For those of you in the DC area, I hope you had a chance to see the solar eclipse yesterday! (Or maybe felt the earthquake on Friday!?) 

BIGGEST COLLEGE-RELATED NEWS OF THE WEEK

MARCH MADNESS COMES TO AN END

On Sunday, it seemed like the entire country (with the possible exception of the state of South Carolina 🙂) was cheering on Caitlin Clark and University of Iowa. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and South Carolina finished their undefeated season by winning the NCAA women’s championship game 87-75. And last night, UConn won the men’s championship game (for the second year in a row!) by beating Purdue 75-60.

NAIA BANS TRANSGENDER WOMEN FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS

On Monday, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics voted unanimously to ban transgender women from women’s sports. “Only students whose biological sex is female” will be allowed to participate. If you haven’t heard of the NAIA, you aren’t alone: the organization is significantly smaller than the NCAA and includes schools that aren’t really on most of our students’ radar. However, this ruling may still be significant for the greater population, as some believe that it could serve as a precedent of sorts for the NCAA.

AT $95,000 PER YEAR, IS COLLEGE A GOOD INVESTMENT?

The annual cost of tuition, board, meals and other expenses at a number of private colleges has exceeded $90,000 this year, which calculates to over $1 million to send three children to college! But don’t let these numbers discourage you: many colleges with large endowments offer generous financial assistance to make attendance affordable, with some students paying just 10% of the advertised rate. Financial aid experts advise making decisions based on the actual cost that you have to pay (after financial aid is factored in), and not the perceived cost.  

Other colleges with price tags now exceeding $90,000 include USC at $95,000; Harvey Mudd at $93,000; UPenn at $92,000; Brown at $92,000; Dartmouth at $91,000; and BU at $90,000. Is college worth the investment? In general, we believe the answer is yes, with the caveat that it is important to borrow in moderation (can’t emphasize this enough!), pay close attention to the ROI of individual majors, and complete degree programs in their entirety.

NEW SURVEYS SHOWS JEWISH COLLEGE CHOICES AFFECTED BY OCT. 7

A recent survey this March by Hillel International, involving over 400 Jewish parents of high school juniors and seniors, showed that 96% are “concerned about the increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses since October 7.” 19% even said they are questioning whether or not to send their children to college at all. 87% said that October 7 had an “impact” on how they chose a college for their child, and 64% said they are avoiding certain schools altogether because of a perceived rise in antisemitism on that campus.  

Hillel International president and CEO Adam Lehman stated that rather than avoiding certain colleges and “self-ghettoizing,” the Jewish community should focus on fixing the campus climate at schools. Julia Jassey, the CEO of Jewish on Campus, stated: “The last thing that I would ever tell a parent or student is not to go to a certain school because it is antisemitic. All that will do is self-select ourselves out of spaces where we want to be … It’s really more important that when students go to school, they’re educated about what antisemitism is, how to combat it, and what to do when they experience it.”

VANDERBILT IN EARLY DISCUSSIONS TO OPEN CAMPUS IN WEST PALM BEACH

Vanderbilt University is considering opening a second campus in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida, that would enroll around 1,000 students and feature a business school and a college of computer science. Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier has high hopes for this dream campus, and sees an opportunity to capitalize on Palm Beach County’s growing reputation as “Wall Street South” to provide students with jobs in finance. He said that a West Palm Beach campus could “turbocharge” the creation of new businesses established by graduates, creating an innovation industry and transforming the city into a major destination. 

Diermeier envisions that Vanderbilt’s impact on West Palm Beach could be similar to Stanford’s impact on Silicon Valley, resulting in an explosion of business and innovative technology companies. The school is in the preliminary stages of meeting with county commissioners and asking local businesses to co-invest. A recent event attended by Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $100 million for the venture.

BEST ARTICLES OF THE WEEK

Is college football over as we know it?  An article in The Athletic last week said that a group dubbed the “Super League” may be shaking things up in the near future. The group, officially called “College Sports Tomorrow” (CST), is trying to implement a new system that would replace the NCAA and the College Football Playoff, as well as provide a solution for lawsuits involving NIL and transfer portal issues.  The CST structure would eliminate the conference structure and create one entity. 

This centralized college league would negotiate not only for TV broadcasting deals, but also negotiate with any prospective union that would represent players in lawsuits. Colleges are particularly concerned with the House v. NCAA class action lawsuit, which could have the NCAA and power conferences on the hook for billions.  

Some criticize the notion, saying that CST is trying to “buy college football.” Leagues have been hesitant, and some have cancelled meetings with CST so as not to upset their current multi-million-dollar broadcast deals with ESPN and Fox. CST leaders, however, assert that time is of the essence; their goal is to get ahead of foreseeable legal challenges and “lead from the front, not behind.” 

Speaking of college sports, how about North Carolina State!?  Although they lost to Purdue over the weekend, they made it to the Final Four, leaving fans “thunderstruck,” as the New York Times put it. Often referred to by neighboring basketball powerhouses Duke and UNC as the “little brother,” NC State emerged as the country’s Cinderella team, winning nine straight games, including a 26-14 victory over Duke. It was the first time the Wolfpack made it to the national semifinals since they won the national title in 1983. 

In the 1950’s, the team was considered the best in the ACC. Their men’s basketball team was the team that started the tradition of cutting down the net as a victory souvenir. However, a big setback occurred in 1989, when the NCAA placed the team on probation for two years and barred it from the 1990 tournament for violations that included misuse of complimentary tickets and sneakers provided to players. Despite their loss on Saturday, it was thrilling to see an underdog back in the limelight.  

I came across an intriguing article in Forbes that cautioned against college education becoming like a luxury brand – an expensive badge of status reserved for the privileged few. The author wrote that an undergraduate degree (especially one at a top university) provides professional opportunities and upward social mobility, and people are willing to spend a small fortune for it. Luxury products are expensive because they are assumed to be high quality, with intrinsic value, and also carry prestigious, identifiable imagery. These qualities are perceived to be transferred from the products to the person wearing it. In this sense, the author believes, a college education has become very much like a Gucci bag.  

Yet the demand for luxury is slowing, as evidenced by softening sales from brands like Gucci. The brand reported a 20% decline in the first quarter of 2024, due to its out-of-reach pricing and alternative options, which are becoming more culturally valuable. This is a warning bell for higher education: as college tuition rises, more alternatives to college are presenting themselves. 

Social media influencers provide a potentially lucrative career path without school debt, and the massive shortage of trade jobs has led to a premium in salaries for skilled labor (again, without the debt). Some experts think that innovations in technologies like blockchain authentications could gain status akin to a college degree when it comes to hiring. If luxury is any indication, higher ed needs to evolve!

OFFICE HAPPENINGS

Our juniors are continuing to finalize their lists during their second round of college counseling check-in meetings, which just started this week. In case you were wondering, we haven’t seen any particular increase in student interest in UConn or Iowa this year after March Madness (South Carolina and Purdue were already popular options!).

One of the challenges that a lot of our students face involves the difficulty of visiting colleges in person without missing school. It’s particularly tough at this time of year, now that spring break is over and the clock is ticking - college students typically finish up their classes in late April or the first week of May, and the whole vibe changes on campus after that point. Don’t forget that Saturdays are still an option, though! A prospective student will get a much better sense of a campus community on a Saturday during the spring than on a weekday during exam week or the summer.

Have a great rest of the week - we have some amazing weather ahead!