 78.81% persistence rate. This shows that students with undecided majors may be quicker to become discouraged from college than students with declared majors even though many students with declared majors change majors many times before graduation.

Colleges need to address this issue and provide more support to those students with undecided majors. Counselors could be provided to these students who are specifically there to help the students find out what they are interested in and help decide what major would be suitable for them. They could also assist the students by helping them realize that it is okay to be undecided in their first year of college. Most students change majors anyway, so being undecided is not such a bad thing. It would also help the undecided students if the counselors helped them decide what classes to take so that when they do declare a major they will not be behind. Many students feel like all the students around them know exactly what they want to do so this makes them feel lost. They do not realize that there are a lot of other students who are unsure exactly like them. This feeling of being lost contributes to stress and makes them feel overwhelmed, so they are therefore more likely not to continue to the second year of college.

A coffee a day is the college way….....not!

2009-10-27T16:58:00.000-04:00

By Pushkara Chaganti

Coffee drinking is a culture on every college campus in America. According to this website, about 90 percent of college students consume coffee on a daily basis. However, many students are so carried away by this culture that very few pause to think whether they actually need coffee or not. Giving a thought before grabbing a cup of coffee like “everyone else on campus” is very important as it can prevent students from falling into the vicious circle of caffeine addiction.

There is a common belief everywhere that coffee is necessary to survive in college. A college student name Moore says “I don’t know what I’d do without it. Coffee really does make my day get going. Without it, my energy and mind is shot, especially in the morning.” In other words this student is so dependent on coffee that it is impossible for him/her to start the day without it. However, just like Moore, many students do not realize that there have been situations in their life earlier when they had very little sleep or had to stay up late in the night to get some work done and they didn’t have to drink coffee in order to survive these incidents. For example, in high school there are definitely those days when there is lot of homework or a multitude of tests the next day and staying up late in the night is inevitable. Thinking back to those days in high school will make most college students realize that coffee wasn’t a necessity then. Why then is coffee becoming an imperative part of majority of the student’s life in college?

According to this website coffeehouses are a place to check out aspiring artists and musicians catch up with friends, converse with intellectuals, and cram for exams. In other words not only is coffee drinking a “survival necessity” in college but also a part of the social life. Although going to an attractive coffeehouse and spending some time with friends is good occasionally it should not become an essential part of one’s everyday life.

Hence, giving a thought to whether or not coffee is necessary before being carried away by the coffee drinking culture on campus is important because coffee drinking certainly has bad effects on one’s health and this one thought can avoid it.

Click here to know more about the bad effects of coffee.

Click here to learn how to quit drinking coffee.

Practicality of the Liberal Arts

2009-10-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

Nick Rentz

A common debate throughout has been which type of education is better. Should students get a practical education or one in liberal arts? In recent years the U.S. has fallen behind other countries in the number of Bachelor of Science degrees awarded. Why is this? For one, higher education is becoming more common in Eastern countries, but how is the United States already being surpassed? The United States, being a western country, places a high value on the humanities and a “traditional” or liberal arts education. How is this type of education beneficial to society?

Professors, authors, journalists, and politicians are some of the major careers that liberal arts colleges spit out. To a degree these are necessary but many liberal arts degrees are vague. When an engineer receives their degree they have a pretty accurate idea as to what their profession will entail. Higher education should be used as a training as well as education. Georgia Tech offers a great program in which students, after their first year, can alternate work, and school semesters. Thus they enter the job market with work experience. Not only some things they were lectured on and read in a book. This is what is truly important, learning and being able to apply what students have learned. According to Victor Ferrall liberal arts colleges are on the decline due to their lack in career oriented studies. It is time to start to minimize liberal arts degrees. Students need to be trained for a career and not just know a bunch of theory from a textbook. This is not to say, however, that it should be eliminated. Students should still be required to take a certain amount of humanity credit hours to prevent overspecialization and to give the students a better toolbox as educated people.

Academic Integrity: Not Taken Serious Enough

2009-10-23T14:37:00.000-04:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

Academic integrity in simple term is the commitment to not cheat or receiving unfair advantage over others academically. The public views institutes that strong enforce the importance of academic integrity with greater credentials. In Georgia Tech, for example, students are addressed about the importance of abiding by the honor code that values the academic integrity. However, for students, following academic integrity is much easier said than done. Furthermore, the situation is worsen when university faculty are found to be imprudent about the issue. According to Minnesota State University: “ One of the perennial issues in higher education is that of academic dishonesty by students. Most faculties are reluctant to think much about the issue. Yet most surveys of students indicate the widespread use and toleration of cheating on college campuses. A recent survey found that 1/3 of all students admitted to cheating on an examination, 1/2 admitted to cheating on a class assignment, 2/3 admitted to cheating at least once during their college career, and 2/3 have seen classmates cheat on exams or assignments. Paradoxically, 3/4 of those in that survey believe that cheating is not justified under any circumstances. Finally, 1/2 of the students surveyed believe that the faculty of their university do not try to catch cheaters.”

