Archive for Graduate
Iraq Degree
“James McLeod presently serving the US Army on his third term in Iraq, serves as a Mental Health Advisor for the troops. As the Mental Health Advisor, his position entails helping soldiers deal with stress: job stress, psychological stress and the stress of everyday living. Managing this stress is essential to being deployed in the field.
While soldiers thrive on a certain amount of stress, too much can lead to health problems, causing weakness and breakdowns. His job is an essential one and the troops rely on him for help. So what does a Mental Health Advisor, whom soldiers come to for stress relief, do for his own mind?
This brave soldier has found the time to pursue a college degree: a BS in Culinary Management through the Art Institute Online. McLeod got his associate degree in 1995 from the Art Institute in Atlanta, Georgia and wanted to complete his degree with a Bachelor of Science. The Art Institute Online provided both the flexibility and high-quality learning McLeod needed to pursue his passion in the culinary field, even while being deployed in Iraq.
He began his classes in January 2006 to be more competitive and knowledgeable in his field. McLeod plans on opening a Meals on Wheels program for the poor and sick when he gets back to the states. “Working in health care has taught me a lot about people. One of the big reasons why I want to do this is because I love to help others that are in need. A lot of time the reason why most people die is because there is no one there to feed them. Having a program like this gives me an opportunity to help those that are in need of at least one good meal a day.”
Master Degrees
In a recession, or economic downturn, what can you do if you are without a job?
Since more and more people have bachelor degree, is it worth to get a master’s degree? We know for sure getting a master’s degree requires a considerable investment of time (i.e. at least one year), effort (may be full or part time), and money. The answer really depends on the job you want. Research conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies fields in which employees with a master’s degree earn a considerable earning premium over those with bachelor’s degrees. More information about college or universities can be found at IQx.com, in addition you may check the forum and heated debate at the IQx Forum
Here’s a look at four jobs with high-earnings premiums:
1. Financial analyst: 47 percent earning more for master’s over bachelor’s.
With wall-street laying-off thousand people, the un-employment pool has a lot of people with bachelor’s degree. Financial analysts with master’s degrees are valued at a premium. A lot of companies are willing and able to pay a premium for intelligence, the ability for in-depth research, and detailed thorough analysis. While a bachelor’s in finance will provide a basis foundation, a master’s in finance will allow a worker to really dive into a specific financial specialty making it exceptionally valuable. Having a master’s in a financial role also provides you with credibility and pedigree.
2. Tax preparer: 43 percent earning premium for master’s over bachelor’s degree.
Master’s degrees are generally more valuable for professionals who work with clients with complex tax issues, such as big corporations. Tax preparers with a bachelor’s degree and/or CPA designation can usually handle run-of-the-mill tax issues. Bachelor’s degree is sufficient if it is just for an individual or the local small accounting firm, however a big firm who sells their reputation does need the added degree.
3. Financial manager: 42 percent earning premium for master’s over bachelor’s.
With banks closing and financial firm layoff, more and more people are looking for a job. How do you stand out among all the unemployed? The duties of financial managers vary based on the specific roles they play at their firms, which can include overseeing the preparation of financial reports, directing investment activities, and implementing cash management strategies.
4. Education administrator: 41 percent earning premium for master’s over bachelor’s.
K-12 administration and teachers are paid strictly on a pay scale. In nearly all states, it is required that administrators hold at least a master’s degree and certification, and earnings are based on years of experience and degree level. The higher one’s degree level and experience, the higher the salary.
Higher Education Areas
In higher education, which is a level of education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, institutes of technology and other collegiate level institutions that award academic degrees or professional certifications, there are several main areas.
Liberal Arts:
• Great Books Program
• History
• Languages
• Law
• Literature
• Religious studies
Performing Arts:
• Circus schools
• College or university school of music
• Dance school
• Drama school
• Music education
Plastic or Visual Arts:
• Film school
• List of art schools
• List of art schools in Europe
• List of international architecture schools
Professional:
• Business school
• Dental school
• Journalism school
• Law school
• Library school
• Medical school
• Public policy school
• Veterinary school
Common Degrees and Their Abbreviations
A few common degrees and abbreviations:
• Associate’s degrees: AA (Associate in Arts), AS (Associate in Science), AAS (Associate in Applied Science), AGS (Associate in General Studies)
• Bachelor’s degrees: AB or BA, BFA, LL.B, BSc or ScB or BS or SB, BASc, BPhil, BBus, BSBA, BPE, B.Math, BSW, BVSc, B.Eng, BBA, B.Tech
• Master’s degrees: M.P.P., MA, MFA, LL.M, MS or MSc, MCM, M.Div., MPIA, MPS, MAS, MMus, MSSc, MBA, MPA, MHA, M.Ed or EdM, M.Eng, M.J, M.Des, Drs (Netherlands)
• Extended Research Master’s degrees: mag.art. (Denmark)
• Licentiate degrees: LDS, JCL, LP
• Specialist degrees: Ed.S., SSP, SClP
• Logistician’s degree: CPL
• Engineer’s degrees: Ch.E., C.E., E.E., Env.E., I.E., Mech.E., Nucl.E., Sys.E.
