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Waiting nervously by the mailbox for that 'fat envelope' to arrive from your first-choice college is a rite of passage for students.  One can imagine the jubilant feeling students receive when tearing opening the envelope and seeing the word 'Congratulations' somewhere near the top.  Well, college admissions departments can giveth and apparently they can also taketh away.  A computer SNAFU recently led to approximately 2500 applicants to Middlesex University in the United Kingdom to receive erroneous acceptance letters.  The school has since sent emails and text messages to soon-to-be disappointed students in an effort to clarify the mistake.  

Surprisingly enough, pulling the rug out from under happy students is not entirely uncommon.  Several applicants to George Washington University received acceptance letters earlier this year, after already getting letters of rejection. Last year, an estimated 28,000 students received acceptance emails from the University of California-San Diego after being previously denied admission.

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Some people view an MBA degree the same way that Charlie thought about his Golden Ticket in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory": They believe a piece of paper can magically transport you to a place you only imagined. But can this addition to your résumé really be your dream ticket? Yes. No. Maybe.There are no simple answers, but here are ways that an MBA might help you.

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If you are planning on attending Seton Hill University, you should probably cross the Apple Store off your Back-to-School shopping list.  The Liberal Arts school recently announced a program that will ensure that all full-time students will be toting shiny new iPads around their Pennsylvania campus. 

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Top schools across the nation are reporting an increase in applications, in spite of a recession that has depleted the potential student pool at other schools.  Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford, M.I.T. and Duke each reported sharp increases in applications this year compared with last year.  UPENN led the elites with an 18 percent rise in applications this year.

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Enrollment in online college courses has soared in recent years, with more than 4.6 million students taking at least one online class in 2008. This adds up to approximately 1 in 4 students and a 17% increase from the year before. With never-ending tuition hikes and a teetering economy, it seems to make sense that colleges and universities everywhere are expanding their online programs.

Sophomores rejoice! If you've actually been paying attention for the past 10 years of schooling, you may be be able to test out of grades 11 and 12. A new pilot program is being introduced in dozens of public high schools across eight states next year. The program will provide a battery of tests (including English, Math, Science, and History) to ambitious 10th graders. Those who pass will receive a high school diploma two years earlier than their peers and will be eligible to immediately enroll in community college. Students that aspire to attend a more selective college may continue with college prep classes in their junior and senior years. For students who fail the 10th grade 'board exams', they can retest in 11th and 12th grade.

The program is modeled largely on similar systems used by high-performing nations such as Denmark, England, Finland, France, and Singapore. The goal is to ensure that students master a set of basic requirements, which will reduce the number of high school graduates that require remedial courses at the college level.

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The average student can spend, in some cases, hundreds of hours cooped up inside a big yellow school bus each year. This unstructured time period can yield anything from the innocuous spit-ball incident to much more severe (and potentially harmful) manifestations of teenage angst. In an effort to make this time both peaceful and productive, some school districts across the country are experimenting with installing Wi-Fi on school buses. Now students can prep for an upcoming SAT Exam, update their Facebook profile, or simply send instant messages to their friends (possibly on another bus). Wherever this rolling Internet cafe takes them, the spit balls seem to have largely been retired.

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It's widely accepted that a degree from a prestigious institution of higher learning will increase one's value in the workplace. For the small percentage of students that gain acceptance to a top tier college, those long hours of prepping for the SAT Exam can all be worth it. But according to a new study, lofty future salaries aren't the only earning potential available to SAT aces attending top schools. A 'fat envelope' from a highly selective institution can be all it takes to significantly increase the value of a woman's ovaries. Georgia Tech researchers found that eggs which belonging to female students attending schools with higher average SAT scores are commanding more money than their counterparts attending schools with lower average SAT scores. A review of advertisements in campus newspapers across the country found an increase of $2,350 for each 100-point increase in the average SAT score of a school's incoming class. The research suggests that people who choose to have children by in vitro fertilization are willing to pay more for what they perceive to be 'smart' genes.

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No time to swing by the reference desk between classes? No worries. Some college libraries are now accepting text message questions from cell phone toting students who may be too busy to contact the library by phone, email, or *gasp* in-person. Oregon State University is among the institutions that have recently added a 'Text A Librarian' service. Students text a question to an advertised number during library hours and an alert will appear on the librarian's computer screen, who then sends a prompt text message reply back to the student's phone. The Oregon State library staff expected that students would ask only questions with quick, simple answers. But they were wrong; one of the very first questions was: "What is the function of interneurons?"