Looking at all these statistics, it is important to be aware that academic dishonesty is a prevalent and complex problem in universities today. I personally experienced how Georgia Tech try to enforce academic integrity by making me sign paper that I abide by the Georgia Tech honor code during exam submission. Sadly, making students sign forms that say they obey to the academic integrity just might not cut it. Academic integrity has been a problem that still has yet to be solved and fully cherished.

Letter Grades

2009-10-23T08:25:00.000-04:00

PamelaSara Head

Some students and professors believe that the letter grading system should be done away with in colleges because it is not an accurate indicator of a student’s comprehension of a subject. However, the letter grading system needs to be upheld for one main reason. Specifically, the letter grading system in most cases shows the students’ ability not only to learn subject material but their ability to apply what they’ve learned. If college students opposed to the letter grading system looked at the deeper meaning of a grade, maybe they would be less apt to push for a change.

According to Casey Kirk, the grading system distracts both students and professors from learning. She believes that students lose sight of what they are learning because they concern themselves too much with performing well on assignments and tests. They focus on “rote-memorization” instead of comprehension. In addition, professors also place too much emphasis on grading because they want to improve their reputation as a teacher by boasting their class’s high grade averages. However, grades do not merely reflect a student’s ability to memorize facts and follow strict guidelines for tests and assignments, and grades do show a student’s comprehension of a subject’s material.

According to Susan Sivek, “the benefit of a [letter with suffix] grading system is precision. Instructors can make better distinctions between students' achievement.” In other words, the letter grade system is an accurate way to establish a student’s comprehension of class material and therefore shows they have learned the material. Tests in college no longer follow the format of multiple choice questions that ask for the definition of a term. Instead questions ask how the terms apply to a given situation, or they ask the students to explain or demonstrate a concept or term. Therefore, if a student fails to learn and understand concepts, then they will get a lower grade. Therefore, the letter grade system should remain a part of the college system.

Some students and professors believe that the letter grading system needs to be done away with because it does not accurately depict how well a student has learned class material. However, letter grades do depict a student’s understanding of a subject and how well they’ve learned the material, because tests and other forms of assignments take a specific form. They do not ask simply for a definition or strict format, but rather require a student to implement what they’ve learned. If students and professors considered this idea maybe they would less apt to try to do away with the letter grade system.

Higher education in the Digital age part 2

2009-10-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

By Farzon Lotfi

David Noble of the Peer reviewed journal, The first Monday most adequately addresses the issue of the harms of internet education. Professor Noble argues that the automation of education online is coercive in nature because it forced on professors for the commercial interests of the university. Noble argues that the trend towards internet education is a regressive step towards standardizing and mass producing education. But David Noble's argument needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It was an essay written in 1998 at a time when few knew what the internet would be. Most view the internet as a another form of television where websites would be a set amount of channels you would pay for. But as we all know that is not what the internet turned out to be today. As I said In my previous article online colleges have doubled in the last five years and their growth does not show any signs of slowing down. The growing variety in online universities seems to answer David Nobles fear of a standardized education but not so much his fear of a mass produced education.

The benefits of online education has been its ability to streamline education. Online education has made education more affordable and accessible. This aspect of online education have broken down the classist structure that continues to presides in higher education despite governments attempt to make it more readily available. Making an education system targeted at the masses is not necessarily a bad thing. David Noble acts as if he is afraid that mass producing education would devalue the entire education system the same way mass producing the dollar devalues it.

2009-10-22T20:14:00.000-04:00

Registering for classes the right way

2009-10-21T23:33:00.000-04:00

by Pushkara Chaganti

According to the majority of college students, registering for classes is a painful task. However if everything is planned in advance and scheduled thoroughly, registration will be a piece of cake. Registering for classes thoughtfully and in a planned manner is very important because once registration is complete, every student has to continue with the same schedule for an entire semester.

As the registration day approaches, most colleges let their students view the class schedule for the upcoming semester. Students should make a good use of this schedule. The best way to use it is to look at the core requirements for their major and write out their potential schedules. They should keep in mind the timings of the classes, the professors teaching the classes and the attribution of the classes. In addition, one should try not to overload themselves with too many classes and end up with a schedule that is impossible to manage. Meeting with the academic advisor before registration will definitely be of immense help. A website that describes the importance of academic advising says “Academic advising provides students with the opportunity to openly explore academic and career alternatives with an advisor.” In other words, academic advisors not only make the registration process easier, but also guide students in the right direction.

After getting a rough idea of the potential schedule one should take care of removing the holds, if any, on his/her account. Usually every college has a website that walks students through the registration process. For example this is the Georgia Tech registration instructions website. Reading these instructions before-hand will help students prepare mentally for the registration process. If every student follows the above mentioned tips then he/she can get the schedule they desire

To learn more about how to register classes take a look at this website.