• Professional Doctoral degrees:DMD or DDM, DDS, BM BS, DPT, ND, D.C., OD,
DVM, V.M.D, M.Div., M.D., D.O., Au.D., PharmD, J.D., D.C., P.Th.D., D.Th.P., D.P.M., DProf (UK)
• Research Doctoral degrees: J.C.D., Ph.D., EdD, EngD, DTech, DBA, DPA, DHA, Dr.-Ing(Germany), DPS, D.D., D.Min., D.Th. or Th.D., J.S.D. or S.J.D. or LL.D., DPM, DSc or ScD, DSocSci, M.D., DSW
Abbreviations for degrees can place the level either before or after the faculty or discipline, depending on the college. One example is that DSc and ScD both stand for the doctorate in science. Various other abbreviations also vary between universities.
College Immigrants
Why do immigrants come to the United State for education? Do they stay in US or do they go back to their own home countries? Why should we care? Well, because immigrants are critical to the country’s long-term economic health. Despite the fact that they constitute only 12% of the U.S. population, immigrants have started 52% of Silicon Valley’s technology companies and contributed to more than 25% of our global patents. They make up 24% of the U.S. science and engineering workforce holding bachelor’s degrees and 47% of science and engineering workers who have PhDs. Immigrants have co-founded firms such as Google, Intel, eBay, YouTube, Facebook and Yahoo!.
Are those young and well-educated going back home after they graduate from universities here? Since a lot of young educated people come from China or India, people tried to find hard data on how many immigrants had returned to India and China. No government authority seems to track these numbers. But human resources directors in India and China say “what was a trickle of returnees a decade ago had become a flood.” Job applications from the U.S. had increased tenfold over the last few years, they said. To get an understanding of how the returnees had fared and why they left the U.S., a team at Duke, along with AnnaLee Saxenian of the University of California at Berkeley and Richard Freeman of Harvard University, conducted a survey. Through professional networking site LinkedIn, they tracked down 1,203 Indian and Chinese immigrants who had worked or received education in the U.S. and had returned to their home countries. This research was funded by the Kauffman Foundation. Their new paper, “America’s Loss Is the World’s Gain,” finds that the vast majority of these returnees were relatively young. The average age was 30 for Indian returnees, and 33 for Chinese. They were highly educated, with degrees in management, technology, or science. Fifty-one percent of the Chinese held master’s degrees and 41% had PhDs. Sixty-six percent of the Indians held a master’s and 12.1% had PhDs. They were at very top of the educational distribution for these highly educated immigrant groups — precisely the kind of people who make the greatest contribution to the U.S. economy and to business and job growth.
Nearly a third of the Chinese returnees and a fifth of the Indians came to the U.S. on student visas. A fifth of the Chinese and nearly half of the Indians entered on temporary work visas (such as the H-1B). The strongest factor that brought them to the U.S. was professional and educational development opportunities.
They found life in the U.S. had many drawbacks. Returnees cited language barriers, missing their family and friends at home, difficulty with cultural assimilation, and care of parents and children as key issues. About a third of the Indians and a fifth of the Chinese said that visas were a strong factor in their decision to return home, but others left for opportunity and to be close to family and friends. And it wasn’t just new immigrants who were returning. In fact, 30% of respondents held permanent resident status or were U.S. citizens.
Eighty-seven percent of Chinese and 79% of Indians said a strong factor in their original decision to return home was the growing demand for their skills in their home countries. Their instincts generally proved right. Significant numbers moved up the organization chart. Among Indians the percentage of respondents holding senior management positions increased from 10% in the U.S. to 44% in India, and among Chinese it increased from 9% in the U.S. to 36% in China. Eighty-seven percent of Chinese and 62% of Indians said they had better opportunities for longer-term professional growth in their home countries than in the U.S. Additionally, nearly half were considering launching businesses and said entrepreneurial opportunities were better in their home countries than in the U.S.
