In - Your Guide to College Admissions from The Princeton Review

Facebook Friends and Freshmen

Might Facebook actually be a healthy pastime for new college students?

A British study reported on PsychCentral found that time spent on Facebook was linked with lower stress and higher self-esteem during the first semester of college. However, these associations disappeared when students were resurveyed midway through their freshman year.

Click here to read more on PsychCentral.

Disappearing Loan Debt

For college grads in debt, careers in public service carry a big perk: loan forgiveness.

Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the federal government cancels the federal-loan debt of teachers, police officers, and other public servants who have made on-time payments for 10 years.

To learn more about loan forgiveness, check out the Student Loan Network.

College Cheats on Its SATs

The president of Claremont McKenna recently announced that one of the college’s top admissions officials has been doctoring the school’s reported SAT scores since 2005. According to the announcement, the school’s Critical Reading and Math section scores were typically inflated 10 to 20 points each.

Claremont McKenna believes that the admissions official in question acted alone. Still, its students are worried that this scandal might affect the school's overall reputation.

Why might a school lie about its SAT scores? The U.S. News college rankings provide ample motivation: SAT scores comprise 7.5 percent of each school’s overall ranking.

Claremont McKenna’s popularity among applicants and its U.S. News ranking have increased in tandem since 2005. During the 2004–2005 admissions cycle, the college was ranked 13th among national liberal arts colleges and received about 3,700 applications for a class of 400 students. During the current admissions cycle, the school was ranked 9th and received over 5,000 applications.

A Student’s View: Free Time

Jennifer Angelo is a high school senior and a contributor to The Princeton Review’s IN blog.

It’s strange: now that I’ve finished my college applications, I have free time again. Instead of trying to find the time to write essays, I am actually looking for things to do. This would have been unthinkable just a month ago.

At first, it was great to have some time to relax. I spent a lot of time doing nothing, and it felt good. But, surprisingly, that got boring. Doing nothing lowered my overall motivation—it was tough to do homework or, really, anything productive. I decided that I needed to find new things to do to avoid a serious case of senioritis.

So I did. I am currently in the process of applying for three scholarships, all of which require essays. Even if I don’t win any of them, it feels good to be applying. I also found a second job: in addition to my current job at an ice cream store, I will soon start working at a restaurant. It won’t hurt to have a little extra spending cash for college.

However, the biggest change since I finished my applications is I feel like I can go out again: I'm not stuck at home working on applications. It’s crazy, but, until this month, I hadn't been to the movies or stayed out really late since summer. Now, with life just a little bit easier, I am enjoying my last year at home with my friends.

Of course, I still have homework. I still have to study and I still have school-related activities. I won't let forget these obligations. However, I am happy to be more relaxed. It's important to have fun, and I'm thrilled to have some time to do that again.

A Full-Tuition Scholarship for Every Student

According to CBS MoneyWatch, an education at Antioch College in Ohio will be free to all students admitted within the next three years. Each student will receive a four-year scholarship covering the full cost of tuition (approximately $106,000).

The full scholarships are designed to entice high-quality students to apply to Antioch. The college’s application deadline is February 15.

Antioch reopened its doors last year after closing from 2008–2010. To learn more about the school, visit CBS MoneyWatch.

Free Summer Activities

While a summer program on a college campus can be a rewarding experience, it isn’t always a viable option. Between program costs and travel expenses, such programs often carry a steep price tag. Additionally, some students have at-home commitments that prevent them from leaving home for any length of time.

Fortunately, there are other ways to gain meaningful experiences over the summer. A recent article on the Huffington Post looks at activities in your hometown wouldn’t cost you anything but your time. Click here to check it out.

An Admissions Horror Story

As I’ve written before, I think it should be a crime.

I’m talking about colleges mistakenly sending offers of admission to the wrong students, and then revoking these offers when they realize their mistake.

Unfortunately, it seems to happen at least once a year. The latest culprit is Vassar College. Vassar’s mistake appears worse than most: it mistakenly sent binding acceptances to many of its early decision applicants.

For the students affected, this is a tough pill to swallow. (To learn how some are coping, check out the full story on the New York Times.) As for the rest of us, we can take away a couple of important lessons:

• Colleges (even very selective schools like Vassar) are staffed by regular people who are far from perfect.  As such, you shouldn’t let admissions rejections get you too down.
• It’s safest to wait a day before sharing news of an acceptance with anyone outside of your immediate family.

College Students Drop Disposable Plastic

Students at the University of California—Santa Barbara recently launched the Plastic Free Campuses program, an effort to eliminate single-use plastic products from campuses around the world.

The program targets disposable products such as plastic bags, utensils, and water bottles. Reducing the use of such items at a college lowers its garbage output as well as its “carbon footprint” (the manufacture of plastic produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to the greenhouse effect).

Want to attend a college where sustainability is a priority? The Guide to 311 Green Colleges from The Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council profiles many excellent schools with environmentally aware policies, practices, and courses. It’s available for free download here.

No Aid for the Pricey? Details of Obama’s Plan to Curb Tuition

In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama voiced his plan to reduce the amount of federal aid available to colleges that cannot control costs.

Specific details of this plan surfaced earlier today. To learn how the Obama administration would reallocate funds, and the different criteria it would use to judge colleges, check out The Choice.

How to Bounce Back from a Bad Grade

The transition to college-level academics is tough on many freshmen. Those who are used to getting A’s are likely to panic if they get a C on an early paper or exam.

Though it can be tough to maintain perspective, the truth is that a low grade on a single assignment isn't the end of the world. In fact, it could even have a positive influence on your overall performance if you address it right away. A recent U.S. News article offers three strategies for bouncing back from a bad grade. 

• Get perspective.
• Be realistic.
• Set up a meeting.

To learn more about each strategy, check out the full article.