About a third of students begin college expecting to major in a STEM discipline – science, technology, engineering and math. Less than half of them manage to leave with a STEM degree. At some point, most students switch to an easier major. A couple of years ago UCLA released a study that broke down by [...]
Rushing to Get a Graduate Degree
on February 8, 2012 in Academics, Careers, Graduate degrees
I’ve met a lot of college students who assume that they must slog their way through graduate school to enjoy a successful and lucrative career. What is troubling, however, is how little information young adults know about what is involved in earning a graduate degree that can be expensive and a huge time commitment. No [...]
A Dilemma: Liberal Arts College vs. Journalism School
on February 7, 2012 in Academic majors, Academic quality, Academics, Admissions, Applying, Evaluating Schools, Research
I received an email over the weekend from a mom who is stressing about whether her accomplished daughter would be better off attending a liberal arts college or a journalism school. I happen to be a graduate of the the nation’s oldest journalism school at the University of Missouri (see photo) and I’ll share some [...]
Surprising Facts About College Freshmen
on February 6, 2012 in Admission practices, Admissions, Applying, Grades
During my college workshop at the University of California, San Diego, on Saturday, I asked the parents in attendance this question: What percentage of high school seniors do you think got accepted into their No. 1 college last year? One dad blurted out, “Six percent.” From the other side of the room, a mom provided [...]
The Colleges Where PhD’s Get Their Start
on January 26, 2012 in Academic majors, Academic quality, Academics, Colleges, Evaluating Schools, Liberal Arts Colleges, Research
What schools produce the most undergraduates who end up heading off to graduate school? The subject came up yesterday because a friend of mine was telling me about a brilliant teenager who wants to eventually get a PhD in physics. The student lives in California, but the mom wants him to apply to schools in [...]
Are Students Learning Much in College?
on January 10, 2012 in Academics, College readiness, Grades, Parents
With crazy amounts of psychic energy being spent on getting teenagers into college, too many students and their parents think getting admitted is the hard part of the college process. Actually, it’s not. Squeezing as much value out of the college experience once you’re a student is far more important. Unfortunately, however, many students are [...]
About Lynn
In addition to writing her nationally known blog here on TheCollegeSolution.com, Lynn O’Shaughnessy is an author, higher-ed journalist, speaker and college consultant. Lynn writes about college strategies for CBSMoneyWatch and US News & World Report. She's the author of The College Solution, an Amazon.com bestseller and... Continue Reading...




