Discover the Reality of a Computer Science Major

By Melissa Burns

 

Are you deciding whether it’s a good idea to study Computer Science in college in order to become a software developer? Are you thinking about majoring in this field? You will be surprises how different the particular area is from how it is described throughout the media. So, here’s a short guide on the reality of computer science major.

The Bruce Almighty Effect

One of the first issues that students are attracted to within the industry is that they can create something that will stay there for good. Second goes an understanding that a lot of people will be able to get access to. And finally, the feeling of being a teacher of a really stupid makes them feel god-like. The whole point is that computers are absolutely stupid. At the same time, they are exceptionally good at following the instructions. Moreover, they do everything from A to Z. If you know how to ‘communicate’ with the PC in its special language and you can make the machine do whatever you want, that’s truly precious.

You Decompose Everything. Here and Now.

Once you’re a computer science major, your skills of problem solving are getting better. No matter what is the nature of the task you receive or the issue you have to deal with, you make sure to break in down: what part of the job will take the most of your time? How can one effectively choose priorities in order to avoid wasting time? Actually, you should be ready to be the one that your parents will approach when they need the phones of TV to be fixed. And you, in turn, will deal with it as a software problem. You will define the main symptoms of the problem, understand how the whole system works and then find the right solution.

Software Development Is Nothing without Experiments.

The point is that experimentation is a key within the industry. You have to really get into the process, mess around with it. Sometimes it can lead to breaking something that worked perfectly before. However, the great thing about software development field is that in return, you will definitely master new skills. Of course, there are moments, when you feel like leaving everything and working in accordance with good old rules, but…don’t you think that it’s a lot better to try something new and then play around with it?

Doubts Here, Doubts There…

Being a major in the software development is pretty challenging and that is one of the reasons why so many people refuse to dive into it. You will most likely face with the everyday doubts regarding the accuracy of your decision. And when you see your little nephew doing the same, you will definitely be ready to give it up. But the truth is that no one likes to talk about all the difficulties for the reason that they do not want to even think about it. But that’s totally OK to cast doubts on your career choice, but remember – you will never get anywhere unless you try!

So, if you’re someone, who is pondering over the future in that or this software development company, make sure to just do it! Don’t mind everyone who tells you can’t cope with it! Haters gonna hate. But that is not going to stop you, is it? And you will 100% feel the thrill of getting something to work just because of your efforts, proficient knowledge and belief in yourself!

Author’s bio:

Melissa Burns graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University in 2008. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Her sphere of interests includes startups, information technologies and how these ones may be implemented in the sphere of education. You may contact Melissa via e-mail: burns.melissaa@gmail.com

4 New Studies To Enhance College Success From MDRC

How To Write A Quality College Essay

By Steve Aedy

Essay writing is an essential part of college life. Some students will be lucky enough to have professors who will give them guidance on what makes a good essay. Others will be left to their own devices to figure it out as they fumble along. Learning to write good essays means learning how to research a subject and craft an argument. These are skills that will serve you well after college is over.

But quality essay writing has other elements too, such as making sure your essay “flows”, is free of grammar and spelling errors and has a tightly woven argument. Here are some tips on how you can improve your essay writing:

Read a lot of essays. Reading essays other people have written is a great way to study essay writing. Don’t just read for fun, read critically. Look at the author’s writing style: how do they introduce their topic, what tools do they use to formulate their argument? Is it effective? Could it be done better? If so, how? Did they leave anything important out? What would you include that they didn’t? The more you read essays, the more familiar you’ll become with different writing styles and the better your essays will become.

Do a lot of research. While you may have a strong opinion about a topic, it’s best to look to the experts in the subject to find out what they have to say. That’s basically the definition of research. Different scholars may have opposing views on the subject. You can explore these arguments in your essay to present the reader with a more complete view of the topic. An example is this article in which various experts express their arguments on whether or not Shakespeare was a Catholic. You may notice that the author does not express his personal opinion, but rather presents the arguments of both sides of the issue using quotes from authorities on the subject.

Use a thesaurus. Oftentimes, students get caught using the same word over and over again. This can become boring for the reader and sets a monotonous tone for your essay. In the above section on research, I used three different terms for the same idea: experts, scholars and authorities. A thesaurus is a great tool for helping you find new ways to express the same idea. Merriam-Webster has a combined dictionary-thesaurus resource and thesaurus.com has the largest word bank on the web.

