Research Helps Applicants Be More Competitive

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Between a third to half of all students admitted to the University of Pennsylvania and the California Institute of Technology feature high school research projects in their applications, and the MIT application even has a dedicated section for them. Such projects can be “both a differentiator and an equalizer” in the admissions process: they can show your own individual drive and creativity, while also being accessible to students of all races and incomes. Read Janos Perczel’s argument in The Hechinger Report. (August 2023)    …

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Vowing to Defend Democracy, Biden Hits Hard at Trump

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U.S. President Joe Biden sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump on Thursday, delivering his most forceful assertion to date that the former president and Republican front-runner represents an existential threat to the country’s democratic values and institutions. In a speech in the western state of Arizona, Biden charged that Trump holds the “dangerous notion” that he has unchecked power and is above the law. “Trump says the Constitution gave him, quote, the right to do whatever he wants as president, end of quote. I’ve never heard a president say that even in jest,” Biden said. “Not guided by the Constitutionmore

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Chinese Students Abroad Face ‘A Tale of Two Fears’

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An op-ed in Politico argues that Chinese international students are often reluctant to discuss their country’s politics. They suggest two reasons. First, they fear punishment for themselves or their families by the Chinese Communist Party. Second, as anti-Chinese sentiments surge in many countries, they worry about discrimination. Read the piece by Jianyi Yang and Leslie Fu. (September 2023) …

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Racial Diversity at Johns Hopkins Could Be in Trouble

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Johns Hopkins University, a prestigious research institution in Baltimore, Maryland, boosted its racial diversity by expanding outreach and financial aid, as well as getting rid of “legacy” admissions — those admitted because they have a relative who previously attended the school. However, the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in college and university admissions earlier this year. Now Johns Hopkins, and other schools, must find a way forward. Susan Svrluga and Nick Anderson report for The Washington Post. (August 2023)  …

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Enrollments Are Down, Budgets Are Tight; One College’s Answer: Pizza-Carrying Robots

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To cut costs, many colleges, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, are using robots to deliver food in dining halls and at sports games. Students can order food with an app, and the robot will deliver it to them. According to the robot’s manufacturer, 64% of students surveyed say the service has kept them from skipping meals. Lauren Coffey of Inside Higher Ed has more. (August 2023) …

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US Senator Menendez Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption Charges

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U.S. Senator Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of taking bribes from three New Jersey businessman, as calls for his resignation from his fellow Democrats escalated. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan last week accused Menendez, 69, and his wife of accepting gold bars and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for the senator using his influence to aid Egypt’s government and interfere with law enforcement investigations of the businessmen. Menendez entered the plea at a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona Wang in Manhattan. His wife, Nadine Menendez, 56, and businessmen Jose Uribe, 56, andmore

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Why Aren’t Americans Going to College?

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American college enrollments are falling, even as they are increasing in comparable countries. One culprit could be the cost: while college graduates earn more, the debt they accumulate often wipes out much of that advantage. Paul Tough investigates for The New York Times Magazine. (September 2023) …

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Federal Student Aid Application in US is Changing

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Every year, most American college students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It determines how much need-based assistance you can receive and is also important for many scholarships, grants and other opportunities. Now, the format is being simplified, as Cheryl Winokur Munk of The Wall Street Journal explains. (August 2023) …

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ChatGPT Isn’t a Good Research Assistant, Yet

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In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Maggie Hicks writes that ChatGPT frequently invents sources, causing headaches for librarians asked to find them, and getting students in trouble when they don’t learn how to track down information themselves. With scholars willing to cut corners to get papers published faster, academia could fall prey to a “complicated web of lies,” as one researcher put it. (August 2023)  …

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Republicans Appeal to Far-Right Conservatives to Avert US Government Shutdown

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With just a week before Washington runs out of money to keep the federal government fully operating, warring factions within the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress on Sunday showed no signs of coming together to pass a stopgap funding bill. Congress so far has failed to finish any of the 12 regular spending bills to fund federal agency programs in the fiscal year starting on Oct. 1. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy will push an ambitious plan this week to win approval of four large bills, including military and homeland security funding, that he hopes would demonstrate enoughmore

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Flamethrower, Comments About Book Burning Ignite Political Firestorm in US

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A longshot candidate for governor in the U.S. state of Missouri and his supporters describe his use of a flamethrower at a recent “Freedom Fest” event outside St. Louis as no big deal. They said it was a fun moment for fellow Republicans who attended, and that no one talked about burning books as he torched a pile of cardboard boxes. But after the video gained attention on social media, State Sen. Bill Eigel said he would burn books he found objectionable, and that he’d do it on the lawn outside the governor’s mansion. He later said it was allmore

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US Joins List of Top 50 Conflict-Ridden Countries

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The United States is the only Western nation among the world’s 50 most conflict-ridden countries, according to new research that measures political violence around the globe. The U.S. ranking is driven by rising levels of political violence and a proliferation of far-right groups in the country in recent years, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED.  ACLED, a data collection, analysis and crisis mapping nonprofit based in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, gathers data for more than 240 countries and territories around the world. In the 12 months to early September, it recorded more thanmore

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Know the Details, and Risks, of Student Loans

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After School Africa takes a look at student loans and international students. “Normally, many people do not like the idea of loans, and it is not the first option in the minds of many people,” the article notes. “However, student loans can be the only option for some students who want to actualize their goals.” Read about the various types of student loans, and their potential risks, here. (August 2023)  …

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Academic Integrity in the US: What International Students Need to Know

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International students have many things to learn about the U.S. when they arrive on American campuses. U.S. News & World Report delves into a less-common topic: academic integrity. The magazine explores basic expectations at many U.S. schools, including how to use quotes and citations in papers, how to avoid plagiarism and navigating artificial intelligence pitfalls. Read the full story here. (August 2023)  …

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