Grinnell College Best Practices

A  ”posse” of 10 disadvantaged but promising high school graduates from Los Angeles entered Grinnell College four years ago with assistance from the Posse Foundation.

By banding together, the students would help one another navigate unfamiliar academic and social terrain in this remote college town surrounded by fields of corn.

Grinnell would cover their tuition — $1 million worth — and in return get a little more diversity on its campus of 1,500 students, virtually all of them white.

The preparation for their journey was chronicled in a Times story in 2004. Over the four years that followed, academic demands reduced some of the “posse scholars” to tears. Cultural differences left a few feeling like outsiders. Homesickness was a constant, especially in the midst of bone-chilling winters.

Urban Posse Reaching Higher Ed

 

University of California: The ‘Public’ Writes

One of the most interesting pieces I have read in the LA TImes’ op-ed is a compilation of short essays from students, labor leaders, elected officials, and academics about what UC President Mark Yudof should focus on as he begins his term in the coming months. These pieces range from liberal minded philosophical leanings of ‘know thy self’ to the more right-wing rhetoric of the infamous one man show, Ward Connerly. My favorite are those that reveal the true cost of a UC undergraduate education, which is often bloated in the public and at legislative hearings, thank you astronomy professor.

One noticeably absent piece is an essay from the Gubernator about how the system is worthless and should be privatized or subsidized by a non-California entity. Where are your market bullet points, mr. gubernator?

Read the articles here

The Grad Cafe

Columbia University

Quantitative Methods In Social Sciences Qmss, Masters

Rejected via E-mail on 26 Apr 2008

A

25 Apr 2008

Got an email saying decision was made. Went in and saw the reject. I tried my best. Rejected from 2/3. Grad school really discriminates against poor students who are making it on their own. I went to community college and to a University of California, graduated cum laude. I guess they didn’t like the community college part.

Columbia University

Quan Methods In Social Sci, Masters

Other via Other on 26 Apr 2008

O

26 Apr 2008

To the poster below it appears you are being rather nieve about the intense competition in soc sci for an Ivy League school. I would also guess they expect you to have about 700/750 on your GRE quan scores and likely 650 min for verbal, and I imagine community college background was not the best. I’d just be sure not to narrow yourself to ivy league and try to get the best fit for your research interests, and cheer up- may be better program out there for you and there’s always next year.

Columbia University

Quan Methods In Social Sci, Masters

Other via Other on 26 Apr 2008

O

26 Apr 2008

To the poster below: Do not belittle him because of his undergrad experiences. All of us do not have the money, family background or the chance to attend the top high schools and Ivy League institutions for undergrad. I applaud him for pushing on. Ivy League or not the graduate admission process is not a level playing field. I did not attend the best, not even ranked in the top 100 program not to mention all black university but I got into many top schools. Do not lose faith and keep sight of your goals. Graduate school admission is a crap shoot. Your background does not matter, you can do what you set out to do; just sometimes the road is a little rougher. Keep pushing on. Keep putting yourself through school, a lot of us have to do just that and once you make it, you will appreciate it much more. Just remember to keep the faith