Students Today: Lazy or Under-Challenged?
Today’s technologies and connectedness from social media has increased the possibilities for distractions among college students. However, many of these new technologies also enable students to more efficiently gather information and compute data. So, it is not shocking that a recent report from the University of California found that even though students are studying about 10 hours less a week then students did in 1961, it is not because today’s students are any less focused on their studies.
Instead, the study found that the greatest decline in studying took place before computers were all over college campuses and owned by every student. Between 1961 and 1981 study times fell from 24.4 to 16.8 hours per week. In the last 30 years, by comparison, it fell by just two hours.
In The Atlantic Wire, Max Fisher delves into some of the comments left on Kevin Drum’s Mother Jones blog post about this study. Interestingly enough several commenters seem to believe it is the result of professors not sufficiently challenging students. This would certainly complement the theory that it is not distractions from technologies that cause students to study less.
Among some of the most notable comments that Fisher finds are:
Arguing that professors require less effort from students:
- There is an increase in temporary adjunct faculty who are vulnerable to course evaluations.
- More schools have adopted pass-fail classes and so students don’t have to work as hard to get a specific grade.
Arguing that students focus less on their studies:
- Grades are becoming less important than extracurricular activities to graduates searching for jobs.
- More students are working part-time to pay their way through school.
- Students today read less and are less willing to complete the recommended reading assigned by professors.
The numerous theories give rise to many unanswered questions about study habits. It seems apparent, however, that it is difficult to accuse today’s students of sheer laziness. What do you think: Are students studying less because they are lazy or under-challenged?
Koofers Named Hottest DC Area Company
Yesterday, July 6, 2010 Koofers became one of the recipients of Lead411’s “Hottest DC Area Companies” award. Koofers was chosen as one of the top 81 companies (out of 1650) in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, and Virginia corridor.
In early 2010 Koofers (based in Northern, VA) received $2M in funding, meeting one of the requirements for Lead411’s award. The “Hottest DC Area Companies” award is given to privately held companies in either the, Software, Wireless, Internet, or Media industry. Companies then must meet one of the following requirements:
- 100 percent increase in revenues over the past three years;
- Over $1M in funding in the past two years;
- Two times the traffic gains to their website in the past 12 months and over 1M unique visitors a month.
We are so thankful for the support we have received from our investors and very proud that our company is recognized amongst the incredible talent in our area.
To learn more about this award visit: http://www.lead411.com/dc-de-md-va-companies.html
Dream Colleges
In high school you were overwhelmed with getting passing grades, studying for the SATs or the ACTs, and joining as many sports and clubs possible, all so you may get accepted to your dream college. But what influenced your decision and made you determine what a “dream” college was? And then, how did you decide what college(s) fell into your category of “dream school”?
According to a 2008 survey by University of California, L.A., the following categories were ranked as most important in why students chose a particular school. Some of the top reasons were:
- High academic reputation
- Cost of tuition
- School size
- The social scene
- The location
- The religious affiliation/orientation of the school
Other categories that are important to consider, but were not evaluated in the UCLA study are:
- The reputation and collegiate division of the sports programs
- International programs and opportunities (studying abroad)
- Programs of study (majors)
- The facilities (the library, classroom technology, building conditions, gyms)
- Quality of faculty and staff size (ratio of professors to students)
And we must not forget family and peer pressure. Do we continue the family legacy, follow our friends, or rebel against both groups?
There is, without a doubt, a lot to consider when picking your college. This enormous decision gives weight to why 1 in 3 students will transfer at some point in their college career.*
Before picking your school be sure you research your options in detail. Check out the studies and rankings done by organizations such as the US News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Visit the colleges and meet with faculty and staff. Also visit friends and family at various colleges to get a taste of the social and academic environments.
College should be the best years of your life. Plan ahead by knowing what you want in a school, consider the three major areas: academics, social environment and finances. Give your school a reasonable chance and if you find you aren’t happy determine why. Can you change it by joining clubs or moving to a different section of campus? If your decision is to transfer schools re-evaluate what is important to you and what you need in a college. Make a check-list, research other schools, visit those new choices and apply as a transfer student.
Share with us how happy you are with your college pick. If you wish you had chosen a different school, what would you have instead given more weight to in your decision?
*According to an April 2010 report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.