In USA Today [ www.usatoday.com/news/education ] , David Moltz reports: ” Community college transfer students are no longer being courted only by the usual suspects. More private institutions, of every ilk, are aggressively recruiting students from two-year colleges, hoping to bolster and diversify their enrollments and capitalize on the belt-tightening of regional public universities.”
This is the best news in months for the beleaguered community college students who can no longer transfer in the winter term, who can no longer get classes…who can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Look to private schools and apply for financial aid.

As reported in Inside Higher Ed www.insidehighered.com today, both Dartmouth and Williams have reversed their two-year old policy of no loans except for the most needy of students. In addition, Dartmouth is cutting non-teaching positions in response to a “structural” budget deficit. Translated, their endowment revenues that are relied upon for operating budget are down. EVEN the rich and famous private universities are hurting in this recession!
What should parents and students do? Take the time to research the financial viability of the colleges/universities you are considering. A good starting point is www.nacubo.org/research , the National Association of College Business Officers. As will all other parts of our economy each college/university will bring a different set of circumstances to the recession.

Just a reminder…
It’s getting closer to the time when seniors will begin applying for housing at colleges and universities. Most colleges take this process very seriously requiring students to complete detailed questionnaires. Their goal is not only compatibility, but also roommates that cause each other to grow by experiences roommates from different  places,  backgrounds or with different interests.
URoomSurf solicits, for example, “Students of University of Iowa Class of 2014” to join in a search for their roommate on line. Perhaps an interesting way to meet people, but the University of Iowa is not going to honor those choices and perhaps they shouldn’t. My guess is most students who participate in URoomSurf won’t step too far out of their Comfort Zone…plenty of time for that the rest of your life, college may be one of your last chances to experience the new or different.