Forty years ago to the week, I began life as an undergraduate student at the University of Glasgow. Little did I realise then that four decades on, universities would still be playing a very prominent part in my life. Having attended a comprehensive school in the west of Scotland, and with no family history of higher […] … learn more→

Pop quiz: when a student transfers from a community college to a four-year school, which school decides which credits to take in transfer? Hint: the word “take” is key. The four-year school decides.  The community college is at its mercy. I bring that up because it demonstrates why this piece by Ames Brown, identified in […] … learn more→

It was a warm summer day in Kazakhstan. I was having a pretty tough time. Mid-thesis crisis. Emotionally demanding fieldwork in Central Asia, a break-up, and just the feeling that I didn’t succeed with my fieldwork, or my PhD. I was supposed to do productive fieldwork in the political sphere of Kazakhstan. Instead I felt […] … learn more→

For university students, work placements are heralded as a highly valuable opportunity. Taking a year out from studying to work in their chosen industry gives students a chance to learn more about their sector and get real life experience. Placements also allow students time to make contacts and network and prove themselves in a working […] … learn more→

The idea that knowledge is infused with power and politics may sound abstract, so let me offer an example from my own life to illustrate. I was invited to a dinner proceeding a conference in an African capital city. I had expected to meet all the other speakers. But it turned out to be only […] … learn more→

Though the Department of Education released the College Scorecard update this morning with little fanfare, users who went to the site were pleasantly surprised by a new feature: a comparison tool that allows prospective students to compare up to 10 different colleges across a whole host of data measures. Here’s how it works, in three […] … learn more→

Whether we like it or not, published research remains one of the significant benchmarks by which academics are measured. So from the perspective of science and the social sciences, how does the postdoctoral researcher (or temporary lecturer) go about achieving this? I want to focus on three linked areas that are based around work, publication […] … learn more→

A few weeks ago, you might have heard that somebody took a steamroller to novelist Terry Pratchett’s hard drive. At the Great Dorset Steam Fair, an industrial beast named Lord Jericho was tasked with executing the last wish of the Discworld creator, who died in 2015 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease: the utter obliteration of […] … learn more→

With literally hundreds of career paths available to those studying at colleges and universities, choosing the right one can be a challenge. After all, people’s tastes and interests change over time: some degrees and careers do not provide the flexibility necessary to branch out into new endeavors. As you grow and change over the course […] … learn more→

Employer: “Kid, everyone has a high school diploma. What else you got?” —over a century ago, a high school diploma meant something, but this is what it’s worth today. Part of what made a college degree valuable was scarcity—not everyone had one. Once government made high school “free” for everyone, our kids left high school […] … learn more→