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UW and The Dream Act

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Recently the President of the University of Washington or U-Dub as it’s called by the locals, has publicly shown his support for the “Dream Act” which is being mulled over by members of congress. For those of you on sharenotes.com that don’t know, the Dream Act is a bill that would allow high school students who are in the country illegally a path to citizenship by attending college.

The bill would not allow the students to be eligible for federal aid, however it would allow the students to take out loans to pay for schooling. The school’s president Emmert says the DREAM Act would ensure “talented individuals stay in the United States legally,” which in turn would help the country’s economy.

Critics of the bill state that in a environment where immigration is largely uncontrolled, the bill encourages an activity that is after all, illegal. While I’m not totally convinced one way or another, it is a strange message to send. So say, this act is definitively illegal, however should you make it into the country, it’s cool if you go to our schools.

Supporters of the bill concede that immigrants, illegal or otherwise are here to stay. And they have always been a part of our society, if we can encourage them to become more vital members through eduction then that is a good thing.

Because the debate over immigration has always been hotly contested the bill has been stalled. Advocates are hopeful that this bill will be part of a larger immigration makeover that the Obama administration has been discussing. Of course given the state of our two wars, the economy and the health care debate it’s likely that any comprehensive revamp will be back burnered by law makers. At least for the time being.

We invite all the users of sharenotes.com to weigh in on this or any topic we discuss on the blog. Leave your comments below to join the discussion with your fellow students.

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Presidential Pay

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

I read recently that public universities are finally trying to reign in the pay of chief executives. In this tough economy we have all had to make difficult decisions to make. Many of is here on sharenotes.com can’t even be sure that we can continue to afford college. So it’s nice to see executive pay fall in lockstep with the rest of us.

According to a survey released by the Chronicle of Higher Education, presidential pay packages are only now rising about 2.3 %. Compare that to over 10% in past years which was the rule rather than the exception. I for one do not know what goes into being a university president. I’ll admit it’s possible that they work for every single cent they make. However with government subsidies dwindling and tuition on the rise to compensate, it’s hard to see top execs of public institutions taking home bonuses and large increases.

According to the study 1 in 10 actually saw a decrease in pay and some even gave money back to the university. While I will agree it is nice to see, it’s also what you would expect. So for me it’s a little hard to pat someone on the back for doing the right thing. Let’s face it teachers are being cut, or furloughed, students who are already strapped are being charged more. So it’s only reasonable that the top dogs would feel the pinch as well.

Before you start feeling too badly for the presidents you should know that the average income in 08-09 was about 430K a year. Some earned as much as 700K and Ohio State’s Gordon Gee? 1.5 Million. Proponents of the educators salary would tell you that you get what you pay for. Top talent requires top pay while opponents would explain that the salary should match what is being asked of the students and faculty.

The bottom line I think is this, the big wigs at public schools are getting the message of public sentiment a lot better than wall street. Those of you on sharenotes.com at Ohio State can leave your comments and let us know if you feel like you’re getting what you pay for.

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Paying for College

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Recently MSNBC ran an article on Princton Review’s 12 tips for paying for college in these tough times. It’s good advice for all college students on sharenotes.com. I’m not going to reprint the all the tips, but I do strongly recommend you have a look at them. You can see the entire article by clicking here. Instead I thought I’d just cover what I thought where the top four tips that I’ve found useful in my experiences.

1. Apply strategically: Princeton Review says that if you apply to schools which you are over qualified for, you will be far more likely to a great aid package vs if you barely qualify. I have had friends who have scraped by getting into schools by the skin of their teeth and the aid packages offered really reflect that point. It’s almost as if the school is grudgingly allowing you in, but not really interested in encouraging you to go there. If you can afford it great, but they aren’t out to do you any favors.

2. Don’t pay tuition with credit…ever! This is one of those common sense things that you know better, but in a scrape, it’s awfully temping. We’ve done some pieces here on sharenotes.com about the pitfalls of credit cards and college students in the past, which is why I point this one out. College loans can be expensive enough, especially if you have to go private, but nothing racks up like credit debt. The interest rates are usually extreme especially for college students. We all know how much our tuition can be you don’t want to be paying interest on that money forever. It can literally follow you for the rest of your life. Don’t do it.

3. Get your aid early. This is probably the easiest one to follow but so many people allow others to get the aid they might have otherwise received. Federal Aid is limited and given out not only by merit by also in a first come basis. Get in early and get your money. The second half of this is to apply accurately, because your applications can get kicked back to you and your place in line lost. Do it early and do it right and maximize your returns.

