College

Oct
3
2010

Written by:
Jordan Harris

Money Embezzlement in Colleges and Universities: A Common Trend

The cost of a higher education is extremely expensive these days. U.S. College and University tuition rates range from an estimated $35,000 to about $52,180 per academic year. Tuition payments are intended to go towards funding academic enrichment programs and suitable living arrangements for college students. In some cases, however, tuition dollars fall into the pockets of university faculty and staff members. With the recent scandal of former St. John’s University Dean Cecilia Chang allegedly stealing about $1 million from the university’s funds, the issue of money embezzlement at colleges and universities has resurfaced.

Aug
5
2010

Written by:
Jordan Harris

Liberal Arts Education: the real education reform in America

The decline of a model of liberal education based on the arts and humanities in the U.S. raises the concern for the future of the nation's democracy and the condition of American citizens. As a supporter of liberal arts education, I strongly believe that a curriculum of the arts and humanities is imperative for the U.S. to form citizens of character and empathy for the nation's democracy. A liberal arts education does not promise to shape all people into emotionally aware citizens, willing to devote their lives to combating the wrongs in the world. In fact, some people may not promote the ideas and policies of liberal arts teaching. However, an education of the arts and humanities guarantees to give citizens a chance to explore and experience the world without limitation.

May
12
2010

Written by:
Shali Zhu

Friendlier Private Student Loans

College students who have educational loans from private lenders could be looking forward to a more borrower-friendly environment if two recent pieces of Congressional legislation are passed. The first helping hand comes from the financial regulation bill under consideration in the Senate and the House. Although the Senate and the House are debating different versions of the bill, both versions of this key piece of legislation are promoting a consumer protection entity that would address borrower complaints about unfair private student loan practices and supervise the underwriting policies of private lenders. The second layer of protection comes in the form of the Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2010, which will allow for some of a borrower’s private student loans to be discharged if the person files for bankruptcy.

May
10
2010

Written by:
Tatiana Mirutenko

Changes in the financial aid system

If you are a college student with student loans, the health care and education bills will not help you in terms of lowering interest rates. The legislation does not address current and former students who are struggling to pay thousands of dollars of debt. The bill does, however, look into the future and set provisions for students and parents who are interested in seeking financial aid. The financial-aid provisions will be incrementally phased into the existing programs next fall beginning with the replacement of the current government subsidized private lending with a direct system.

May
8
2010

Written by:
Shali Zhu

Student Insurance: Cleaning Your Bill of Health

During last year’s swine flu outbreak, a number of students flocked to their universities’ health centers, wondering if they too had been infected with the H1N1 virus. While the services provided by campus health centers are much appreciated, especially in times like these, the fees they charge are far less pleasing. For one freshman at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, his bout of swine flu in October 2009 ultimately hurt not only his immune system, but also his wallet. Although Ilya Dynin used his parents’ insurance plan to cover his visit to the school health center, a recent Wall Street Journal article reported, he was later charged $65 in co-pay and late fees. Dynin is not alone. With an eclectic mix of private coverage and student plans, the college health system has few rules regulating how schools should charge students for health services.

May
5
2010

Written by:
Raymond Addai

Health Care Coverage at U.S. Universities

Are you paying too much for your health care at college? Many health care insurance plans rip off students and don’t give them enough services for the money they pay. Many health care insurance plans offered at colleges don’t even offer students premium services such as a way to afford prescription for medicines. Other universities don’t offer to pay for injuries related to alcohol or suicide. In a time when many students are in large debt because of high college tuition prices they can ill afford to go into further debt due to illnesses or injuries.

Check and see if you are getting the most out of you college health plan. There are numerous ways students can try to improve the health care coverage at their local universities such as creating petitions. All college students should be able to receive affordable and adequate health coverage at their school.

Apr
10
2010

Written by:
Raymond Addai

Internships

In the past decade, many college students have ditched the lavish summer vacations to Miami or Los Angeles for summer internships with reputable companies such as Microsoft or Deloitte. Often times these internships are the only ways for students to get a leg up against their peers and attain the real life experience they will need in order to be successful in the workforce.

Apr
9
2010

Written by:
Shali Zhu

Pay Disparity: Could a College Degree Close the Gap?

The wage gap that exists between the genders is a well-known phenomenon in the work force. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2008 the median earnings for women are $10,622 lower than those for men, and women earned only 77 cents to each dollar men earned. Moreover, the National Committee on Pay Equity estimates that over the past 40 years, the real median income for women has fallen short by anywhere from $700,000 to $2 million, depending on the highest level of education attained. In fact, Evelyn Murphy, an economist and the president of The Wage Project, demonstrated that the wage gap, in purely monetary terms, widens as the education level rises; while a female high school graduate may earn up to $700,000 less than a male counterpart over her lifetime, for instance, a female college graduate may see as much as $1.2 million less in the bank.

Mar
14
2010

Written by:
Shali Zhu

Is There a Student Loan Bubble?

For many college students, educational loans are an unavoidable side effect of attending institutions of higher learning. As the tuition at colleges and universities across the country continue to rise, the total amount of student loans in the U.S. has ballooned as well. According to the College Board, overall borrowing for school has more than doubled from $41 billion to about $85 billion in the ten years leading up to the 2007-2008 academic year. Moreover, a recent article published by the Wall Street Journal states that the percentage of private loans has more than tripled from 7% to around 23% in the same time period. Adding to these already massive student loan figures, the U.S. Department of Education established an initiative in late 2008 to repurchase up to $6.5 billion of student loans in order to further bolster access to student loans. With all the easy borrowing and prolific lending, does the U.S. have a student loan bubble?

Mar
11
2010

Written by:
Christine Hwong

The Value of the College Degree

It has long been said that higher education is the route to professional success and financial stability. Graduates are believed to excel in their careers and earn far more than their high school educated counterparts. There is no doubt that college graduates fare better than high school graduates, even in economic downturns. The question is how much better the college graduates fare than the high school graduate.

Experts once said that the college graduate, on average, earns $800,000 more in a lifetime than the high school graduate earns. However, this number has been disputed and experts say the figure is much closer to $450,000. As tuition continues to soar, the income gap between college graduates and high school graduates shrinks. The trade-off between four years of education and an early start in the workforce isn’t as stark as it used to be.