College Towns See Lower Unemployment

In student survey, Ohio U. finishes second

(NEWSER) - Good news for parents paying for their kids to study at the University of Georgia: The school is finally No. 1. The bad news: The Princeton Review list ranks the nation's top party schools. "UGA has been on the party school list for a while, but it’s one we prefer not to lead," a university rep tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Too late. "People need to understand the parties go on at night," says a rising senior. "We do actually go to class and study." More»

Princeton Review dons a toga and lists the top party schools

(NEWSER) - Students are knocking back celebratory shots and administrators are tearing their hair over the Princeton Review's annual list of the top 20 party schools. The full list appears in the 2008 edition of The Best 366 Colleges, on sale today.

1. West Virginia University
2. University of Mississippi
3. University of Texas, Austin

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»

Nation's economy creaks under $1T in student loan debt

(NEWSER) - Wannabe college students have a lot to prepare for: all-night study binges, grueling exams, and the three jobs they'll need to pay off their crippling student debt. What's worse, that financial burden is only growing, the New York Times reports. Today, just 38% of the nation's $1 trillion student loan debt is being paid off, and the default rate has recently doubled. “I’ll be paying this forever,” says a 24-year-old dropout with $70,000 in student loans. “For me to finish it would mean borrowing more money. It makes me puke to think about borrowing more money.” More»