Elite Colleges Tap Community Students

The New York Times: "Community colleges are the workhorses of higher education. They don’t charge a lot and they take everybody. It’s why nearly a third of college students in the United States attend one. They often are treated as places where workers retrain, add technical skills and earn job certifications. But they also have a quieter role, helping students earn two-year degrees that prepare them to transfer to a four-year college. In our status-conscious higher education hierarchy, however, the firepower of those campuses and their students is often overlooked."

"Williams College, a private liberal arts school in Massachusetts, enrolled eight transfer students from community colleges this year (up from two last year), including Lara and Jason Meintjes, who earned two associate degrees each at Long Beach City College in California while working multiple jobs. They moved to Massachusetts with their daughter, a sophomore now enrolled at Mount Greylock Regional High School. 'There has been a shift in how we think of really talented students from different backgrounds,' said Maud Mandel, the president of Williams. Such students, she said, 'represent a different kind of diversity on campus'.”

"Rising college costs have capable middle-class students rethinking how to structure their educations. It’s shaking up how a 'normal' college experience is defined, said Meghan Hughes, the president of the Community College of Rhode Island. Given federal data showing that nearly half of the students who earn a bachelor’s degree started at a community college, Dr. Hughes said, 'We are now the mainstream ... They are just ‘college students' ... But they are college students who 'make it work with duct tape,' she added. Such students are also challenging what college is for, particularly the part where you go in order to grow up."

Colleges Use 'Big Data' To Score Applicants

The Washington Post: "Colleges are collecting more data about prospective students than ever before — part of an effort, administrators say, to make better predictions about which students are the most likely to apply, accept an offer and enroll. Records reviewed by The Post show that at least 44 public and private universities in the United States work with outside consulting companies to collect and analyze data on prospective students, by tracking their Web activity or formulating predictive scores to measure each student’s likelihood of enrolling."

"Records and interviews show that colleges are building vast repositories of data on prospective students — scanning test scores, Zip codes, high school transcripts, academic interests, Web browsing histories, ethnic backgrounds and household incomes for clues about which students would make the best candidates for admission. At many schools, this data is used to give students a score from 1 to 100, which determines how much attention colleges pay them in the recruiting process."

"The vast majority of universities reviewed by The Post do not tell students the schools are collecting their information. In a review of the online privacy policies of all 33 schools using Web tracking software, only three disclosed the purpose of the tracking. The other 30 omitted any explanation or did not explain the full extent or purpose of their tracking ... Admissions officers say behavioral tracking helps them serve students in the application process. When a college sees that a qualified student is serious about applying based on the student’s Web behavior, it can dedicate more staffers to follow up."

Some Cool College Towns

Livability: "Think college towns are just for rowdy undergrads? Think again. These energetic cities across the country are home to innovative small businesses, tons of fun activities, family-friendly annual events and thriving downtown scenes complete with arts, culture and delicious local cuisine ... To determine the best college towns in America for 2019, Livability and ABODO, an off-campus and young professional apartment search engine, ranked all U.S. cities with at least one college campus and a population between 20,000 and 350,000."

"University of Florida/Gainesville students have tons of school spirit and pride... This world-class research institution has outstanding academic programs and competitive Gators sports teams. On top of that, with more than 35,000 undergrads enrolled here, you’re bound to find your group, your niche and your passion ... The 69,000 students at Texas A&M stay busy by conducting research in labs (the school generated more than $922 million in research dollars last year) and participating in more than 1,100 student organizations."

"Oregon State University professors and alumni have made some impressive discoveries – they’re responsible for the computer mouse, the modern dentist chair and the artificial heart valve, just to name a few. Imagine being part of that culture of innovation as an undergrad ... Ithaca is home to not one but two great schools: the Ivy League’s Cornell University and Ithaca College. It’s a relatively small town, with some 30,000 residents, so you won’t feel overwhelmed when you first arrive on campus. When you’re not studying, there’s plenty to keep you busy, ranging from cascading waterfall hikes to a happening downtown area."