Athletics and Integrity

2009-10-21T18:37:00.003-04:00

Emily Korby

Collegiate athletics play a major role in today’s higher education. Many students, alumni, and fans enjoy watching the many different sporting events. However, what many fail to realize is corruption sometime lies behind the much-loved athletics. According to Christopher J. Lucas, author of American Higher Education, corruption has played its part in higher education as early as the 1950s. He argued, “Hardly a year passed without some new revelation of illegal or questionable practices.” Corruption occurs in order to keep the athletes eligible to play, and academic standards threatening eligibility makes corruption more common. According to Inside Higher Ed, some of the corruption that would occur includes giving athletes answers to test, doing athletes homework, and designing easier classes for athletes that do not require much work.

David Goldfield argues, "From a coach's perspective, the major task is to win, but now with the new requirements, the second and often equally pressing task is to maintain the eligibility of players." The eligibility sometimes comes with the price of corruption, a price that some universities are willing to pay for their athletes. Even though watching athletic sporting events is a traditional pastime for college students, and brings in revenue for the school, is it worth compromising the integrity of the school in order to win? Athletics and competition have become such a large part of school spirit that some are willing to compromise their character in order to better the athletics. Some universities have reached the point where academics are second priority to athletics, and athletics are valued higher than integrity.

Skipping Class

2009-10-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

Rebecca Copeland

More and more students are skipping their classes in college.According to Ella Powers, an informal study conducted by Blair Hedges found that “forty to 50 percent of students weren't attending his classes, which mirrored what he heard from colleagues in his department and at other large universities.” Many students decide to skip class because they feel like they do not get anything out of the class anyway, are unable to understand the professor, are tired, or just do not feel like going.

Even though a student feels like it is not worth it to go to class or that they will do fine without going, it is very important to go. Some professors take attendance so not showing up for could end up hurting a student’s grade. Going to class also reduces the amount of time needed to study later. By not going to class a student may miss an assignment announcement or extra credit opportunity. A professor could make a change to an assignment that a student would not know about unless they attended class. According to “Hundred$ of Reasons Not to Skip Class”, each class skipped at MIT costs $238, each class skipped at Princeton costs $300, and each class skipped at Yale costs $241. To get these numbers the yearly tuition for the top seven U.S. colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2008” was taken and divided into semesters and then by the average number of classes taken by students. This really shows how valuable each class is and how important it is to attend every class.

Overworkload

2009-10-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

Nick Rentz

The division of student affairs at Georgia Tech states that there is no “normal” courseload. They do state, however, that twelve hours per semester is required to be considered a full-time student. As a Georgia Tech freshman, how do they know how many hours to take?

The maximum number of hours in a fall or spring semester for a undergraduate student in good academic standing is twenty-one hours. However, this is not recommended for the average student. Only the exceptionally talented students should attempt this courseload. Freshman do face an interesting challenge. They do not fully understand how much time a course will take until after the fall semester. A guideline around campus at Tech is that for every hour a student spends in class, two hours should be spent out of class on homework or studying. Once again everything comes back to a balancing act. Its all about how a student can manage their time. Some good advice is to talk with an advisor. They know how many credit hours a student needs, already has, and other specifics about the students major. For example, an aerospace engineering student with no credit hours is expected to take sixteen or seventeen hours per semester at Tech in order to graduate in four years. Students need to realize that they need to not worry about graduating quickly, but graduating with a good GPA and work experience among other things. Students should take a course load that is reasonable, maybe closer to twelve for the first semester and then the student will know how much they can add in the future.

Bacteria and Virus: Invisible Threats

2009-10-16T13:53:00.000-04:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

After high school, many students live without their parents to go to college. Especially at Georgia Tech, the university has a high number of student housing facilities. Dorm hygiene might introduce health risks to many of the students. Surfaces that are not frequently cleaned are often spot for bacteria colonies Although many students think their dorm rooms are not at risk to contamination, According to Simmons College Center for Hygiene and Health claimed that only 63% of student polled they did not clean their room despite the fact that there is an outbreak of the H1N1 virus. The Simmons College Center also provides some statistics that can be found surprisingly mind opening to those who live in dorms:

Communal shower floors were the most contaminated surface in the dorm, harboring more than 40 times the number of bacteria found on the toilet seat. Forty three percent (43%) of shower floors were contaminated with bacteria that can indicate fecal contamination and twenty percent (20%) hid streptococci.

Dorm room refrigerator door handles harbored twice as many bacteria as shared dorm toilet handles. Thirty seven percent (37%) encountered bacteria that can indicate fecal contamination and thirteen percent (13%) encountered staph.

While television remote controls and shared bathroom sink handles fare relatively well, both were found to be contaminated with MRSA, the dangerous drug-resistant bacteria, in some dorm rooms studied.