Friends and family played an equally strong role for 88% of Indians and 77% of Chinese. Care for aging parents was considered by 89% of Indians and 79% of Chinese to be much better in their home countries. Nearly 80% of Indians and 67% of Chinese said family values were better in their home countries.
School Funding
A lot of universities are struggling with endowments that are now underwater. If the current financial downturn continues, the problem will only get worse. Most states adopted a uniform law that prohibits withdrawing money from endowments that fall below their “historic dollar value” — the money given to create the endowment, plus any later gifts. The law is designed to protect endowments by preventing institutions from dipping into the principal. An endowment is supposed to be a perpetual source of revenue, with institutions drawing off only the earnings. The rule affects newer funds most severely, since they have had less time to invest a gift and build the endowment’s value.
Some donors may have intended for the principal to remain intact, but was it their intent that the students they want to help won’t get any help? Certainly there is a need to loosen the strings attached to the gifts.
In the University of North Carolina system, where as many as 70 percent of the endowments at one campus are underwater, some of the system’s 16 schools are going back to donors and asking them for one-time donations to pay for what would normally be covered by the endowment.
The University of Wisconsin system suspended payments this month from 38 underwater endowments, taking away $700,000 that would have gone for scholarships and other programs at campuses across the state. At New York University, about $10 million of $16 million in scholarship endowments is untouchable.
Because of funding problem, Brandeis University originally planned to close its Rose Art Museum and sell its more than 7,000 works, including pieces by Willem de Kooning and Jasper Johns. After much criticism, the school backed off.
There are ways to get around the law. In creating an endowment, nonprofits can enter into an agreement with the donor that allows for the use of principal in emergencies. They can also ask the donor to change the endowment’s terms retroactively, which requires a trip to court if the donor has died.
Since early 2007, 26 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that give nonprofit organizations more flexibility in using money from endowments that are underwater. Because of the economic meltdown, 12 other states are considering such laws, according to the National Conference of Commissioners of Uniform State Laws.
Top 5 College Majors
If a student is questioning himself/herself on what to choose as his/her major in college, here is a list of the top 5 majors. Of course, every person is different and sometimes none of these are right for somebody.
1) Business Administration and Management. Business majors often find success in the field of their choice, working their way up the ladder to become managers, executives, and vice presidents in their companies. This major offers: training in accounting, finance, marketing, economics, human resources, and decision making. Students learn to organize, plan, direct, control, and manage an organization.
2) Psychology. Psychology is the study of the way humans and animals interact and respond to their environment; in essence, it’s the study of behavior and the thoughts behind it. This is an extremely time consuming education route. Just don’t expect that four years of college will land a student in a private practice where people lie on a couch and tell their troubles for $95/hour. A student would need an extra five to seven years of schooling and a Ph.D./Psy.D. first.
3) Elementary Education. Basically, the teaching career. This career gives a chance to share knowledge with young minds in literature, mathematics, sciences, etc.
4) Biology. Biology majors focus on the living world–that’s everything from single-cell bacteria to whales. Classes in which you learn about calculus, microbiology, cell biology, genetics, evolution, physics, and organic chemistry are among some of the courses available. In addition to being a stepping stone for medical school, a biology major can lead to a job in a growing field such as genetics, biotechnology, or medical research. Veterinarians, optometrists, ecologists, biochemists, and environmentalists all may have majored in biology.
5) Nursing. Generally, nurses help people meet basic health needs, adapt to physical changes, recover from illness, and die with dignity. They are employed in clinics, hospitals, schools, corporations, the military, and in private practice. Currently, nurses are in high demand in the world. While in school, students receive lots of practical, hands-on training. All would-be nurses are required by law to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) after graduating from an accredited nursing program before they can be considered “registered.”
Picking a Field of Study
How Not to Pick a Field of Study
Just because parents are probably paying for a student’s tuition, does not mean they can choose your major or potentially, your career. Although it is tempting to let someone else make the hard decision, do not take the bait. Seeing as this is the student’s life, the student should be in charge. Parents should remember that they didn’t want their parents making their decisions for them.
Just because a student doesn’t want to think about the course selection doesn’t mean the student should pick a random topic for the heck of it. This is a very important issue and it must be considered and every aspect weighed.
