Another Way to Blow $10k...

Yes, I realize it's a lost cause, but can someone please stop the college application padding insanity?

The latest: Uber-expensive abroad programs for high school students

I guess if you're desperate to get into the college of your dreams, spending a month working with kids in Ghana sounds like a lot more fun than studying harder to do better in Calc. I'll grant that it's a cool life experience (if mommy and daddy can afford it), but keep the admissions impact in perspective:

“People shouldn’t feel they have to do something exotic to impress admissions committees,” William Fitzsimmons, Harvard’s dean of admissions and financial aid, told The Daily Beast. “There is no magic bullet.”

Not only is there no magic bullet, but note that Fitzsimmons adds that over-the-top paid experiences can backfire ("There is some cynicism about these programs,” said Fitzsimmons.)

Perhaps the best advice comes from Richard Shaw at Stanford: “It’s not a good idea to engage in something because the student or family believes it will augment their ability to get in.”

In other words, stop living your life to full out some mythologized resume goal. Instead, go do what you're into--it'll make you a far more interesting person (not to mention applicant) in the long run. --CJ

"But We're #8 for Body Painting!"

It's mid-summer, and if you're a rising senior, you're probably trying to refine your college list.

And if it seems like someone has a ranking of schools for pretty much everything... you're right. Why stop at the US News & World Report rankings, when you can rank your schools based on parking?

Some of my favorites:

Top Party Schools. Party school rankings are pretty routine now, but Playboy's is probably the USN&WR equivalent for the category... link to coverage of the list (you can surf the Playboy site on your own time) is here. (although you might want to cross-reference it with this list here... be safe!) 

Greenest Colleges. No, we're not talking about University of Oregon's colors, but about organic food, recycling programs and LEED-certified buildings. Naturally, there's a list (and book!) for that--done, sustainably, on pdf! (no printing allowed...) (BTW, Sustainable Endowments Initiative does an annual report card here that's pretty interesting too)

Most Popular. If everyone who applies to a school goes there, clearly they're on to something, right? Take a look at the schools who enroll the largest percentages of their admits here (and don't think about the fact that applicants may be enrolling because they didn't have other options...)

Dream Schools. This is a personal favorite: Which schools do students dream of attending, vs which schools do their parents dream of them attending?

Best/Worst Financial Investment. Sure education is its own reward... but when you're paying what it'd cost to buy a new house for your education, money does matter. See who has the best return on investment here. (Full report is here)

Best Value College. Since what everyone is looking for in an education is the equivalent of a Kia--"not much fun, but it'll get you to point B"--you might want to take a look at the best value private and public schools

Priciest Schools. Alternatively, if top dollar means best to you, take a look at the priciest colleges in the US. Or, even more entertainingly, the priciest dorms ($13k/year? Ouch)

Recruiter Popularity. Spend way too much on that dorm room? Go get a job!

Rich Professors. Maybe it doesn't seem germane to your decision, but does a highly paid prof equal a happy one--who'll be better in the classroom? Probably not...but here's the ranking anyway. (Alternatively, more concerned with which administrators are making bank? That data exists too)

Top-Rated Professors. Where do students tend to like their professors? Take a look. Although keep in mind that happy students may just like the fact that a professor is easy, not really good...

Best Writing Programs. It's one thing to rank the best programs--but the best underrated programs? That's more impressive. Here's one take.

Schools To Fear (if you're a conservative wingnut). Because, as everyone knows, any student attending a university is subject to liberal brainwashing (afterall, look how liberal time at Yale and Harvard made George W. Bush!), you'll probably want to consult this run-down of campuses...

And if all these rankings just sound to you like a load of... well, wasted paper... you're not alone. Thought from the article with which I couldn't agree more:

A student's success or failure in college and in life will ultimately be determined by who they are, not which college they attend.

Sounds like a top-ten comment to me --CJ