Archive for the ‘University’ Category
University Degrees Online
Posted on Oct 18, 2010 08:33:55 AM
In this day and age, everyone pushes you to go to school. While this used to simply mean finishing high school, it now means going to a university afterwards to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Or at least acquiring a two-year degree from a technical community college. The point is you really need a high degree of education to make it in the world today. You must keep in mind that a primary reason for this is the vast competition out there. With so many people all applying for the same job positions, it is clearly necessary to have something that makes you stand out. This is why you may want to consider university degrees online.
One aspect of college life that you may be thankful for is the fact that you can acquire a degree online nowadays. This makes going to college so much easier for people everywhere. After all, not everyone wants to do the traditional college thing, and head off to a massive university campus for a life of dorm rooms, macaroni and cheese, tight schedules, and frat parties. Especially those who already have lives and families to care for. This is why university degrees online can be so ideal for so many men and women. Imagine getting your college degree on your own time, and without all of the standard hassles of college life.
Let’s go over how university degrees online work. Essentially you have to start with the kind of degree you are interested in. So if you are striving for a two-year degree in computer maintenance and repair, then this is what you focus on. Do a quick online search in order to see what online programs are offered at this point. Now, you must take into consideration your schedule. How busy are you, and do you already have a full-time job? You may need to take classes part-time from home in order to manage online schooling, along with your day job. This is ideal for individuals who have children as well. You do not even have to leave your home.
There is a great deal of options regarding university degrees online these days. This is what makes this facet of higher education so wonderful. It no longer matters if you cannot do the traditional college thing. In fact, it does not even matter how old you are. If you are 45 and simply want a different career at this point, no worries. You can make this happen with university degrees online. Just start by researching college programs that can be completed from the comfort of your own home. As you may know, there is even student financial aid available for men and women who need it. Take advantage of this if you can.
Options for Parents to Pay for Their Children’s College
Posted on Jun 3, 2010 02:20:32 AM
It is no secret that a college education is expensive.
In fact, the average price for tuition at a private college according to the College Board for the 2009-2010 was $26,273, a 4.4 percent increase from 2008 and public school was an average of $7,020, up 6.5 percent. Over the next 18 years, the cost of a college degree is expected to increase to a couple hundred thousand dollars.
There is hope however for families who will need to start planning now for those expensive four years.
Here are some brief overviews of different options for new parents paying for their child’s education:
529 College Savings Plans: Named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, a 529 Savings Plan allows the state or a hired money manager to invest $50 to $300,000 in stocks or bonds or a combination of both, aggressively during the early years of your child’s life and then become more conservative as the child approaches high school and college.
There is also the option of the prepaid 529 plan, where you may pre-pay some or all of the costs of your state’s universities at the current rates. The maximum investment is allotted to those attending public state universities as only partial credits will be available for private colleges or out of state schools.
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts (ESAs): Previously known as the Education IRA, anyone can invest up to $2,000 a year into stocks, bonds or mutual funds. The money then grows tax-free, as long as it is applied to a child’s educational costs, including elementary and secondary schools, uniforms or even laptops. Single parents whose income exceeds $110,000 or married parents who make more than $220,000 are not eligible for an ESA.
Uniform Gifts to Minors and Uniform Transfers to Minors Acts (UGMA/UTMA): This investment in mutual funds, stock and bonds opportunity allows your child, once they turn 18 or 21, to receive control of the account and are permitted to use the money in any way they deem fit. These are subjected to child taxation laws and may potentially affect the financial aid amount the child qualifies for.
Hope you weren’t too attached to that summer house in the Hamptons, because your child will need you to forgo that and instead write a check for textbooks and tuition.
Berkeley Students to Submit DNA for Genetic Testing
Posted on May 3, 2010 02:21:16 AM
New freshmen headed to the University of California – Berkeley are being asked to send in, should they agree to it, a DNA sample on a cotton swab from inside their cheeks. The voluntary and confidential program for the class of 2014 will be the first mass genetic testing by a college or university.
The university is planning to analyze the samples for three genes that regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, folates and lactose.
The study is trying to find out if the students with specific genetics are able to lead healthier lives by avoiding dairy products, drinking less or eating more vegetables.
The study was “designed to help students learn about personalized medicine and identify their own vulnerabilities,” said Jasper Rine, a UC Berkeley Professor of Genetics, who is leading the project.
The test results will be available on a website using a private barcode identification system.
“In the decade ahead, genetics is going to penetrate everyday medical practice,” said Mark Schlissel, Dean of Biology at UC Berkeley. “We wanted to give students a sense of what’s coming through genes that can provide them with useful information. I think it’s one of the best things we’ve done in years.”
Berkeley will also offer a lecture by Rine about the three genetic markers and a contest where contributing students may enter to win further genetic testing from 23andMe, an unaffiliated company that privately offers DNA profiling.
But there has been widespread criticism for the project.
George Annas, a bio-ethicist at the Boston University School of Public Health questions the study.
“What if someone tests negative, and they don’t have the marker, so they think that means they can drink more? Like all genetic information, it’s potentially harmful.”
The new field of genetic testing is not without controversy and has called into question numerous concerns about the ethics and privacy of health information. Yet despite the controversy, scientists, medical researchers and health professionals are hopeful that the future of genetic testing will hold key answers to numerous health questions and provide prventive measures and treatment options for numerous diseases.
UC Berkeley has always been a trailblazer when it comes to controversial and novel undertakings by professors and students alike. This genetic testing venture therefore seems quite fitting given the progressive-thinking character of the esteemed school.