In - Your Guide to College Admissions from The Princeton Review

Why Study Time Has Declined

Survey data shows that, over the last 50 years, the average undergrad's out-of-class study time has dropped from about 24 to 15 hours per week.

A recent Washington Post article explores several possible reasons for this decline. These include the increased prevalence of off-campus jobs and the advent of technologies (e.g., the Internet) that make study time more efficient. Additionally, it addresses the possibility that college has simply become easier over the years.

Click here to check out the full article.

How Facebook Has Changed the College Experience

A recent post from onlinecollegecourses.com describes the ways in which Facebook has changed the entire college experience, from admissions to academics to student life. Its major effects include the following:

• Admissions officers are getting to know applicants more personally.
• Facebook is often a part of courses.
• Students can arrive on campus already knowing scores of people.
• Students can stay in touch easily.

Click here to check out the full post.

(Thanks to MyCollegeCalendar for the great find.)

A Student’s View: Still Fighting Senioritis

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

I am one of the many still suffering from senioritis.

Not that I’m alone. At the moment, everyone I know at school seems to have a case of it. In class, we spend only half of our time learning because it is too hard for the teacher to keep everyone’s attention.

I’m most affected by senioritis during the school day, when all anyone wants to do is take pictures and talk about how high school will soon be over forever. No one wants to look at a physics review packet or a macroeconomics essay prompt.

My strategy for dealing with senioritis is twofold. In each class, I try to stay focused for as long as I possibly can. Then, to make up for the work I don't do in school, I work at home. I prefer to get homework and studying done in a quiet place rather than among the chaos of collective senioritis.

Even though I’ve already gotten into a great college, I still want to do well on my finals. It’s just my personality to want to get an “A.” However, it’s good to know that the stakes are considerably lower now; a “B” won't derail my future.

I only have three weeks left of school. That’s three weeks to deal with senioritis and give my best effort!

How to Rock Your First Year of College

Recently admitted college applicants might be wondering what it’ll take to have a successful freshman year.

To this end, Zinch recently asked some college sophomores about their first-year experiences. They offered the following tips for freshmen-to-be:

• Go to class.
• Get out of your dorm room and participate in campus activities.
• Do your reading on a regular basis.
• Be considerate of your roommate.
• If you don’t get along with your roommate, change roommates sooner rather than later.

Click here to read more about each of these tips.

An Inside Look at College Grading

Many undergrads view grading as a secretive process in which the professor's current mood and opinion of you determine whether he gives an “A” or a “B.”

In reality, college grading is a fairly objective process, even when it comes to open-ended assignments such as papers and essay-based exams.

A recent post on the Chegg blog explains the typical professor’s mindset when grading written work and identifies several ways in which you can boost your chances of an “A.” Click here to learn more.

Study: Contact Sports Might Impair Students’ Learning Abilities

According to a new study published in the journal Neurology, some student-athletes might be particularly susceptible to the negative effects of repeated collisions.

The study compared college athletes in contact sports—specifically, football and ice hockey—to those in non-contact sports such as track and crew. Athletes received thinking, memory, and learning tests both before and after their sport’s season.

Differences appeared on the learning test. According to the Huffington Post, “22 percent of the contact-sport athletes did worse than expected” on the post-season learning test, “compared to just 4 percent of the non-contact athletes.”

The study’s authors believe that contact sports might be more harmful for some students than others.

Click here to read more about this study on the Huffington Post.

What’s the Best Major for Going Into Business?

Contrary to what you might think, an undergraduate major in business isn’t required to begin a career in the field.

In this way, business differs from other potentially lucrative fields—such as engineering and medicine—that require specific undergraduate training.

Getting a job in business out of college is more dependent on your GPA than choice of major, so it helps to study a field that interests you. As for the question of what to study, Todd Johnson at CollegeAdmissionPartners.com argues for a liberal arts degree. He says such degrees develop the reasoning, communication, and writing skills that companies value. (You will learn the specifics of how to do the job when you get there.)

Click here to read more at CollegeAdmissionsPartners.com.

Purdue to Offer Free Online Courses

Earlier today, Purdue University launched PurdueHUB-U, a platform that will provide free access to the university’s online courses. According to the Wired Campus blog, the new platform features “video lectures, interactive visualizations, and tools for students to interact with their peers and professors.”

PurdueHUB-U is one of several online education platforms to be launched by a major university in recent months. Others include Coursera and edX.

Click here to read more on the Wired Campus blog.

LOLCats in Grad School

A British graduate student recently completed a dissertation on the LOLCats Internet meme. Click here to read more on the Huffington Post.

The Cost of Hitting “Snooze”

According to a post on StudentLoanNetwork.com, skipping classes in college is like throwing away money.

How much money? For every one-hour class missed, students at public colleges waste $20 in tuition money; students at private colleges waste $50. Those with student loans end up wasting even more due to interest.

Click here to check out the full post.