It should be noted by now that many students are very often in contact with bacteria and are more susceptible to getting sick. Cleaning parts of the dorm room that the students often come to contact with can greatly reduce their risk of getting sick.

Tuition Costs on the Rise

2009-10-16T08:49:00.001-04:00

PamelaSara Head

Records show that college tuition prices have risen substantially not only in recent years, but throughout the 1990s as well. As a result, many high school graduates doubt that they can afford to go to college. However, students overlook one main factor that makes college more affordable. Students may overlook the difference between the “sticker price” tuition and the actual cost. If students made a greater effort to research these options, perhaps they would be less doubtful about their ability to pay.

Records from Data 360 show that in 1997 the average college tuition for a private four year college averaged at about $13,785 per semester, and public four year college tuitions averaged at about $3,111 per semester. By 2007, the cost of a private institution had risen to $23,712, and public institutions had risen to $6,185. In other words, tuition increased by about $10,000 dollars for private colleges and doubled for public colleges. In addition, college tuition continues to increase annually. Many students find that they cannot afford to pay $12,000 to $27,000 or more a year, especially when they have other costs associated with college such as housing. However, the “sticker price” of college tuition misleads potential college students.

According to College Board, “about 56 percent of students enrolled at four-year colleges or universities attend institutions that charge tuition and fees of less than $9,000 per year.” College Board also stated that 38% of full time students at public four year colleges pay between $3,000 and $6,000 (this includes fees other than tuition). In clearest terms, the “sticker price” of a college, misrepresents the actual fee the majority of students pay to attend. Students need to remember that the “sticker price” represents the average cost, so tuitions range below the average just as much as they range above. Before students decide to put off college or not to attend college, because of the “sticker price,” they should research what the majority of students actually pay for the institution they wish to attend.

Records show that college tuition prices have risen over the past decade and continue to rise every year. As a result, many students become uncertain about their ability to pay. However, students need to realize that the “sticker price” of any institution represents the average cost not the absolute cost. If students make the effort to research the institution of their choice, they likely will find that college is a more affordable option than previously believed.

Illegal Immigrants and In-state tuition

2009-10-14T21:37:00.004-04:00

Emily Korby

Should illegal immigrants receive in-state tuition? The simple question is a controversial one that has higher education in an uproar. Leader of the Secure Arkansas, Jeannie Burlsworth argued “the public doesn’t want to subsidize illegal immigrants from the cradle to the grave.” However, what she and many others fail to realize is that in-state tuition for illegal immigrants is actually beneficial for the public.

According to the National Immigration Law Center, the states that allow illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition do not find a reduction in revenue, but instead find a rise in the percentage of high school graduates that continue their education in order to pursue a college degree. The increased percentage of illegal immigrants that are working towards a college degree is beneficial for the economy. Many states that award in-state tuition have specifications for the illegal immigrants to be able to pay in-state tuition prices. Some of the specifications include living a specific number of years in the state or declare their intention to become a citizen. The illegal immigrants that are already in the country, and have lived in the state for a set number of years would further their education, something that may not be possible without in-state tuition. The state’s population would then be better educated. The better-educated illegal immigrants would then be able to contribute more to the community and the economy. The illegal immigrants that declare their intention to become citizens would be able to pay back the state through taxes, and better-educated immigrants would have higher incomes, which would equate to higher taxes. Overall, in-state tuition for illegal immigrants would have positive effects for the state, the individual, and the community.

Grades vs Learning

2009-10-14T14:47:00.000-04:00

By Pushkara Chaganti

The conventional way of judging whether or not a student is doing well in college is by his/her grades and not by how much knowledge the student has gained. Even students in colleges worry more about their grades rather than worry about what they have learned in class. However, good grades don’t always indicate good knowledge. Realizing this fact is vital because the importance that grades are given in the society is not right.

A website that speaks about grades vs learning says “Marks rule the education world today.” In other words everyone, including parents, teachers, colleges, companies, base their decisions on grades. Especially parents build pressure on their kids to get good grades. Since students are expected to display good grades and are never actually tested for their knowledge, they forget that the whole purpose of school is to learn and stress about their grades. They resort to methods like plagiarism to get good grades. Grades have become so important that the future of a student depends upon them.

Companies, for the most part, choose their employees based upon their GPA. For example if a student with not-so-good grades but good knowledge is competing for a job with another student with better grades but less knowledge, the latter is given higher preference. This is because the resume reflects what classes the student has taken and how good are his/her grades. Very rarely do companies have assessments that test how much the student has learned from the classes he/she has taken. This is a loss of opportunity for the student with good knowledge and also a loss of a good employee for the companies. There can always be an argument that it is obvious that if students have a good knowledge about the subject they get good grades.