Use transition words. Transition words help your essay flow. The cadence and rhythm of transition words are what make your essay enjoyable to read. While the quality of your research and your information are important, it’s also important how you present them. Transition words add finesse to your essay and help guide the reader through your argument, allowing them to follow along. Here’s a great list of 100 transition words to use in your essays.

Leave time to edit. Editing takes time. Literally. It’s like baking a cake. You mix all the ingredients and put it in the oven, you let it rise, then you let it cool. Then, you eat it. You need to leave some time for your thoughts to cool so you can have some perspective on what you wrote. This is essential to the editing process. Leave at least a few hours between when you wrote your last sentence to when you go over it for an edit. During that time, your brain will have a chance to refresh itself, making it easier to spot holes in your logic, spelling and punctuation errors and other issues. You can also use these tips for editing.

Proofread. Make sure your essay contains correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. If you’re not confident in your own proofreading skills, have a friend look it over for you. One thing that helps you spot errors is reading your essay out loud. The eye often autocorrects when you’re reading to yourself, but reading out loud is a way to turn off the autocorrect and allow you to see what’s actually on the page. It’s a good practice to cultivate. Want to brush up on your grammar skills? Check out this list of common grammar mistakes.

Good luck crafting A+ essays and happy writing!

Steve Aedy is a professional writer, editor and passionate blogger. He provides essay writing assistance at Fresh Essays and covers academic writing and education in his articles. Feel free to circle him on Google+.

Why A New College Ranking System Matters

By Joe Deal

Over the past decade, a few major players have come to dominate the college rankings landscape. Most families are now aware of annual reports issued by publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and the Daily Beast.

Unfortunately, when it comes to affordability, these rankings tell us less than the whole story. By ignoring important factors that contribute to the real-world cost of college (e.g. loan default rates), popular sites are skewing the picture for low-income students.

 In response, our team at College Affordability Guide (CAG) decided to create a new rankings formula for affordability – one that would include previously hidden factors. Can students earn credits outside of class? Do they graduate? Can they pay back their loans? These “opportunity” costs, we realized, may be just as important as financial payments.

 Eligibility Metrics

 We began our project by narrowing the field. Schools had to meet 4 key criteria to be considered for inclusion in a state or degree subject area:

 

1. Average Net Price: An average net price, per year, of $15,000 (or less) for students receiving financial aid and whose annual family income is no more than $48,000.
2. Credit Flexibility: The level of flexibility offered for earning credits (e.g. credit for prior learning, weekends/evenings, MOOCs, etc.).
3. Loan Default Rate: A Cohort Default Rate of 13.7% or less.
4. Success Rates: A combined graduation rate + transfer-out rate of 50% or more.

 

We reasoned these factors were critical in determining whether a college should be classified as affordable. By capping the annual family income for the average net price, we also avoided schools that use a significant portion of their financial aid to win over higher income students applying to competing institutions.

 

Data Analysis

 

Initially, we analyzed 10,000,000+ data points from 5,000+ degree-granting U.S. colleges and universities. Data were drawn from:

 

• Sources operated by the federal government (e.g. IPEDS database, the Office of Postsecondary Education, etc.)
• Competency-based education sources such as the College Board and prometric.com – i.e. sources that told us which means of earning college credits outside of class, such as CLEP and DSST, schools accepted
• Information on university and college websites, as well as conversations over the phone

 

Less than 10% of the 5000+ schools we inspected made it into our final rankings.

 

Ranking Calculations

 

Once we had determined which group of schools to consider for a state or degree subject area, each individual college or university was scored and ranked:

 

• First, we calculated which percentile a school fell into, out of all the Title IV-eligible colleges and universities in the country, for each of our metrics (e.g. average net price).
• Then we combined those percentile scores and translated them into two grades, “Getting In” and “Getting Out”, plus an overall net score.
• Finally, we trimmed our lists to only show U.S. schools that our algorithm placed in the top 25% of all schools for affordability.

On the site, we display our rankings by both state and subject area (e.g. Engineering, Nursing, etc.)

