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

internships

The Importance of Internships

The Importance of Internships

Is there no one thing that contributes to a successful college experience?

About a year ago in the article Motivating College Students, I referenced a book by Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takucs, How College Works, which actually boiled down the successful college experience to one key element: someone needs to spark a student’s motivation.

The same type of searching applies to internships as well. Most of the time it is unclear  what type of internship one wants, with what type of people, in what kind of organization, and doing what type of jobs.

The Economist’s College Ranking

The Economist’s College Ranking

Several years ago the Department of Education proposed its own college rankings. Many institutions serving the postsecondary market in the United States demurred.   

Consequently, the Obama Administration decided not to go forward with the ranking. It did, however, make its treasure trove of data available on the Education Department’s College Scorecard website, which went live September 12th.

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Best Practices of a Student-Focused University

Best Practices of a Student-Focused University

Though heavy research and publishing demands might constrain faculty teaching efforts, many universities are becoming more effective at encouraging undergraduate learning by implementing ‘best practices.’

Research into best undergraduate educational practices by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) yielded a list of ten: 1st Year Seminars; Required Common Courses; Learning Communities; Writing Intensive Courses; Collaborative Projects; Undergraduate Research; Global Learning; Community-Based Learning; Internships; and, Capstone Projects. The full list, along with a quick synopsis of each practice, can be downloaded at the AACU website: http://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/hip_tables.pdf.

UC Davis, the UC System’s Pearl of the Sacramento Valley

UC Davis, the UC System’s Pearl of the Sacramento Valley

Despite the buffets of budget cuts, the UC System is more popular than ever. This year, UC applications hit over 161,000, up 13% from last year. UC Davis, located just 15 miles west of Sacramento, best known for its biology, agriculture, and engineering programs, was up 5% from a year earlier with slightly more than 62,000 applications. This in the face of the ill-conceived Davis police pepper spraying of students protesting student tuition increases. The steady rise of applications-despite the pepper spray gaff-speaks to the resources and boundless educational opportunities Davis offers.

Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) Program

Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) Program

Many students attend college to study with exceptional professors in fields, such as biostatistics, with the hope of getting mentored, performing research, connecting with others in parallel fields of interest, and gaining a grasp of how they might carve career paths. On paper all this sounds neat, clean, and almost easy. Yet, in reality, none of it is easy. The hardest part of most endeavors is the people part. Learning how to deal with people and setting goals are, for most students, difficult tasks. It’s too easy to screw up, to not do at all, or to get knocked off course. This is why Rick Cherwitz, an associate dean of graduate studies, and professor of communications at the University of Texas, Austin, set up the Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE) Program.

Questions for a College Visit

Questions for a College Visit

US News and World Report recently published an article “36 Questions to ask on a College Visit,” by Lynn O’Shaughnessy, who is the USNWP college counseling maven. This list of questions is pretty good, but it stops short of the mark.  (The article from US News and World Report can be found at http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2010/10/19/36-questions-to-ask-on-a-college-visit)