This is not true always. There are methods of getting good grades without actually learning anything. This website teaches students the art of getting good grades without learning anything. Hence, it is about time that people stopped basing their decisions solely on grades and started thinking about what the student has learned.

Note Sharing

2009-10-13T22:23:00.000-04:00

Rebecca Copeland

As technology advances, it brings with it much controversy with higher education. One controversy arising today is note sharing. Websites like GradeGuru and ShareNotes allow college students to select their course, school, and teacher and upload their notes for that class to the site. Other students can then get on the site and search for notes for their courses to use. According to Ben Eisen, some people “have expressed the concern that these websites blur the line between cheating and doing one's own work, which could be seen as propagating laziness among students.” While these note sharing websites could be used in the wrong way, they can also be very helpful and useful to students.

These websites could be useful to students who are sick and must miss a class. They can go on the website to get the notes they missed. Although this could be used by students who just do not feel like going to class and know they can get the notes online later. The notes are also useful to students who went to class and took notes, but just want to look at others notes to help them study. A different student could have taken down something important that one missed. It is also interesting to see another’s take on something said by the professor that they might not have thought of. There is no problem with note sharing in this way, but it could become a problem if students start to plagiarize the work of others. This is a problem because it may be difficult to identify those who are plagiarizing.

Helicopter Parents

2009-10-13T15:44:00.000-04:00

Nick Rentz

Previous articles focus on how helicopter parents get to involved in students lives by going to the administration or professors about grades or other personal problems. These articles fail to acknowledge how parents try to still intervene on the day-to-day decisions of their now, adult children. Babysitting and overprotecting college students can have many negative consequences, while giving them space can be very beneficial.

While in high school a students parents might have monitored their grades, packed their lunch, and set curfews. However, once students are in college and have turned eighteen, legal adults, parents need to take a seat in the back of the car. This is not to say they have been kicked out of the car however, students need to be making the major decisions on where to go only with guidance from the backseat. For example, a parent should not be on the phone telling their child to be in by a set time to study for tests, asking for passwords to check grades, or not allowing them to go to certain places. College is a time for students to grow up and learn to fend for themselves. At some point parents are going to have to let go. Will they call them at three o'clock on fridays to make sure they are going to get their time sheet in? College is the perfect time to start letting go. Students need to begin making their own choices and only go to parents for advice. This will help them be an adult but not feel alone and alienated. These are two qualities needed during their college experience.

Am I Involved Too Much?

2009-10-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

by Pushkara Chaganti

According to many studies and college surveys, students’ performance is college is greatly improved by their participation in extracurricular activities and thus colleges emphasize on student involvement on campus. However colleges ignore the fact that students can also tend to over involve themselves on various campus activities. Recognizing the fact that students can have “too much on their plate” is important because if their participation in the extracurricular activities exceeds limits, then they are bound to either fail in keeping up with academics or have a really hard time balancing everything that is going on around them.

Every college in the United States of America offers a mosaic of activities and organizations that help in student involvement. The Georgia tech student involvement webpage says “Students who get involved are more likely to be happier with their college experience, graduate, and have higher grades than those who do not get involved.” When this webpage is observed carefully, it mentions how many student organizations are present, how they are classified and how a student to get involved in campus and decide what with activities he/she would like to get involved. On the other hand, there is not a single option that helps students decide how many activities they should get involved with and how much time can they afford to spend for these activities, keeping their academics in mind. Hence, it is the responsibility of the students to plan their schedule so that they are not overburdened and overstressed.

As the main aim of every college student should be being successful at academics, this aim cannot be neglected in an over enthusiastic effort to get involved on campus. Thus, the students should get themselves involved in the campus activities progressively. This way they will have a good idea as to how they can balance their academics as well as extracurricular activities.

To learn more about how to prioritize things and manage time, visit this website.

Studying at Home

2009-10-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

Within recent years, the cost for post-secondary education institutes has risen due to the economic crisis. People thereupon are seeking other alternatives for their post-secondary education. Among the options, online teaching is markedly rising in popularity. In addition, the bad economy has not only raised the cost of tuition, but it also raised other costs of living, one of them being gasoline. Some students are willing to take online courses in dire need to save transportation cost. Sam Dilon of the New York Times claims that “The vast majority of the nation’s 15 million college students — at least 79 percent — live off campus, and with gas prices above $4 a gallon, many are seeking to cut commuting costs by studying online.” The increasing trend of online education alarm officials who are saying that online education is inferior to the traditional learning style. Although some experts make claims about the ineffectiveness of online education, worldwidelearn.com noted the benefits of online education other than the fact the online course saves money. For instance, students often feel more comfortable to participate in online class discussion rather than speaking up in an intimidating classroom. Online learning also enables student-centered teaching approaches. Every student has their own way of learning that works best for them. Some learn visually others do better when they learn by doing. All in all, online course might offer a new innovation to the American post-secondary education and part of the solution to the financial struggle that many personnel are experiencing.

