In a recent text exchange with Tyler, a graduating senior at a large California state college, we discussed what he’s learning during his final college semester, given his campus is now closed and his professors are learning to teach via an unfamiliar digital learning modality. The following is an excerpt of our conversation: Since Tyler…
Category: Education
Easy Does It
School district officials around the country are struggling to define how instruction will continue, and more importantly how students will be evaluated, given that school sites will be closed through the end of the school year. Some district administrators have decided to emulate the actions of many US colleges, and implement a Pass/No Pass grading…
Let Your Light Shine
Skip to 00:40 An inspirational message that one never tires in hearing.
Difficult Labor Market Directly Ahead
Courtesy Bloomberg News The employment outlook is at best difficult, and at worst, dire, even worse than The Great Financial Crisis of 2009 which was the worst in 45 years. Now, is the time to think seriously how to compete for what will be a difficult employment environment, at least over the short and intermediate…
Potential Second Wave of COVID-19
At the end of March, Harvard researchers predicted that there may be a second wave of COVID-19 infections in Fall 2020. For millions of students and parents, researchers forecasts could mean further interruptions to their educational plans. Without intermittent social distancing, according to Harvard resesearchers, we risk, across the globe, continued epidemic outbreaks of COVID-19…
Top 25 Nationally Ranked Universities Adopt Pass/No Pass-Style Grades for Spring 2020
To date, thirteen of the top twenty-five US News & World Report nationally ranked universities, all adopted Pass/No Pass-style grading systems for the spring term, due to the COVID-19 health crisis: Although Pass/No Pass is the default system at UC Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton and Yale, students can still “opt-in” to be awarded…
Adulthood Delayed?
Many students, who while at college are “adults in training”, returned home for the remainder of the school year, finishing their studies online. Yet, the unintended consquence is reverting to childhood roles, letting moms “mother” them, as they willingly reliquish the independence they sought by moving away for college in the first place. One first…
Test Optional Admissions
Given the cancellations of the ACT and SAT tests this spring 2020, several colleges, including the University of California, will have a test-optional policy for applicants starting next Fall 2020, meaning applicants are not required to submit SAT and ACT scores for admissions. However, the test optional policies vary per school, ranging from suspending the submission…
Are we there yet?
No one knows when schools will reopen and “normal” life will resume. In the midst of the health emergency, ten states have simply closed all K-12 public schools and summarily ended their school year—Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Vermont. However, for the other 40 states, the ending of school…
How COVID-19 may affect Fall 2020 college admissions waitlists
With so many unknowns, as the coronavirus rapidly spreads around the globe, admissions officers from around the US are sharing with Creative Marbles Consultancy they aren’t sure how to predict the enrollment for the incoming classes. Admissions officers are advising that waitlists may become even more vital to round out their incoming class, as they…
An Open Letter to the University of California
Dear UC President Janet Napolitano, the UC Board of Regents, Chancellor Gary May, Chancellor Carol Christ, Chancellor Howard Gillman, Chancellor Nathan Bostrom, Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, Chancellor Harry T. Yang, Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive: In reviewing the University of California’s changes to admissions policies for Fall 2021 admissions, affecting current high…
Extended Enrollment Deadlines For Incoming First Year College Students
May 1 is traditionally the national college enrollment deadline for newly admitted first year students. However, given the widespread closures of college campuses and economic uncertainty possibly affecting students’ confidence to enroll in college, many college admissions officers have extended their enrollment deadline to June 1. The following is a list compiled by ACCEPT: Admissions…
Student Loan Payment Pause
On Friday, March 27, 2020, Congress and President Trump passed the CARES Act [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act], and millions of student loan borrowers gained a temporary reprieve from making payments until September 30, 2020. Additionally, as President Trump promised two weeks ago, student loan interest is also waived until September 30, 2020.…
College Online = Digital Instruction + Childhood Redux
In a recent interview with Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, I shared what one one second year college student now attempting to continue his studies in Northern California not in Boston, called a “bizarre” situation. Tens of thousands of other college students who also returned home from their college campuses are now experiencing:…
The State of A College Education: How Golden Is The Golden Ticket? Part 3
In Parts 1 and 2, sentiment amongst college students and prospective college students may already be declining, which could be exacerbated even further, as we weather the current global pandemic with closed college campuses and students dispersed to their childhood homes. Additionally, the last of the Millennials are now college graduates, but experiencing a current…