4. Be realistic about your degree. This one is probably my favorite because I recently had a family member illustrate this rule all too well. Basically you have to be honest with yourself about what you are going to be making vs what your school costs to complete. There are plenty of equations you can run that will tell you how much you should be able to afford but also a little common sense goes a long way. The family member in question decided to go to a private school to the tune of about 30K per semester. Her desired profession would not even start at that much per year. So after a intervention with a calculator she changed schools after a semester. Do the math upfront so you don’t end up in a deep hole.

those four were probably my favorites but I do suggest that you have a look at the entire article because I think it’s really valuable information for college students. Times are tough and everyone is looking for ways to help pay that sizable college bill. If any of you sharenotes.com users have any other advice that wasn’t covered on the Princeton Review list please feel free to share in the comments section below.

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Something you already know

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

A new study out of California has shown that five times as many students (including high school students) suffer anxiety and other mental health issues than past years… even from the Great Depression. I’m certain that this comes as no surprise to anyone on sharenotes.com as those of us in the trenches understand that anxiety all too well.

We are living in tough times, with high expectations for our lives during a recession that feels like it rivals the Great Depression in it’s magnitude and expanse. The study goes on to outline the specific areas of mental health that have increased over the years and if you really want to read it, the results will be published in a future issue of the Clinical Psychology Review. What I found most interesting however was that the authors of the study found strong, if not conclusive evidence that social factors had a major influence on the results.

In the past you knew only a handful of people, got only a handful of channels, no computers, no social media. Your list of people to compare yourself to was pretty limited to the neighbor’s kid or maybe someone you saw on TV. Now a days everyone’s everything is available to you 24/7. Your circle of friends can quite literally expand world wide and pop culture has made no secret that success and excess are valued commodities. We follow each others tweets about our successes and read Facebook updates “Johnny was accepted to Harvard Law!”. It’s no wonder that we’ve grown up with a heightened sense of competition and expectations.

Marry these high levels of “gotta go big” expectations, the need to show off and keep up with the joneses with the worst economic times in recent history and you’ve got a recipe for mental instability. Our failures are often reasonable, but in today’s transparent society it makes them even more disappointing. It feels like everyone can see every miss-step we take and that can start us down the path to anxiety and depression.

Studies such as this one aren’t necessarily meant to be filed in the “Captain Obvious” file, psychologists struggle to understand where mental unrest comes form so we can find ways to mitigate it. Not just treat it after the fact. This is important in what seems like an overly medicated society. I personally think that a lot of things will begin to heal as the economy gets stronger. Particularly the as unemployment declines. I think all of us on sharenotes.com have had anxiety over entering into a market place with no job for us post graduation.

Do you have thoughts on this topic? we’d like to hear from you! Leave your comments below and join the conversation.

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Does Your School Still Have Cafeteria Trays?

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

I know it’s an odd question, but i was reading a report today that states that many schools are getting rid of their cafeteria trays. Most likely there are some schools on sharenotes.com that have been effected by this trend. The schools have given different reasoning behind the decision, all of them surrounding the trimming down of costs and waste.

Some schools have cited a need to reduce the desire to reduce water consumption (both a green and financial decision) by reducing the strain on dish washing. Other schools have suggested that the lack of trays reduces the amount of wasted food. Still others have suggested that going trayless causes students to eat only what they need to fill themselves up, versus simply eating as much as possible. A healthier student body could be the result?

Whatever the reason I can say my personal opinion is that it seems silly. I can see some benefit coming from not having trays. Getting green and conserving is not necessarily a bad thing. But where does it end? How about we get rid of cups too and only drink what we can hold in our hands?

Reportedly, effected students are reduced to balancing their meals like Vegas entertainers or using their folders as substitute trays. Or for the very hungry student, multiple trips may be necessary. Luckily for me I haven’t really had to eat in the cafeteria too often so I wouldn’t have really noticed the lack of trays. But I know that many of you do eat on campus, so I’m wondering if you’ve noticed anything odd at your school?

I’m all for conservation and I feel like if colleges can reduce waste and unnecessary costs that would be a good thing in this economy. I’m certain all of us on sharenotes.com have seen efforts to reduce costs, waste etc… on our campuses, but I think there must be a better way? This one just seems silly to me. What are you thoughts? Leave your comments below with your opinions or experiences and join the discussion.

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