When it comes to choosing a consultant for your child’s education, there are many factors that are important to consider. It is important to look past any of the glitz that might be presented by advertising (though this is true for any investment), and instead get to the substance of the individual or firm with whom you are meeting. While you may be willing to be a guinea pig for your nephew who is starting his own business, when meeting with an educational consultant it is better to opt for someone who has the experience that such an important decision demands. Sarphatie Education and its founder and president, Jacque Trama, provides her vast experience to all its clients, enabling them […]

There are different types of bad professors. There’s the professor who’s overly controlling, who never gives students a chance to be human. Is she just mean? Does she expect no one should have a life outside of class? Then there’s the professor who doesn’t manage the class at all. His instructions are vague, and the loud students dominate the class. What about the professor who plays favorites? That professor seems to be giving a private lecture to the girl who sits in the front everyday. And, that political professor? The guy who probably hates you because of what he assumes about your dad’s political party. The professor who constantly changes the syllabus? The professor who would rather be doing research? […]

How can students earn a degree that represents real value not just on the job market, but also on the job? According to Robert Zarestky’s recent opinion piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education, “What’s at Stake with Grade Inflation?”, complicit teachers and students have compromised the true value of a college degree by accepting that good grades no longer have to reflect improved performance. Zarestky’s article recalls a utopian past where good grades still evinced a student’s ability to express clear thinking in writing. These days, he says, students pass on without improving. The blame belongs with both the system and the teacher-student relationship. However the consequences don’t hit the fan until students enter the workforce ill-equipped to demonstrate […]

I’ve been back in college for two quarters. I (re)started at the end of November – just after Thanksgiving – thanks to my school’s quarter system, where each block is ten weeks long, rather than the traditional semester system. (They’re doing away with that system this coming fall, but that’s not particularly relevant to this discussion.) Anyway, I’ll be taking two classes this coming summer as well: Internet Marketing and Advertising & Promotion Management. Both of these courses require a textbook, and if I were to purchase those books from the campus bookstore, new, they’d cost me $341.65 before tax. Needless to say, I’m put off by that prospect. After all, I’ll only be in these classes for ten weeks. […]

One of my professors remarked, regarding the place of prescriptive advice in writing, ‘I’m not going to tell you what you should do. I’ve tried to strike the word “should” from my vocabulary. Whenever I say it, whatever follows often sounds dubious on reflection.’ Better, I suppose, to offer an observation and let the reader decide for herself. The same professor didn’t think much of the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference. Though he never said, you shouldn’t go. He may have observed that his students often failed to learn much from the panels they attended, and that their reading and writing fell off during their conference stint. Writing happens when you’re alone in a small room […]

March is a particularly fine month to be a college student. Finals are a long way off, class discussions have moved beyond the awkward phase, everyone has a few new followers on Instagram…and then there’s Spring Break. The best part of college is not even being there, right? According to the Huffington Post, Spring Break in Cancun is so good that they have to guard it with Marines. 25,000 spring breakers went to Cancun last year, and they are expecting 43,000 this year! This is a big number, so I’ll offer a point of comparison: it’s as if every man, woman, and child in my hometown suddenly took their shirts off, poured fruity drinks, and then stopped all traffic in the streets […]

Between the excitement of graduating high school and the anticipation of embarking on your college career there lies two glorious months of summer.  Finally, some time to yourself to enjoy the weather, friends and countless other carefree activities, right? WRONG. The summer before your first year of college will allow for plenty of time to partake in the aforementioned activities, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if all you do is relax and hang out with friends.  Ideally, this summer should be a blend of nostalgia and preparation.  So fondly remember your high school years and spend time with the people that contributed to your best memories, but also do the following: Visit your college roommate You will know who […]

If I had to describe my first year of college in one word, it would have to be “freedom.” At this point, you’re probably groaning since everyone is always telling you about how much freedom you have in college and how great it is, but hear me out. Before I graduated, my parents gave me free reign and I was allowed to do pretty much whatever I wanted, so I didn’t think college would be that big of an adjustment; I was wrong. First, you have to realize that you’re living at your school 24/7. This may sound blatantly obvious and somewhat redundant, but there are a few things this fact entails that should definitely be addressed. For example, you’ll […]

Navigating the first year of college seems to be one big hurdle after the next.  Many high school seniors have finally decided on which college they will attend, but are unprepared for what other steps they must take in order to have a successful freshman year.  Orientation sign-ups, housing preference forms, meal plans and placement exams all must be done prior to the start of classes.  Another major decision a student must make is what classes to take and when. First year students are given detailed advisement in course selection to get them on the right track in their program of study.  What they generally don’t realize is they have the power to choose the time of day they take […]

As we enter the final days before the May 1 enrollment deadline, I imagine that many families are anxious to put their deposits anywhere. For most American families, college is their biggest expense after a home, and, if you listen to the news, a college degree may not guarantee a job that it once did. Students can still find jobs, as this report demonstrates. The difference is that those jobs exist in sectors unfamiliar even two generations ago. Most of those sectors, such as technology or biomedical sciences, require highly educated employees who can do more than just complete a task. These students can think like innovators. Thinking like an innovator, as we train our students to do, does not require […]