BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE SUPREME COURT MAKES A $6 BILLION DECISION ON STUDENT LOANS

On Thursday, the Supreme Court declined to block a settlement that will provide $6 billion in relief to student loan borrowers. The settlement was meant to resolve a 2018 class action lawsuit against the Department of Education by those who claimed they were defrauded by their schools. A small group of colleges impacted by the ruling appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming the deal “did not assess the validity of the borrowers’ claims and would damage their reputations.” Although this case is not connected to President Biden’s proposal to cancel student debt, many wonder what the Supreme Court’s decision could mean for student loan cases in the future.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT DELAYS RELEASE OF SCHOOL RANKINGS

If you’re anxiously awaiting the U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of best graduate schools, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer. On Friday, U.S. News & World Report announced that it will be moving its release date from April 18 to April 25. That’s because the news outlet has received a high volume of questions from schools included in the rankings, who were given a week to review the results. U.S. News & World Report is using the additional time to thoroughly respond to inquiries. 

STRIKE ENDS AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

After a weeklong strike at Rutgers- the first in the university’s history- classes are back in session today! Strikers marched on three different Rutgers campuses, calling for increased job security, wages, and equality for faculty and staff. University officials worked with union representatives and announced this weekend that they’ve made a “framework agreement” for faculty contracts. Now professors are looking forward to returning to the classroom and finishing the spring semester. 

ANOTHER COLLEGE MAKES TEST-OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS PERMANENT

Last week Vassar College announced that their test-optional admissions policy is now permanent. Like many schools, Vassar first became test-optional during the pandemic. The decision to make this COVID-response policy permanent is grounded in current research, according to college president Elizabeth H. Bradley, who cited access, equity, and mental health as factors in the decision.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Forget moving south or living by the beach. Senior citizens can spend their retirement years on a college campus. Since the mid-2000s, several universities have built senior living communities on their grounds. Why, you might ask? Although it may seem like an odd choice, the unique partnership between a school and a senior community offers plenty of advantages. Not only does a school benefit financially, but so do its residents. Seniors become part of a youthful, energetic environment and undergrads have the chance to find mentors and internship opportunities through the senior community. Of course, such a model isn’t right for everyone. Schools need to do their research, so they understand how they might benefit seniors and how a senior community can benefit the campus environment. 

How do college students really feel about grades? That’s the question Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse sought to answer. Over 3,000 undergraduates were recently surveyed about their experiences with grading, and the results tell a very “nuanced” story. The numbers show that race, socioeconomic status, and learning differences impact the perception of grading fairness. These findings aren’t surprising to many in the education world. Instead, they reinforce what many have been calling for: alternative systems of grading that focus more on growth and mastery of skills over the traditional letter grades. Regardless of how grading systems and policies may morph in the future, one thing is clear. The survey reinforces the need for professors to be more transparent about their grading practices and their expectations for students. 

There’s always been thousands of colleges for young adults to choose from, but that hasn’t been the case for students with intellectual disabilities. Fortunately, though, several schools have developed successful programs over the past decade specifically designed to help students develop the skills necessary to live independently and prepare them for jobs. ClemsonLIFE is just one example! But with the rise in popularity of such programs comes the need for regulation and accreditation. Families want to ensure that schools are implementing high quality programs that are safe for students and give them an authentic learning experience that generates confidence.

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Our juniors have been making such amazing progress on their Common App ® essays, which can be a lot of work for us. But at the same time it’s so deeply satisfying to help things shift into place for a student during the writing process - like finding that last puzzle piece under a seat cushion, when frustration ends and all becomes right in the world!

In other news, I am back from visiting Paris and London with my daughter last week, and I have a tour recommendation with a fun college-related back story if anyone will be in Europe anytime soon.

Fat Tire Tours was started by a recent grad from Texas A&M who fell in love with showing his visitors around Paris on bicycles during his study abroad. He liked it so much that he actually bypassed a career at PWC to try to start his own bike tour company in Paris. The company immediately differentiated itself because of an an emphasis on having fun rather than throwing too much detail at people.

Well, one thing led to another and now he’s the owner of the largest bike tour company in the world! How cool is that? It goes to show that you never know which college experiences will end up being life-changing in the bigger picture!

As an aside, these tours really ARE fun. I heard about the company in the early 2000s and loved my first tour so much that I became hooked! I try to take one whenever I’m abroad. My daughter Caroline was not overly excited beforehand but then talked for the next week about how amazing our tour guide OJ was :) And she learned a lot! They have a Fat Tire operation in DC, too, so that’s next on our list.

If you’re ready to head overseas for your own study abroad career inspiration, check out our upcoming Thursday blog post to learn everything you need to know!