Calorie Information Cons

2009-09-30T17:29:00.000-04:00

Emily Korby

Across the United States many colleges are displaying calorie information in the dining halls and are implementing programs to make students more aware of the freshman 15. While many people think this is a good way for freshman to be aware of their weight, it can have negative opposite effects. Colleges’ stress on healthy eating can cause many students to develop eating disorders. According to an article by Johannah Cornblatt on Newsweek the percentage of students dieting, vomiting, or taking laxatives in order to lose weight has increased from twenty-eight percent to thirty-eight percent. Last year Harvard removed calorie information in their dining halls in order to prevent the development of eating disorders among its students. In prestigious institutions such as Harvard there is a great pressure to be perfect, which takes a toll on many students, sometimes in the form of an eating disorder. Eating disorders are a way for many college students to remain in control of their lives, control that many students feel like they lose during their college years. Calorie information in colleges can affect students psychologically. They begin to think if they are not conscientious of what they eat then they will no longer be perfect and have control, which then leads to serious eating disorders. While colleges think they are having a positive effect on students’ weight they are really causing weight issues.

Online or in Print?

2009-09-29T22:01:00.000-04:00

Rebecca Copeland

At the beginning of a new semester, many college students must decide whether to buy a textbook in print or online. According to Elizabeth Redden, “about 50 percent of our students like the idea of electronic textbooks and 50 percent don't.” After learning more about online textbooks some students might change their minds. Some colleges are trying to switch over to only using online textbooks. Many may argue that textbooks in print are better because they have the benefits of writing in them and making notes in the margins. You can also tab pages so that important pages will be easy to find. Others might argue that if there is a problem with the internet or if it is necessary to study somewhere where computer access is not available, it is still possible to study from a book in print. Although there are benefits to textbooks in print, there are also many benefits to online textbooks.

One benefit of online textbooks is the ability to take them anywhere that a laptop can be taken and internet access is available. Some might argue that it is possible to take a textbook anywhere, but it is much easier to carry one laptop around with all the books than to lug a bunch of heavy textbooks. Online textbooks also offer a more interactive book. This makes it possible to click links and see videos or other websites that help the student understand the material. Online textbooks are also usually less expensive than textbooks in print. Online textbooks also save trees because textbooks are usually hundreds of pages. This saves a lot of trees because online textbooks require no paper. Ultimately, students must decide for themselves which version of a textbook is more useful to them.

Smoking: The Silent Issue

2009-09-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

PamelaSara Head

Studies show that 23% of students participate in binge drinking on college campuses and these students drink 68% of the alcohol on campus (Alcohol edu). Studies neglect the prevalence of smoking on college campuses. College administrators focus so much on the drinking issue that as a result smoking tends to go under the radar. Even though smoking occurs on campus either as much as or more so than binge drinking, colleges do not address the issue and neglect to establish cessation programs. If colleges were more assertive towards addressing the smoking issue maybe the number of students who start smoking in college would decrease.

College administrators tend to focus on the college drinking problem for two major reasons. First, legal issues ensue when students under the age of 21 participate in drinking. Second, students who binge drink are more likely to experience health issues, dependency, reckless behavior, or even death. However, smoking is just as prevent if not more so among college students and leads to equally serious health problems in the long run. In fact, the CDC states that 33% of college students smoke. That means that 33% of college students risk becoming life-time smokers, multiple cancers, emphysema, and other health related issues. Despite these numbers and risks, few colleges implement cessation programs and the numbers decrease every year as colleges ban smoking altogether.

College students who currently smoke may decide that they want to quit; however, many may fail, become frustrated, and give up altogether without some form of support. In a survey conducted by Henry Wechsler, 85% of colleges that participated reported that they felt smoking was a problem among college students but 40% also reported that they didn’t have cessation programs. In other words, of the colleges that did think smoking was a problem on campus, almost half did not address the problem by establishing cessation programs. College administrators need to address the issue of smoking on college campuses. Cessation programs and even preventative programs could lower the amount of students who start smoking in college and even the number of smokers in college in general.

The smoking issue seems to fall below the radar of college administrators today because they become more concerned with the problems and issues caused by college binge drinking. However, smoking is just as prevalent an issue as drinking for several reasons. Smoking leads to devastating health problems, exists in greater numbers than binge drinking on college campuses, and is highly addictive. Colleges therefore need to establish more cessation and preventative programs.

A Match Made in Heaven

2009-09-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

Nick Rentz

As colleges grow or accept more students than they have housing for, more students have to triple up in a traditional sized dorm (about 150 square feet). The New York Times is quick to analyze the negatives of tripling up in a dorm, but what news reporters tend to overlook are the troubles that are found when two people are forced to live in these close of quarters.