 “So what?” we’ve heard some people ask. “Will a new ranking algorithm really make that much of a difference?” For those with a comfortable income, the answer is no. But if you’re returning to school or a student in a family that’s just scraping by, the answer is most definitely yes.

Conventional rankings hide the true costs of attending university. As college becomes more and more expensive, we owe it to low-income students to ensure they get into an affordable school and get out with a quality degree. The College Affordability Guide is intended to do just that.

Joe Deal, Founder, Degree Prospects / CollegeAffordabilityGuide.org.

Remaking Senior Year Of High School To Enhance College Prep

Goodbye to the wasted senior year
Forty-seven states are using college and career readiness assessments to overcome two challenges – the “wasted” senior year and high postsecondary remediation rates. This ECS Education Policy Analysis delves into how states identify 12th-graders in need of remediation and put interventions in place so  they can use their senior year to prepare for placement into credit bearing coursework. Additionally, 11th-graders demonstrating college readiness can do advanced coursework, earning college credit while still in high school.

ONE SYSTEM: Reforming Education to Serve All Students

Michael Kirst, Professor Emeritus of Stanford Graduate School of Education and President of the California State Board Of Education, comments on “ONE SYSTEM: Reforming Education to Serve All Students” report from the California’s Statewide Task Force on Special Education

4 Reasons Why Students Should Study Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

By Melissa Burns

We live in the world dominated by the Internet – whether you like it or not. And the predominant means of navigating through it are search engines – again, whether you like it or not. Which means that even if your future job has little to do with the Internet you will still do yourself a world of good by picking up at least the basic knowledge of how search engines work and how to make them work for you. Here are some reasons why.

1.     Internet Is Your Best Opportunity to Make Yourself Seen

Whether you start your own business, work as an independent specialist or look for employment in the company of your dreams, the Internet is your best shot at getting people to know you. Reaching out to potential customers or employers via traditional means of advertising is both prohibitively expensive and ridiculously inefficient. Internet allows you to do it at little to no cost and get to as many people as you want or need – but without the knowledge of SEO you will not be able to do so.

2.     Protection from Low Quality SEO Service Providers

Even if you are not going to work in this industry, you are more than likely to need SEO at one or another point of your life – for the aforementioned reasons. You may need it urgently – to set up a website that would attract customers to your shop, to organize your Internet presence to let potential employers about you, or something else entirely – and you will have no other way but to contact a SEO service provider. Now, if you have no idea how these things work, you will have to trust them blindly to do what is best for you – and in this case there is no guarantee that you won’t bump into a cheap, spammy SEO company who will ruin your online reputation. Knowing at least the basics will save you from it.

3.     Ability to Help Your SEO Provider

Ask any SEO provider, and he will tell you that working for a person who doesn’t know jack about how SEO works is pure hell. Such an employer doesn’t understand what is attainable and what isn’t, doesn’t provide the necessary information, makes unreasonable demands – and all this doesn’t simply makes the job of SEO specialist harder, it also makes it less effective. By having some knowledge of SEO you will become a valuable asset for your SEO provider capable to build up better professional relationships with them and organize your cooperation in a more efficient manner.

4.     Improvement of Your Career Prospects

When all is said and done, learning the intricacies of search engine optimization may really help you along in building up your career. Whether you end up actually using these skills on a professional basis doesn’t even matter all that much – the important thing is that it is yet another skill that looks great in your CV, that may come in handy now and then, that will help you create an image of yourself as a versatile specialist eager to learn new things. What’s more, you don’t have to spend four years in college to get real knowledge of the subject – signing up for a short course or even reading online manuals will be more than enough.

It would probably be an exaggeration to say that search engine optimization accompanies us in every aspect of our life, but not a very big one. As Internet achieves greater and greater dominance over traditional media, the ability to understand how information is found in it becomes more and more vital – and just as programming, it is one of the indispensable skills of tomorrow.

Author’s bio:

Melissa Burns  graduated from the faculty of Journalism of Iowa State University in 2008. Nowadays she is an entrepreneur and independent journalist. Her sphere of interests includes startups, information technologies and how these ones may be implemented in the sphere of education. You may contact Melissa via e-mail: burns.melissaa@gmail.com

The Major Differences Having a College Degree Makes

By Kersten Stokes

Although it may not be easy to hear, graduating high school isn’t what it used to be and now everyone has this mentality that college is a requirement, and in most cases it is. Although it may be extremely hard on your mind, wallet, social activities, and more, college opens more doors and provides you with more benefits than not having a college degree. Below are some of the major differences that having a college degree makes in today’s world.

