We often post here about the problems with for-profit higher education: high-pressure recruitment, unrealistic job placement expectations, and huge debt loads. If you know anyone considering enrolling at a for-profit school, this infographic from Campus Progress synthesizes quotes from people involved in the industry, statistics, and facts in an easy-to-digest cartoon form. [More]
college
College Students Turn To Some Interesting Methods To Pay For School
By 3.30.11
Back in my day, paying for college meant babysitting or working as a waitress, and yes, applying to every scholarship/grant in existence. But kids these days, boy, are they getting creative when it comes to saving up funds to pay for education! [More]
Professor Gives Up Back-Of-Head Robo-Eye
By 2.11.11
That NYU professor who had a camera installed on the back of his head as part of an art project has given up the cyborg enhancement. His body rejected the implant, which caused immense discomfort that led to a detachment procedure. [More]
UConn Football Donor Demands His Millions Back Because He Didn't Get To Pick Coach
By 1.26.11
People who accept donations for colleges may want to start handing out receipts that indicate “all giving is final,” because moneybags donors are starting to ask for refunds. [More]
Study: Many Students Learn Little In College
By 1.20.11
A significant chunk of students who seek higher education are just spending a bunch of money to spin their wheels, according to new research that finds many are hardly learning anything. [More]
Avoiding Student Loan Default At Citibank: A Cautionary Tale
By 1.20.11
It’s an enormous relief to find someone at a large, powerful company who is kind, helpful, and able to solve your problems. Unfortunately, reader Flora learned that just because a person is kind and helpful, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t document your conversations with them in case things go horribly wrong. [More]
The World's Smallest Walmart Opens On A College Campus
By 1.20.11
America, please welcome the world’s smallest Walmart. It opened last week on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Of course, the concept of “small” is relative when it comes to Walmarts: the new store is about 3,500 square feet of retail space, and replaces the former campus health center pharmacy. [More]
Find Cheaper Textbooks Online
By 1.19.11
The New York Times Bucks Blog has a great feature on finding textbooks for less. There’s a great list of comparison sites in there. Don’t forget too the option of e-textbooks at sites like CafeScribe. Having all the text digitized not only makes it lighter and more portable, but you can easily CTRL-F if you’re trying to find a key phrase or concept. [More]
College Student Pays $14,000 Tuition In Singles
By 1.18.11
A student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is making headlines after deciding to pay for all $14,300 of his semester’s tuition in $1 bills. [More]
UNC Chapel Hill Is The Best Deal In Public Colleges
By 1.4.11
Kiplinger’s has released their rankings of the 100 best values for public colleges and universities — and the winner is… the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. [More]
Man Sues College After It Rejects Son Following $40K Donation
By 1.4.11
Assuming a $40,000 donation to his alma mater would grease the wheels enough to get his son an easy acceptance letter, the donor is suing because the college left his son hanging. [More]
Are Upper-Crust Schools Worth The Expense?
By 12.20.10
It’s impossible to definitively say whether or not the benefits of a degree from an elite college justify the expense. [More]
Chegg Wants Your Textbooks Back Before Finals, Or They'll Charge Full Purchase Price
By 12.10.10
Is your college’s semester a little longer than most? If you use the textbook rental service Chegg.com: that’s too bad. They need your books back now. Shawn reports that even though he needs his textbook until December 23rd, Chegg claims that they need it back by the 20th, or they’re going to charge him full price, even if he gets an extension. Is that company policy? Well…. no. [More]
NYU Professor Installs Eye In The Back Of His Head
By 12.3.10
In a story that makes you do a triple-take to make sure you’re not reading a parody site, a New York college professor had a camera installed into the back of his head. [More]
Fancy Colleges Don't Matter
By 11.30.10
Smart and ambitious students should go to community college and state school, and save their money for funding their dreams. At least that’s one way to look at a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research that found going to a college where kids have higher SAT scores doesn’t result in more money after they graduate. [More]
Only 9% Of Students At For-Profit Colleges Graduate Within 6 Years
By 11.24.10
If you’re planning on getting ahead in life with a degree from a for-profit college, consider this: a new report says that only 9% of students there graduate within 6 years. Ah, so that’s the reason why you don’t see too many University of Phoenix degrees hanging on the walls of high-powered execs. [More]
Did eCampus Ever Send Customer Her Textbook Or Her Refund?
By 11.18.10
What’s worse than paying ridiculous prices for textbooks? Paying a slightly less ridiculous price for a textbook, then never receiving the book or the refund the company promises. In October, more than halfway through the semester, Emily was forced to request a chargeback for a book that she never received. She suspects that the company never mailed it at all, and they also never issued her a promised refund. [More]
The Best Lesson I Learned At College Was College Wasn't Worth It
By 11.7.10
With college tuition and fees rapidly increasing and hovering at an average of $7,605 a year, it’s becoming easier to question whether or not it’s worth putting yourself in debt for the knowledge and connections. [More]