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Large urban school districts across the country are being forced to shutter schools. US cities such as Portland, OR; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; and Kansas City, MO are facing dwindling student populations in conjunction with an influx of childless young families. Kansas City has taken one of the biggest hits, losing half of its student population in the last decade, as parents have packed up their kids to flee to nearby suburban areas or have opted to enroll students in private/non-district-run charter schools. A core motivating factor to fleeing Kansas City schools is the alarming fact that test scores have long lagged behind districts in other parts of Missouri. The district continues to operate 61 schools, capable of holding 75,000 students, but only supporting a current population of 17,000.

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Newspapers, magazines, phonebooks. . .it's a sad, yet familiar tale for ink-lovers everywhere. No matter how hard the print industry tries to hang on to it's pre-WWW glory days, there is simply no escaping the fact that the Internet has changed the way society consumes information. Both younger and older generations alike have become accustomed to the real-time interaction of popular social-networking sites like Facebook.

So has the time come for the school yearbook to stop the presses? While the majority of high schools continue to print yearbooks, the trends are rapidly changing at the college level. In 1995, around 2400 colleges and universities printed yearbooks. Today, approximately 1000 are printed. It may be only a matter of time before the combination of technology, economics, and an ever-growing desire to be 'green' makes those awkward yearbook photos a thing of the past.

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Technology sure does have a way of making the world seem smaller every day. A distance learning program in a rural, cotton-growing area of Texas is providing students with a unique opportunity to experience the country - and vice versa. Students in the small town of Stamford, TX (class size of approximately 50 students per grade) are utilizing video-conferencing technology to engage in a two-way learning experience that takes them coast to coast. Virtual field trips give students opportunities to get a close-up view of things they wouldn't ordinarily be able to see - oceans, snow, the Mississippi River, and even a big city subway. In turn, Stamford students reciprocate by pointing the web-cam in the other direction. They teach classes that were selected and designed by the students themselves including 'Cotton - Plant of Many Uses'.

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Move over Harvard! Brigham Young University has snagged the top spot in a new ranking of the most popular national universities in the United States. So what makes a school popular?? This particular ranking from U.S. News & World Report is based upon an analysis of 'yield' (i.e. the percentage of students accepted to a school who opt to actually attend). BYU posted a 78% yield, which was just enough to supplant last year's top choice of Harvard. Don't worry too much about Harvard, though. The nation's most selective university earned the #2 slot this year, boasting a very impressive 76% yield.

According to the report, there are three types of schools tend to keep their Admissions Office very happy:

1. Top-rated private schools who are highly selective.

2. Large state schools that are popular due to geographic, athletic, or other non-academic criteria.

3. Religious-oriented schools that have strong ties to a specific community.

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State budget deficits are increasingly putting the crunch on higher education funding. The end result is no surprise. . .college will cost you MORE money! Public colleges and universities have seen tuition spikes ranging from 10-30%. Next year's tuition numbers aren't quite set in stone just yet, as budgets are still being finalized. But when every available couch cushion has been searched for loose change, this trend will almost certainly continue. What makes a bad situation even worse is that the schools most affected are located in states already drowning in red ink. These residents, already dealing with the worst of the economic downturn, will have to pay even more.

If this sounds like a familiar story - it is! Annual tuition hikes are pumped out with the consistency of a bad horror movie sequel. The really bad news...the ridiculous cost of higher education - surprisingly - hasn't hurt school enrollment levels. When demand continues to outstrip supply, there's only one way for the cost to go.

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Ohio State University is sitting on top of the rankings this year. Sorry Buckeye fans, this time it has nothing to do with your beloved sports teams. For the second consecutive year, the school's president was the highest paid public university executive in the United States. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ohio State's president took home $1.6 million last year, up from $1.3 million in 2008. Ohio State has the only public school executive to have earned more than $1 million last year. By contrast, The Chronicle reported that 23 presidents of the nation's top private universities took home more than $1 million in 2008.

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Nursing is more in demand than ever before. Baby boomers are getting older and an already strained nursing system is going to have severe difficulty keeping up with demand. Although the United States has had a nursing shortage for years, the country will potentially face a shortfall of an estimated 260,000 RNs by 2025. The problem is certainly not interest in the profession. Nursing schools are already maxed out, pumping out newly minted nurses as quickly as possible. However, there simply aren't enough qualified instructors to meet the demand. One of the key issues is pay. Nurses can oftentimes make substantially more money in the medical side of the business, than on the academic side. Recruiting and retaining experienced nursing instructors is especially challenging. This has led to waiting lists for students who are seeking admission to a nursing program.