You’ll Make More Money

Probably one of the biggest differences you’ll see when you have a college degree is making more money. Median earning by education level for a high school graduate is around $21,500, whereas those that have a bachelor’s degree make approximately $42,000. Over a life time, that means you can earn a range of several thousands of dollars to a million dollars or more over your lifetime.

An interactive and informative infographic highlighting all the monetary differences of having a degree can be found at: Get A Real Degree.

You Will Feel More Empowered

College gives you skills that you don’t realize are amazing until you start using them in the real world or on your jobs. I know that after I graduated, my critical thinking skills were through the roof and have helped me get recognized at my job as a problem solver. These skills that you learn while getting your degree can affect you at your job, like they have me, or even just your day to day life in making decisions, handling situations, and having knowledge that you didn’t have previously.

While these skills will make you feel more empowered and in control of your life, they also help give you pride of knowing what you accomplished and a sense of self. I was the first one in my immediate family to graduate from college, and the immense pride that I felt for myself, as well as the pride that my family and parents felt for me was almost overwhelming. During that time, I felt like I could conquer the world and get any job I wanted. While I know that’s definitely not the case now, I know that with my degree I have so many more opportunities than if I hadn’t gone to college.

More Access to Resources

One of the best things that I like to use is the resources provided by the college I went to. You make friends at college who might be lawyers now, you might have had roommates that became doctors, or that person you met at an alumni mixer/event may offer you a job in the next few weeks. Not only will you have those people to lean on, but the school as well, which can make all the difference in the world. Or at least, getting a job that you love, uses your degree, and makes you a decent amount of money.

Opportunities Abound That You Might Not Know Of

Not only will you have more job opportunities, more chances at promotions, and more flexibility of the kinds of jobs you take, there are many opportunities out there that you might not have even thought of. As you get older, join the work force, and get a feel for what you want to do, you may decide you develop a strong interested in something unexpected. Having a valuable degree under your belt can help you pursue your dreams once you realize them and where they are taking you.

Kerstin Stokes is a 2013 graduate of the College of Idaho interested in helping others achieve their educational dreams, no matter what age they are. Kerstin enjoys hanging out with her cat, looking up tasty recipes for baking, and working to start her writing and marketing career. You can contact her via e-mail: kerstinlstokes@gmail.com

 

 

The 2015 Gubernatorial State of the State Addresses and Higher Education

Each year, governors throughout the country share their policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session through State of the State addresses given to a joint legislative session. Governors also use this opportunity to outline state challenges, revisit ongoing policy initiatives, and publicize accomplishments of their administration.

AASCU has analyzed 48 gubernatorial addresses that have taken place since the beginning of this year. In cases where a governor did not give a State of the State address, AASCU analyzed an inaugural or budget address. Collectively, these speeches provide insight into how state leaders view higher education as well as the fiscal and policy priorities they have put forth that could affect students, families, and institutions of higher education in the years ahead.

The following higher education-related themes were evident in this year’s gubernatorial addresses:

• Higher education’s role in state economic development remains a cornerstone of many gubernatorial policy agendas. In line with past years, governors continued to highlight higher education’s role as a state economic driver through workforce development, university research and innovation, and strategic partnerships between the private sector and public institutions of higher education. This gubernatorial narrative affirms public colleges’ and universities’ reputations for serving as multi-faceted engines of economic expansion that are deeply embedded in regional and state economies.

• Governors continue to propose policies to incentivize state residents to explore technical and vocational educational opportunities. A number of governors expressed concern over state businesses failing to have access to a robust talent pool in technical and vocational fields. Commonly touted responses to this challenge included making new investments in community college job training programs and forging stronger partnerships between K-12 districts, higher education institutions, and employers in order to provide educational pathways leading to high paying, in-demand careers.

• College affordability continues to be a top concern for state chief executives. Governors throughout the country lamented the growing price of a college education in their addresses. In response, several proposed tuition freezes for the upcoming academic year and stressed their efforts to maintain or increase funding for higher education and financial aid programs. The speeches also included a number of strategies to cut costs for students and families, such as reducing the need for remedial education and expanding dual enrollment opportunities. Governors also championed policy proposals to help students pay off debt by linking debt relief to high-demand professions (i.e. teaching) in the state.

