Research Opportunities
Ralph Becker
The Importance of High School Research

Many applicants to the most selective university programs share high grades, high test scores, solid recommendations and generous doses of community service and volunteer activities. Yet, if they want to set themselves apart from the pool of exceptional students, a significant research experience in STEM or the social sciences helps.

The Importance of High School Research

US Service Academies

Tuition Free Schools to Combat Escalating College Costs

Tuition Free Schools to Combat Escalating College Costs

While there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is such a thing as free tuition. A group of colleges offer students tuition free education with one exception: Olin School of Engineering has had to become only half tuition free as a result of its endowment faring poorly during the recent recession; it is, though, still a value at half the tuition price, and thereby warrants a spot on this list. The service academies (West Point, the Air Force Academy, Annapolis, the Coast Guard Academy…) are all free of tuition and all other expenses: they even give their cadets a monthly stipend; however, they do require post-graduate service commitments. The following ‘tuition free’ institutions, on the other hand, offer students the opportunity to study liberal arts, fine arts, and engineering, without a huge debt-load at the end of the experience or backend service requirements. Let’s explore the schools by their curriculum.

Attending US Service Academies

Attending US Service Academies

A growing number of students are applying to the US service academies, particularly the Military Academy (www.usma.edu) (West Point), the Naval Academy (Annapolis) (www.usna.edu), and the Air Force Academy (www.usafa.edu). As the cost of private and public schools escalates, expect this to be an ever increasing trend; consequently, now is a good time, before the 2009 application process gets underway, to gain a better understanding of these schools, and a better sense of what's involved in gaining admissions to them.