Collegewise

College classes with Judge Judy?

Are you one of those messy students who has a wall of dirty laundry and old homework piled up in your bedroom? Are you convinced that it's an "organized clutter" and you know "exactly where everything is"? You might be the perfect candidate for Santa Clara University's course on the "Joy of Garbage".

If you love to stay home sick for reruns of the "Price is Right" (the new ones with Drew Carey just aren't the same!) and "dramatic" daytime television, you might not believe your eyes when you see the University of Wisconsin--Madison's course on soap operas, a.k.a "Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles". What about "Arguing with Judge Judy: Popular Logic on TV Judge Shows"? And I still can't get over the fact that the University of California--San Diego actually offers the "Underwater Basket Weaving" course we've always joked about.

Check out the list to see what the Online Colleges Blog is calling the 15 Strangest College Courses in America and see if there are any that you can't live without.

If you guys need me in the meantime, I'll be at Frostburg State University, taking notes in the "Science of Harry Potter" course...

If the President of Chapman Can Find Time To Do the Things He Loves (In Antartica)...

...then you most certainly can too. And ironically, that's exactly what colleges want; for you to be doing the things that you love.

Sure, you might not have the resources to fly to Antartica like Dr. James L. Doti, President of Chapman, did (I wonder what the airport code is there...or what they serve in the food court...fried penguin? Shaved ice?), but you can definitely find a variety of local things to keep you busy.

And whether it's recycling cans in your neighborhood to make the earth a better place (and save up pennies for new hiking boots at the same time), or taking a geography class at the local community college to learn more about Antartica (and the mountains you hope to one day climb there in your new hiking boots), as long as it's something you love, the colleges will feel it in your applications.

Think globally, but act locally. It's a wise piece of advice. Oh, and if you want to read more about Dr. Doti's Antartica adventure, click here.

Getting Along Swimmingly in Long Beach

Last Friday, the counselors at Collegewise-Irvine fought traffic on the 405 Northbound to travel to the exciting city of Long Beach.  While we here at Collegewise are game to visit a college anytime, anywhere, it wasn’t just the allure of Cal State Long Beach that drew us away from our desks that sunny morning (though obviously we had to stop by campus to snap some pictures while we were there).  But the main focus of our little field trip was to see two former Collegewise students, Hayley Cobb and Megan McPherson, compete at the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference championships in Long Beach.

You're Making an Application, and They're Checking it Twice

Looks like St. Nick isn't the only one double-checking things...

In a recent LA Times article, we learned that the UC's have a formalized system in place to double-check facts that kids report on their applications. Don't believe us? Check this out: UC Wants the Truth on Student Applications.

Now, when we get those questions asking, "How can they really be sure I'm telling the truth about sports and stuff on my application?," well, we have proof to back up our answer.

While this is a UC-specific program right now, look for other colleges to follow suit in the not-so-distant future. Oh, and tell the truth on your applications, for goodness sake.