How to Actually Pick a Field of Study
- Make a list of pros and cons when choosing a major: For example, a student might want to be an English major because he/she enjoys reading and writing. That’s a “pro.” A possible “con” might be that the lack of clear-cut career. Recognizing the positives and negatives of any potential field of study can help a student be honest with the decision. This way, the student will always know that he/she is selecting a certain field of study for the right reasons.
- Discuss your decision of college major with your parents and/or close relatives. Now, this does not mean a student should have others make the decision for them, but it does mean a student should seek outside input. Besides, it’s always encouraging when someone else thinks that the choice is a good one.
Best Valued School
Which school has the best value? Value is what you got for what you had paid. It is about spending less money and getting more than you paid. The more grants the school provides to you, the better value to you. You can always borrow money, but that does not lead you to a better value. This is especially important during current recession.
The No. 1 Best Value for public schools is the University of Virginia. This year’s tuition, fees, room and board totaled $18,499 for in-state students and $37,749 out of state. The average grant UVA offered (including scholarships) totaled $9,531. The average 2008 graduate’s debt was $16,847. At top-rated private college Swarthmore, with 1,480 undergraduates for the 2008-09 year, the total cost is $47,804 (with large portion $36,154 — for tuition). But the average grant is $30,073, this is very attractive. The school did not report the amount of student debt, but at each of the top two campuses, about 70% of students graduated debt-free in 2008.
The Princeton Review’s aim was to determine the average annual cost that a freshman paid for the 2008-09 school year. The selection criteria looked at academics, costs and financial aid, using the most recently reported data from each institution for its 2008-09 academic year. Overall selection criteria included more than 30 factors in three areas: academics, costs and financial aid. Academic ratings were based on student surveys about such issues as professors’ accessibility and class sizes, as well as institutional reports about student-faculty ratios and percent of classes taught by teaching assistants. The financial aid rating is based on a combination of school-reported data and student surveys. Tuition, room and board, and required fees, as well as book costs and other factors, are included in the financial measurement.
The TOP 10 best value schools from Princeton Review are listed below.
PRIVATE School;
1. Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, Pa.)
2. Harvard College (Cambridge, Mass.)
3. Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
4. Rice University (Houston, Texas)
5. Yale University (New Haven, Conn.)
6. Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.)
7. Amherst College (Amherst, Mass.)
8. California Institute of Technology (Pasadena)
9. Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.)
10. Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)
PUBLIC School
1. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
2. New College of Florida (Sarasota)
3. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Va.)
4. State University of New York-Binghamton
5. Florida State University (Tallahassee)
6. North Carolina State University (Raleigh)
7. University of California San Diego
8. City University of New York — Hunter College (New York, N.Y.)
9. University of Georgia (Athens)
10. The College of New Jersey (Ewing)
Popular Universities
Which university is the most popular one?
Of course, Harvard University tops the list. You may believe Stanford to be the second, but you are wrong. You will be surprised that Brigham Young University-Provo ranked second.
Recently U.S. News and World Report ranked colleges by the percentage of students accepted who actually wind up attending. In college terms, it is known as the “yield.” 79 percent of the students selected by Harvard enroll at the Massachusetts school. That is why Harvard ranked the first. Brigham Young University-Provo has 77% yield, ranked the second for the yield even though the school only ranked 113th by traditional method. University of Nebraska-Lincoln is third, with a yield of 71 percent even though it is ranked 89th by traditional method. Stanford University only comes in fourth, with a yield of 70 percent, of course Stanford ranked 4th by traditional method. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University tied for fifth, each with a yield of 69 percent.
U.S. News_Rank Acceptance_Rate Yield
Harvard University (MA) 1 9% 79%
Brigham Young University–Provo (UT) 113 74% 77%
University of Nebraska–Lincoln 89 62% 71%
Stanford University (CA) 4 10% 70%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 12% 69%
Yale University (CT) 3 10% 69%
Princeton University (NJ) 2 10% 68%
University of Pennsylvania 6 16% 66%
Yeshiva University (NY) 50 69% 65%
University of Florida 49 42% 63%
Columbia University (NY) 8 11% 59%
Brown University (RI) 16 14% 56%
Texas A&M University–College Station 64 76% 56%
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 30 35% 56%
University of Notre Dame (IN) 18 24% 56%
Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge 130 73% 55%
University of Texas–Austin 47 51% 54%
Dartmouth College (NH) 11 15% 52%
University of Virginia 23 35% 52%
University of Georgia 58 54% 51%
Kansas State University 130 95% 50%
University of Alabama 83 64% 50%
University of Oklahoma 108 89% 50%
North Carolina State University–Raleigh 83 60% 49%
Ohio State University–Columbus 56 59% 49%
University of Missouri–Columbia 96 86% 48%
University of Tennessee 108 71% 48%
Cornell University (NY) 14 21% 47%
Georgetown University (DC) 23 21% 47%
University of Kentucky 116 77% 47%
So why Brigham Young University has high yield? BYU accepted 74% of the 10,010 people who applied for admission in the summer term and fall semester of 2007. The majority of students at Brigham Young University have traveled the world to preach the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the founders of Brigham Young University. It is the oldest existing institution within the LDS Church Educational System, is America’s largest religious university, and has the second-largest private university enrollment in the United States. Approximately 98% of the 34,000 students at BYU are LDS; two-thirds of its American students come from outside the state of Utah. The university’s primary focus is on undergraduate education. About 70% of student tuition is funded by LDS Church tithing funds, making tuition relatively less expensive than at similar private universities. It is the money! This explains the yield score.