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Many people would probably assume that today's students are comprised primarily of iPhone-toting, laptop-carrying, Facebook-loving cyber-geeks that can breeze through software applications with 2 texting thumbs tied behind their backs. Not so, according to a recent study by North Carolina Central University. Apparently, students over-estimated their abilities prior to actually being tested on ubiquitous office-based software such as Microsoft's Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. While 75 percent of students perceived themselves to be high level Word users, tests results showed trouble with moderately-difficult tasks such as performing word counts or justifying paragraphs. Students were most stumped by Excel. 69 percent of students figured they were at least average spreadsheet jockeys, but the test results showed difficulty in even basic functionality. Powerpoint was the only 'honest' moment for students, as 81 percent of self-described average users actually performed that way.

Is the dream of a college degree being pushed further out of reach for many Americans? A new report shows a troubling trend, as financial aid sources simply can't keep pace with rising tuition. Experts cite that higher education is experiencing a "seller's market", as the graduating high school class of 2009 was the largest in history. More demand = higher cost. Tuition and fees at private 4-year schools increased 4.4% while public schools experienced a 6% spike over the prior year. Lack of sufficient financial aid options means more borrowing for students/parents to bridge the gap.

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Are you planning on taking the October 10th SAT Exam? The extended late registration deadline is coming up soon. Please be sure to register no later than September 25th.

Click here to register.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved 10 digital textbooks that meet the state standards for math and science. The books are free to download, equipping teachers of the cash-strapped state with high-tech, no-cost educational tools in difficult economic times. With some textbooks costing schools up to $100 a piece, Schwarzenegger claims the digital textbook initiative could help put hundreds of millions of dollars back into state coffers. Opposing voices argue that students with insufficient access to PCs both in-school and at home could be disenfranchised. Proponents of the plan counter that books can be printed out and placed in binders to ensure access to everyone.

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Is 'crowdsourcing' heading to a classroom near you? The notion of soliciting the collective wisdom/input of a group of people (ala Wikipedia) has some educators considering adopting the concept as an alternative grading method, in an effort to hold students more accountable. Proponents of the system use the rationale that vying for the almighty 'A' by trying game the system by doing the least amount of work has made the traditional grading scale superficial. In the crowdsourcing scenario, students would work in groups and post completed assignments to the Web. Students would then be responsible for reviewing the work of their classmates and assessing a value based on specific criteria.

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The ubiquity of laptops, pint-sized netbooks, and web-enabled mobile phones can put Internet junkies in the rather unique situation of being both 'connected' and 'disconnected' at the same time. Connected to their email, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. Disconnected from their teachers, friends, and multitude of three-dimensional realities surrounding them. This may be mildly annoying to friends and coffee shop patrons (at least the ones who aren't doing their own mobile surfing). However, it can pose a bigger problem in the academic world. The familiar sound of keyboard tapping can be heard in lecture halls around the globe. Have portable electronic devices replaced the old paper and pencil for studious note-takers? Or are they serving as this generation's version of the 'dirty magazine' hidden in the textbook? Nobody really knows for sure and schools are developing 'netiquette' standards to keep up with rapidly-changing technology trends. Some profesors require speakers to be silenced and laptop lids to be closed during certain periods of class time. Others forbid laptops altogether.

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The challenging economic climate appears to be a contributing factor in the steady uptick in interest in our nation's military academies. The three major academies have all reported an increase in the number of applications this year, with the US Naval Academy leading the way with a 40% bump. With free tuition, free room and board, and thousands of dollars in annual stipends - it's no surprise that students would consider this option during a recession. However, officials are quick to point out that prospective students typically have very strong, personal motivations for serving their country - including patriotism and a compelling desire to follow in a family member's footsteps.

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To Tweet or not to Tweet - that is the question! The much-buzzed/hyped micro-blogging service Twitter is apparently getting high marks from some in the academic community. No longer just a means to learn what your favorite celebrity ate for breakfast, forward-thinking educators are finding ways to incorporate the service into the classroom. Twitter allows users to post brief messages in 140 characters or less. The pithy comments are a convenient means for teachers/students to share feedback, analysis, and ask qeustions. While the goal is to boost communication and better engage students in the learning process, not everyone agrees that Twitter has a place in the academic world. Security and privacy is always a concern when incorporating emerging Internet technologies into the classroom. In addition, while bridging the gap in digitial literacy is a goal, many educators (particularly in low-income areas) are concerned with fair access and equity. Unfortunately, many students may not have access to the digital tools outside of school.

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