Big Proctor Is Watching You

Students log just 27 hours of class, study time a week

(NEWSER) - In 1961, college students spent 16 hours in class each week and another 24 hours studying, making college the equivalent of a full-time job. Today, just 27 hours are spent in class and studying—or the same amount of time, the Washington Post points out, as the typical five-year-old spends in all-day kindergarten. The average amount of weekly study time has dwindled to about 15 hours, according to a new survey, but students are still skating by. "I do get good grades, and I’m not working very hard," says one sophomore. That type of statement is leading many to wonder if college students are actually learning anything for their increasingly costly tuition, or if they are simply getting, as one researcher puts it, "four or five years of country club living." More»

Education linked to better health, longevity

(NEWSER) - Sure, college costs a lot of money and you won’t necessarily get a job after you graduate, but good news! At least you'll live longer in your loan-induced poverty, because higher education is linked to longer life. An annual report from the CDC shows that those who obtain a bachelor’s degree or above live about nine more years than those who never graduate high school. Education is also linked to other healthy habits, USA Today reports: More»

Math, science, and business students face price hikes

(NEWSER) - The tougher your major in college is, the more tuition you could have to fork over. More and more public universities are billing a higher tuition to students who major in math, business, and science programs. The schools' rationale is that it's more expensive to teach these specialties, and that graduates in these fields will find higher-paying jobs, reports USA Today . More»

Opinions: Santorum, Romney hear it from the right and left today

(NEWSER) - Republicans are coming across as education bashers on the campaign trail, a sentiment that columnists on both the left (Paul Krugman) and right (Michael Medved) express frustrations with today:

• Medved, Wall Street Journal : He warns that the "angry, populist tone" of the campaign is alienating the GOP from college graduates, a losing strategy given their prominence among swing voters. He mostly singles out Rick Santorum (remember that "snob" line ) but thinks the problem pervades the party. "Republicans rightly slam Democrats for 'class-warfare'—pushing resentment rather than respect for those Americans who achieve economic success," he writes. "It makes no sense for those same GOPers to turn around and promote anti-intellectualism by encouraging similar spite for those who compile enviable academic records." Full column here .

'I wish he'd said it differently,' says GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell

(NEWSER) - Labeling President Obama as an elitist is a tried and true way of resonating with an electorate that doesn't give a fig about the price of arugula at Whole Foods , but lambasting him as a "snob" for his efforts to get Americans a college education is falling flat for Rick Santorum, even among fellow Republicans. "I wish he’d said it differently," says Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. "When you look at other countries, China, India, the premium they put on higher education—we’ve got to do better if we still want to be the global leader we are." More»