Monthly Archives: June 2012

We don’t want to disrupt your relaxation. But the fact is, taking some online courses over the summer months could be a great idea. There is hardly any better way to engage in some smart college prep. 

On June 21, a post on this blog urged Democrats and Republicans to take immediate action to keep the interest rate on Stafford Loans from increasing from 3.4 to 6.8% on July 1. That is apparently about to happen.

Dr. Frankenstein made a man out of different body parts. Prometheus made a man out of clay. And today, students are assembling their college programs by cobbling together different parts too.

The idea of putting on nice clothes to take an online class might seem odd. After all, nobody can see you while you are studying online, right? What difference does it make? Why not wear sweatpants, the t shirt you slept in, and shower later on, after your coursework is done for the day?

What is the difference between the mean, the median and the mode? StraighterLine has created a terrific video that explains it all.  It’s one of a growing number of instructional math videos that StraighterLine has posted on YouTube.

If and when Prince William becomes King of England and she becomes Queen, Kate Middleton will be the first British Queen in history to hold a college degree. How is that for cool?

If you're a college student and you’re starting to feel like a ping pong ball, there’s a reason why. Dems and Repubs are batting you back and forth.This time, you’re caught in the middle because the interest rate on Stafford Loans is going to double from 3.4 to 6.8% on July 1 unless Congress takes action. 

If you’d like to know more about StraighterLine and the future of American education too, we urge you to watch this recent interview on PBS with StraighterLine CEO Burck Smith.

If you get a mild case of poison ivy dermatitis, some over-the-counter remedies can help reduce the discomfort.  If you have a more severe case, see a dermatologist.

You will find descriptions of some actual bestsellers below. But mixed among them are descriptions of books that I made up - books that don’t exist. Your job is to read the descriptions and decide which are real books, and which are spoofs.

I doubt that you’ve been wondering what to get me for Father’s Day. But in case you have, let me help you out. I don’t want a tie or a belt. I don’t even want a new cordless drill or a set of barbecue tools. Maybe a shoeshine kit, those are neat and very Fathers’ Day-like.

Even though lots of colleges require students to take dismal courses, many of them are offering really interesting classes too. Maybe they realize that if all their courses were boring, students would never apply or enroll?

Earn some college credits over the summer. You can use the credits to lighten your course load in September, complete a required course – maybe even graduate from college a semester earlier and save a lot of money.    

If you don’t know who Salman Khan is, you should. He is revolutionizing the education industry, and is a major reason videos may just replace textbooks in the classroom. He’ll make your online college algebra class fun, make you smile when doing derivatives, and change your perception of distance learning classes.