July 2013

Why wait ‘til Halloween to read Frankenstein, the novel that Mary Shelley’s penned in 1818? Here are some reasons why this immortal novel, which was actually entitled Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, makes for hot, hot summer reading . . . Reading it now could help you pass required English courses in the fall. You see, Frankenstein is required reading in many of them, including StraighterLine’s own English Composition I course. So if you read it now, you’ll have an easier time of it later on. You’re going to look wicked cool at the pool or the beach. Let those other people lie back in their lounge chairs and read Crazy Rich Asians, The Woman Upstairs, or one of those romances with the guy with the pecs on the c ...

[caption id="attachment_4082" align="alignright" width="300"] "Brothers, let us goeth forth now and enrolleth in online courses!"[/caption] What is the most important trait that Americans share? In other words, what is our national character? When you try to figure out what that central trait is, a lot of possibilities come to mind. We Americans are self-reliant, resourceful, brave, moral and spiritual, open-minded, family-oriented, civic-minded, and a lot more. But I’d like to nominate this as the trait that is most central to our national character . . . We Americans are independent I mean, it’s Independence Day, right? Today, we’re celebrating the day when we literally became independent from Great Britain. That’s how our ...

By Danielle Koons This is going to be a tricky topic. You see, StraighterLine wants me to talk about how taking classes will keep your summer from sucking. But you and I both know that a quick route to Sadville is to take summer classes. HOWEVER. In a previous post, I did mention all the good things about summer classes. And I really do believe that they can be a great thing! No lies! So here I am with even more fantastic advice on how to lessen the pain of the cruel prison sentence we call Secondary Education. 1. Register for next semester classes, like, the day after the previous semester ends. I only mention this because all the stupid classes I need for fall semester are filled THE DAY AFTER SPRING SEMESTER ENDS. Seri ...

July 1st was not a happy day for American students who are considering Stafford Loans. On that day the interest rate on Stafford Loans doubled from 3.4% to 6.8%. Is it time to hit the panic button? Maybe. But before you do, here are some things that you should know . . . The new interest rate will apply only to new Stafford Loans. So if you already have one, your interest rate will remain at 3.4%. Stafford Loans are fixed-rate student loans that are issued by the Federal government. You can get one if you are attending college at least half-time. The loans are available for both undergraduate and graduate students. It’s easy and convenient to apply for Stafford Loans online. So, Why the Increase? We can thank our U.S. ...

If you chat with Cassidy Coker for just a minute or two, you realize pretty quickly that she is a young woman who gets things done in a courageous, pioneering and personal way. Although she is still in her high school years, she is already running her own business as a professional photographer. She also does lots of volunteer work to help families and children. In fact, we spoke with her the day before she left her native Texas to spend several weeks rebuilding houses that had been damaged in Hurricane Sandy. You’ll enjoy this recent conversation that Barry Lenson, our blog editor, recently had with this confident and remarkable young woman . . . Barry Lenson: Where are you in school now and what are you doing? Cassidy Coker: I ...