For BYU, the average ACT score and GPA for these admitted students was 27.9 and 3.78, respectively. Students from every state in the U.S. and from many foreign countries attend BYU. In the 2005-6 academic year, there were 2,396 foreign students, or 8% of enrollment. Slightly more than 98% of these students are active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2006, 12.6% of the student body represented ethnic minorities, mostly Asian/Pacific islanders and Hispanics.
BYU received other reviews. Princeton Review has ranked BYU the best value for college in 2007, and its library is consistently ranked in the nation’s top ten–#1 in 2004 and #4 in 2007. BYU is also ranked #19 in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Great Schools, Great Prices” lineup, and #12 in lowest student-incurred debt. Due in part to the school’s emphasis on undergraduate research, BYU is ranked #8 nationally for the number of students who go on to earn PhDs, #1 nationally for students who go on to dental school, #6 nationally for students who go on to law school, and #10 nationally for students who go on to medical school. BYU is designated as a Carnegie research university with high research activity, one of the highest classifications by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
UC Schools New Ethnic Acceptance Plan
Recently announced by Mercury News, UC Schools will now be accepting a lower percentage of asian and oriental heritage. In addition to this, UC schools have agreed to accept more African Americans, Hispanics and Caucasians. This is because students with asian background are taking up a larger majority of the UC universities every year. California wants its colleges to be more diverse and therefore implementing this plan. UC has also agreed to eliminate SAT subject tests as a requirement and to consider “lower-ranking” students more.
College Scholarships
College scholarships are one of the biggest factors when determining which university a person chooses to attend. This is because nearly every student needs financial aid these days with the economy so bad and tuition so high. A lot of the time, a brilliant student will be accepted by Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and many other great schools. Unfortunately, this student probably will choose to go to a lesser ranked college just for the money. Most people get partial scholarships. For example: 45% of a full four years paid for. Only very few get a full scholarship (full ride). There are many ways to obtain a scholarship. Some of these include sports, SAT scores, grades, music, national competitions, and other extra curricular activities. The most common way to get a full ride is by sports.
College Tuition
College tuition has been on the rise for decades, and now the prices are just getting ridiculous. To go to a mid-ranked university it costs more money than it took to go to the best school, 10 years ago. In the upcoming 2009 tuition fees, there could easily be a high record of over 70,000 dollars per year. Not to mention, students usually have to buy their own books, rooming, etc. When it comes down to it, parents and relatives don’t have that kind of money. Universities will be giving out many, much fewer scholarships because of the recession/ economy blowout. Money should not be an issue when determining which college a person wants to go to. However, in this day and world it’s the rich that are going where they want, while others have to stand by and watch. The solution to this problem remains to be seen.
Yield
Recently, there is a new type of ranking/rating that can determine which universities/colleges are really the most popular. It can help determine which college students really want to go to. The process is to look at a school’s yield, which is the percentage of applicants accepted by a university who end up enrolling at that institution that year. If a school has a high yield (a large proportion of those admitted enroll), it means that the school is most likely very popular amongst high school students, has a high reputation, and the students are motivated to go the given university. A low yield means that the school is probably a school that students use as a “safety” or “last resort” college. Many colleges use yield as a part in determining how many students they need to admit each year. Currently the college with the best yield is Harvard University.
Helicopter Crashes near a Texas University
A helicopter has crashed at a Texas university which killed one person and injured at least four, as reports say. The (US Army Blackhawk) helicopter was taking off when the accident occurred. Unfortunately, there was some miss-functions and the plane went down. It had a crew of five people, including several members of the US National Guard.