StraighterLine Blog

The methodology that U.S. News has developed to collect data is deeply flawed, and has been since the magazine starting compiling its college rankings. The problem is that the data that U.S. News uses to rank colleges is submitted by the colleges themselves. 

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We would  like to offer some special words of appreciation to a group of American colleges and universities known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Back in the years when the doors to higher education were closed for deserving young Americans of color, these colleges took historical steps to create colleges that welcomed them. The service that Historically Black Colleges and Universities has performed to advance American education, as well as the cause of deserving students, has been nothing short of exceptional.

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Why would you want to take a college-level physics course? There are frivolous reasons, such as the fact that after studying physics you will become better at Nok-Hockey and ping pong. But there are plenty of legitimate reasons too, such as your need to complete a science course that your college requires as part of its core curriculum.

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Maybe you’re a high school student who would like to get a taste of what a college course is like. Or perhaps you’re a college student who would like to find out how to use online courses to graduate faster or slash your tuition bills.

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Vassar College made a mistake on its website and informed 76 students that they had been admitted via the college’s early acceptance program. Then it had to backtrack and tell them that they hadn’t. 

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The president’s proposal, which he hinted at during his annual State of the Union Address earlier in the week, would reward states that were able to keep tuition down. Plus, colleges that achieved “efficiency” would be eligible for extra funding as part of what the president called a “First in the World Competition.” The new plan would cost $1 billion to implement.

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We just found the huge, immense and overwhelming database of college trivia that Inside College has made available on its website. Don’t even look at it unless you are ready to spend hours clicking around and discovering all kinds of amazing facts about American colleges and the famous people who went to them.

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If Ellen DeGeneres is reading this post, we have a suggestion. Ellen, why not invite other deserving students onto your show too, and showcase their need to find college funding? If hundreds of smart students get scholarships like Samantha did, we will all feel not just good, but great.

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If you’re applying to a college that offers you a chance to have an interview with an alumnus or alumna who attended the school, should you schedule one? The answer is, yes. Alumni interviews can only improve your chances of getting into a college. They represent an opportunity that is all upside, with no downside.

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If you’re applying to college and need financial aid, chances are that you have filled out a FAFSA and spoken with the financial aid officers at the colleges where you are applying. Those are important things to do. But there are other sources of financial aid that most people overlook. Here are some unusual sources of funding that StraighterLine has uncovered for you . . . 

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