When living in a dorm with a roommate, students can go through a lot of stress. Nobody has the “perfect” roommate. There is no such thing. At some point in time there will be a disagreement. Some schools try and use a roommate matcher or use preference questions that try to eliminate major roommate problems from the beginning. For example, at Georgia Tech on the housing application, students are asked if they smoke, if they are early risers, if they will have overnight guests, and if they are tidy. However, many students try and room with friends from high school. This is not a great idea. Students face completely different issues when they are living together, always within 5 feet of each other in the dorm. Some good techniques to get along with a roommate include compromising, being honest, and communicating. These techniques are not foolproof and it is not guaranteed that every roommate will agree and meet half way, but at least one roommate is doing their part. It is tough having a roommate, especially if the student has always had their own room. It can sometimes add more stress to the student’s daily life but using these tips will help alleviate some of the roommate hardships.

Gambling Problems

2009-09-25T08:53:00.000-04:00

PamelaSara Head

Many college students participate in gambling because they perceive it as a recreational activity. However, students who participate in gambling fail to see the risk involved. Specifically, college students in most cases fail to consider the possibility that they will become addicted to gambling. In addition, college students may also fail to consider the problems that are associated with gambling addictions, including depression and debt. If more college students thought about these consequences of gambling, maybe statistics of college gambling would decrease.

According to the Oregon lottery and the Department of Human Services, “gambling is a fun and entertaining activity for most college students that play for social or recreational reasons.” In other words, gambling increases among college students because it has become a common social activity among peers. Usually gambling provides no real cause for concern; buying the occasional lottery ticket isn’t going to deplete a student’s funds. However, when students become addicted to gambling they often face serious problems.

According to an IU expert source, 3-4% of college students who gamble develop into problem gamblers, and college students today have easy access to gambling because over 2000 betting websites exist. Students with gambling addictions also become prone to depression and debt. In other words, students consumed by this habit lose control over their lives. They end up losing copious amounts of money which leads to the accumulation of debt. When their money runs out, addicted college students start looking for new ways to raise money for gambling including pawning off their material possessions. They go to such extremes because addiction is a powerful influence; students may feel compelled to gamble even when they see that they are losing everything. Depression sets in when they can no longer afford to pay their gambling debts. Even though few students end up developing an addiction problem, students should consider avoiding the practice all together and finding other ways to have fun with their peers such as playing soccer, watching a movie, or just hanging out.

Students gamble as a way to socialize with their peers. Addiction to gambling among students occurs rarely, but when it does happen students literally pay a hefty price. This addiction almost always leads to depression and debt, so students should seriously consider finding new ways of socializing. If students looked at the statistics more closely and took the possible consequences into greater consideration, perhaps fewer students would decide to gamble.

Bigger vs. Smaller Classes

2009-09-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

PJ Poomrapee Jewanarom

Class size is among one of the most the common concerns of college students. College freshmen often find it daunting to walk into a lecture hall with a class size of multiple times than their classes in high school. In bigger classes, instructors do not give as much attention to the topic some students are struggling on as much as high school instructors would have. Students find it intimidating to ask questions in a big classroom. When students perform poorly, the class size often becomes the target for the blame. Despite the common assumption that student’s academic performance is compromised with increasing class size, research shows that it is not the case. Richard C. Schiming of Minnesota State University argues on two points against the common assumption: “(1) class size has no effect on the recall and retention of facts and information during a course as measured by student performance on objective questions or examinations and (2) scores on standardized examinations two years after a course is over were virtually identical between students in large and small classes so that there was no discernible difference in the retention of academic”. Not to be bias, Schiming added that students in smaller class acquire better “higher-order academic skills such as problem solving, written expression, and critical thinking” than students in larger classes. This might be surprising for most people, especially college freshmen. College system works differently than high school. Students often can find help when they need one. Professors and teacher assistants have office hours that students can go in and ask questions. In most colleges there are also places where students can go to get more help. Class size might just be a psychological stress that new coming college students on their own.

Click, Click, Click!

2009-09-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

by Pushkara Chaganti

A 2004 study reported in USA Today claims that laptops and hand-held computers help with schoolwork and improve grades. On the other hand, a one-day undercover investigation at Shalhevet found that more than half the students with laptops open in class were not taking notes, but instead using them to check e-mail, Facebook or Fantasy Basketball rankings. (source) . Hence students should behave responsibly and use laptops for their benefit.

Laptop use involves a lot of controversy, from students who believe they should be used to their maximum potential to those who don't want to see laptops at all. “A website that debates about whether or not laptops should be used in class says “There is no doubt that laptops can be distracting to students. No one needs to see Facebook during a lecture on Middle Eastern politics. The same goes for checking e-mail and news.”. This shows that laptops can definitely be a distraction for the students in class. It provides an option for students to be physically present and mentally absent from the class. This will have drastic affect on the students’ education. The above mentioned mal-usage of laptops has encouraged many college professors to ban them from classes. While these are the reasons why laptops shouldn’t be allowed in classrooms, there are certain reasons that show why laptops are to be allowed in classrooms.