• Governors remain committed to ensuring that veterans have successful transitions into and through college. In their addresses, several governors called on colleges and universities to recognize veterans’ education and skills through the granting of commensurate college credits.

Higher education-related topic areas from this year’s addresses are below and ordered according to their prevalence in the speeches. The link below provides a state-by-state accounting of higher education-related gubernatorial public policy proposals stemming from this year’s addresses.

2015 State of the State Addresses and Higher Education

Compiled by Thomas L. Harnisch, assistant director of state relations and policy analysis, and Emily A. Parker, senior research and policy associate 

Family Wealth,Not Income, Should Matter For College Admission And Financial Aid

Su Jin Jez

Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration, California State University at Sacramento
Faculty Associate, EdInsights

When it comes to getting into college, family money matters, but not in the way you might think. This month students across the country are receiving college admissions decisions—an annual occurrence that always prompts discussion and debate about who gets in, and why.

A college admissions officer will talk about crafting a student body based on merit, high school grades, SAT scores, extracurricular activities. Student advocates will point out how low-income students are chronically underrepresented in higher education. But few will acknowledge the hidden role that family wealth plays in determining who goes to college, and where.

While we use wealth and income interchangeably in casual conversation, they are not the same thing. Family wealth is the value of everything the family owns minus everything the family owes.  This includes the value of a home, cars, retirement, investments and savings, business(s), and other items, minus how much is owed (mortgages, car loans, credit card debt, student loans, business loans, and so forth). Income is simply the amount of money received over a given period of time – like an annual salary.

When it comes to college opportunity, family wealth matters much more than family income. In fact, wealth’s role is so prominent that it trumps academic achievement as a predictor of who is more likely to attend a four-year college.  Wealthy students with middling achievement (ranking in the 25^th to 50^th percentile of their class) are more likely to go to a four-year college than low-wealth students with top-ranked achievement. When looking at selective college attendance, disparities are even starker.  For similarly high-achieving students, those in the top 10% of the wealth distribution are up to ten times more likely to attend a selective college than students with less wealth.

Certainly family income does play a role. High income families can hire a math tutor, pay for an elite private high school, and enroll the student in an SAT prep course—all things that will help a student get into college. But income matters much less than wealth.  Wealth can provide income, but as Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro state in Black Wealth/White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality, it is also used to “create opportunities, secure desired stature and standard of living, or pass class along to one’s children”

Unfortunately, public policy has yet to wise up to the crucial difference between income and wealth. Financial aid generally relies on family income as a measure of financial resources, but disregards family wealth. For example, the federal student financial aid application asks students to exclude the value of the home they live in, any family business with 100 or fewer fulltime employees, and any family farm.  These exclusions effectively eliminate the consideration of wealth in determining financial aid as most families hold most of their wealth in these forms. Though well-meaning, policies meant to lessen the impact of income can actually end up favoring wealthy students.

Most Americans hate the idea that family money has anything to do with access to college, but at least we feel comforted by the availability of financial aid for needy students. Unfortunately, we can’t rely on that. We won’t really address the wealth gap until we shift our policy emphasis toward supporting lower wealth families rather than lower income families.

What would this look like? First, instead of using family income to determine who needs assistance, we would use family wealth. Low wealth families would receive financial aid, free lunch at school, and be targeted for college outreach programs.  Second, all children would have environments like those of American’s wealthiest children. We would think broadly about the supports wealthy children have that enable them to excel.

We don’t yet understand why wealth plays such a significant role in college opportunity. It’s not just more parental involvement and positive peer influences, or better grades and test scores. Even when low wealth students have all of these advantages, they do not attend college at the same rate as their wealthier peers.  The issue may be a purely financial one or there may be something related to the lack of financial resources that has yet to be revealed.  It is likely both – an issue about money and also about correlates of money.

In the meantime, our policies need to match reality. The underlying illness is bad enough: family money shouldn’t play a role in what college a student attends. But we can at least start treating the illness properly, by diagnosing the problem accurately and getting the policy prescription right.

This analysis was published originally in the Sacramento Bee