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US Colleges Set Enrollment Record

January 13th, 2010 at 08:12am Under Education report

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

College enrollment has reached an all-time high in the United States. About forty percent of all eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds — or almost eleven and a half million — were in school in October of last year.

A new report says both numbers are record highs. Richard Fry at the Pew Research Center points to a number of reasons.

Standing room only: A crowded classroom at California State University East Bay in Hayward

RICHARD FRY: “The number of young adults that have finished high school is also now at a record all-time high. Almost eighty-five percent of America’s young adults have finished high school. That means they’re college eligible. So part of the reason college enrollments are at an all-time high is because the pool of youth that’s eligible to go to college is also at an all-time high.”

Another reason for the enrollment increase: the recession. The unemployment rate reached a twenty-six year high in October. The economic downturn has hit young adults especially hard. Richard Fry says their job-holding rate is almost at the lowest point in nearly fifty years.

In a poor job market, many people turn to higher education, especially at two-year colleges. These schools, known as community colleges, have had the greatest enrollment increase. They offer professional training and traditionally cost a lot less than programs at four-year schools.

But experts say the recession has not cut enrollment in four-year programs, even with their higher — sometimes much higher — costs. The Chronicle of Higher Education says at least fifty-eight private colleges now charge fifty thousand dollars or more a year.

Lately there have been accusations that some private, competitive liberal arts colleges are trying to avoid being seen as “too female.” Critics say that as a result these schools are discriminating against women and admitting less qualified men.

In August the United States Commission on Civil Rights opened an investigation. Spokeswoman Lenore Ostrowsky says the purpose is to identify if discrimination is taking place in schools.

But she adds that there may be lots of reasons why more women apply to colleges, and why colleges admit more women. The Census Bureau says fifty-four percent of full time students at two- and four-year colleges last year were female.

Federal law bars sex discrimination at any school that receives federal money. Most schools do in one way or another. However, the law does not bar sex discrimination in admissions at private undergraduate schools, only public ones.

The commission does not have enforcement powers, but it can suggest changes in the law. A report could take six months to a year.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by June Simms. Transcripts and podcasts can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Jim Tedder.

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Some Advice on Choosing a College

January 1st, 2010 at 07:46am Under Education report

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Last week, we told you that the number of foreign students in the United States had reached an all-time high. More than six hundred seventy-one thousand foreign students attended an American college or university during the last school year. So says the latest report from the Institute of International Education.

Many international students choose large schools. But a growing number of them are attending smaller ones.

Douglas Bennett, president of Earlham College in Indiana

Douglas Bennett is the president of Earlham College, a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana, that actively seeks foreign students.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: “We’re a small college, just twelve hundred students. But about fifteen percent of our undergraduates come from homes outside the United States, which is astronomically high for an American college or university.”

Doug Bennett has written several articles aimed at helping students choose a college that best fits their needs. He says one of the important things to consider is the size of a school. He says Earlham College is small for a reason.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: “We aren’t that small because we couldn’t be bigger. We’re that small because we think we educate much more effectively and much more powerfully because we stay small. It stretches everyone more. It draws everyone into more different kinds of activities.”

Of course, there are also good arguments for attending a larger school. Many big schools are widely recognized. And in some cases that might lead to more job interviews than a degree from a lesser known college. Larger schools also have more money, which can mean more resources for education, recreation and research.

Earlham College

In addition to size, Douglas Bennett says there are other important things to consider. For example: Which programs at the school are the strongest? Some schools have stronger programs in the sciences. Others are stronger in the liberal arts.

Also, what do the school’s top students go on to do after they graduate? What kinds of activities are offered that might add to the educational experience? Are there sports teams? What about a radio station or newspaper?

Something else to consider is the kinds of services that a school offers for international students.

But Earlham College President Douglas Bennett says one choice tops all others.

DOUGLAS BENNETT: “The most important choice you make in going to college is who you choose to be yourself. If you’re prepared to bring your best self to college, then it hardly matters where you go to college. On the other hand, if you choose not to be very motivated, not to be very responsible, not to be prepared to work very hard, it doesn’t matter where you go; you probably won’t get a good education.”

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report, written by June Simms. You can find transcripts and MP3s of our reports — including our Foreign Student Series — at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can follow us on Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

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