"I am pro using laptops in class," sophomore Dana Silver said. "I'm a slow writer and a fast typer, so it's easier for me to keep up in class when I use a laptop." Many students do like typing up their notes as it is much faster, easier to comprehend and can be shared with others without trouble. In addition to this, most college professors have their notes posted online so that the students can refer back to them anytime. One can conclude that laptops certainly have advantages and should be allowed in the classrooms. In order to make good use of the laptop and avoid being negatively affected by them, it is the students that have to be responsible.

“When used responsibly—for taking notes or quickly accessing research—a laptop provides valuable educational support.”(source ) Hence, it is in the hands of the students to decide whether or not they are going to use the laptops in classrooms for their benefit or not.

Freshman 15

2009-09-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

Emily Korby

As a new college freshman with an unlimited meal plan I have often heard the term “freshman 15.” With obesity prevalent among our country's teens the term "freshman 15" tends to be over exaggerated. In fact the average weight gain among freshman college students is five pounds. Some sources say the way to combat the “freshman 15” is to watch calories and exercise at the gym. An article by Bryan Miller, on Health.com, recommends weighing yourself daily, taking a course on healthy eating, and exercising at the gym in order to combat the freshman 15. His tips, however efficient they may be, seem unrealistic for college freshman with very busy schedules. Freshman have a lot going on with classes, studying, homework, and extra curriculars, which leaves little time left over in order to go to the gym or take a healthy eating course. So how is a busy freshman able to prevent gaining weight? The Freshman 15 website has some tips that just involve changing when and what a student eats in order to prevent gaining the freshman pounds. They recommend avoiding drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, eating late at night, and keeping junk food in the dorm room. One way I have found to exercise with a busy schedule is choosing an extra curricular activity that involves exercise such as an intramural team. Another way to get some exercise with a busy schedule is walking to class everyday instead of taking the bus, it may sound simple but especially with a big campus or a hilly campus a student can get good exercise between classes.

Hybrid Classes

2009-09-22T23:15:00.000-04:00

Rebecca Copeland

As there are more advances in technology, more options open up for students of higher education. Many students know of the option to take online courses, but do not know of the option to take hybrid courses. These hybrid courses offer the course online, but also involve some of the face-to-face time of a normal course. According to Steve Kolowich of Inside Higher Education, “hybrid courses…can produce better outcomes than those that are delivered exclusively on the Web or in the classroom.” Hybrid courses solve many of the problems of online courses. One of the main drawbacks to online courses is that students never see the professor, so they do not get to know the professor. Students need to get to know their professors so that they can go to them for help. The student also needs the professor later in life for job recommendations. Hybrid courses solve this problem because the student still gets to know their professor even though part of the course is online.

One pro the hybrid course has over traditional courses is that students who commute to school do not devote as much time driving to and from school. The hybrid course is also more flexible than a traditional class for those with a busy schedule. Although at times the students meet with the professor, these times are a lot fewer and more spread apart. The student does much of the work for the class whenever it is convenient for them to get it done. Many students also feel more comfortable getting involved in online discussion than they do in a traditional class, which helps more shy students speak their opinion. Although whether a hybrid class is going to be better for a student depends on the individual student. Some students learn better in a traditional classroom because they are auditory learners. Some students learn better when they do things on their own. Students need to decide for themselves how they learn best.

Affirmative Action: A New Type of Discrimination

2009-09-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

Nick Rentz
Today, affirmative action has grown into more than just an opportunity for minorities. According to the New York Times, the supreme court will rule against colleges almost every time in race related issues. In the early stages affirmative action was intended as a way for underprivileged or minority students and workers to enter into school or the workforce and not be judged based on their race. However, today, affirmative action has turned into the opposite. It gives different races an advantage when applying to colleges.
In the 1978 landmark Regents v. Bakke decision, the Supreme Court ruled that holding x number of positions open for minority students was unconstitutional; however, they could look at race as a “plus factor.” This should not be the case. On college applications there should not be a box in which you indicate your race. After being admitted, they can find this out through surveys but not before. The reason for this is so that the students being admitted are the best students. It should not the best students plus five percent minority students because that’s what the law says. Only the best students should be admitted. Personally, during my senior year I had a friend from Columbia. He fully exploited affirmative action. He applied to several Ivy League schools and was accepted. Not that he did not have a decent resume, however, there were more qualified students in multiple areas, such as SAT scores, GPA, clubs, and leadership roles, not just one.
On one hand, yes, racism needs to be eliminated from higher education. On the other hand, it should not compromise the schools integrity to admit a certain number of minority students. They should be required to compete at the same level as all students. According to Ward Connely, “…there should not be a guaranteed outcome in the race. If you discriminate for someone, you discriminate against someone else."