Weekly News Round-Up: Middle Schoolers on LinkedIn, Backlash Against Rankings, and Racist Architecture
Amidst the flurry that is the college application process, it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on in the news, and even to keep up with the constant stream of information that should help you find the right school for you.
Well now, The Admissions Blog is here to keep you informed and sate your curiosity with the first installment of our weekly news series. Check back each Friday in order to stay abreast of scandal, drama, and shenanigans (or, you know, policy changes) of college admissions.
SOCIAL U. For all the ambitious middle schoolers out there, this one’s for you. LinkedIn lowered its U.S. age limit yesterday to 13 years old, hoping to get kids using its new University Pages to connect with college students and explore the kinds of jobs graduates of particular majors or universities now have. The ACT has forayed into social media as well, with ACT Profile open to anyone age 13 and older. Presumably the youngins can network for their lemonade stands too.
RANKINGS, CONT. As we’ve mentioned, this year’s U.S. News and World Report college rankings just came out. The Washington Post and The Atlantic advise ignoring them. The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests going DIY and customizing your own rankings on College Factual.
GOOGLE FOR COLLEGE. According to University of Virginia acting assistant prof. Ben Castleman, behavioral science and better college search engines are the key to getting more students into the right schools. Castleman maintains that students who can’t pay for private college counselors to curate a list of colleges would benefit from a website that offers suggestions like, “Here are five schools near you with high graduation rates that are for most students pretty affordable. Do you want to start looking at these?” Sort of like Netflix, but for colleges.
EARLY DECISION DECISIONS. Stressing about those upcoming early decision/action deadlines? Not sure whether to apply now or later? Not even sure what early decision or early action are? Fox Business says it’s got you covered. Includes useful information about timing an application to maximize financial aid.
CAMPUS SECRETS. If you're hopelessly in love with the imposing architecture of Yale or Princeton, steel yourself: Those gorgeous Gothic towers have a major racism problem. Or so says Robinson Meyer over at The Atlantic as he picks apart the classic U.S. collegiate campus’s historical roots. Stanford’s palm trees and Mediterranean style are starting to look pretty good…