iPhone Application Development

For all of you app lovers out there, this one is for you. Ever wanted to know how to make your very own smartphone app? Well in this class offered at Stanford University, you can learn how or just download it for free on iTunes U. Students have created apps to help them through their daily college life struggles, such as making healthy choices at the dining hall or managing lab experiments.

“California, Here We Come” – The O.C. and the Self Aware Culture of 21^st Century America

Remember the hit show The O.C.? Well relive it in all its awesome glory along with other California-based shows like the The Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County in this class offered at Duke University. Earn a grade for watching your favorite TV shows? Now that’s definitely too good to be true.

Harry Potter Literature & the Science of Harry Potter

Read the beloved YA series in this class offered at The Ohio State University and at many other colleges and universities. For once, you don’t have to feel the dread of doing tons of reading for a class. For those with an interest in science, Frostburg State University offers a class called the Science of Harry Potter, in which the principles of physics are used to explain the magic at Hogwarts.

Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse – Catastrophes and Human Behavior

I’m sure after watching Zombieland and The Walking Dead, you and your friends have discussed in great detail how you’d all survive a zombie apocalypse. How about actually putting your survival skills to the test? In this summer course offered at Michigan State University, you and your fellow classmates simulate the outcome of surviving a zombie pandemic along with other apocalyptic fates, such as a meteor strike or the Black Death. Sounds spooky to some, but for others it’s the ultimate test of survival and fun.

Tree Climbing                

Get in touch with your inner child in this outdoor education class offered at Cornell University. Escape from the classroom and climb and swing your way through local wooded areas. Don’t worry about falling, you’ll be safe in a harness and helmet of course.

Learning from YouTube

Want to get college credit for watching YouTube videos? Is that a trick question? Nope. In this class at Pitzer College, students learn by watching, discussing, and commenting on YouTube videos.

Underwater Basket Weaving

Traditionally, this idiom has been used as a negative term to describe a supposedly easy college class. Thanks to Reed College, that’s not so anymore! During the college’s Paideia Festival of Learning, students enjoy taking non-credit courses like this one.

credit: cardecor.com

Of course it makes sense that institutions of higher learning are developing new and better ways of protecting the planet. All that brain power really does do some good, no? Today, colleges and universities have gone past simple recycling to starting organic gardens, developing solar panels, and even creating “living machines.” Here are ten colleges whose commitment to going green has blown us out of the water.

1. College of the Atlantic

In Bar Harbor, Maine, this small school has one focus: human ecology, defined as the study of our species’ relationship to the planet. In 2007, COA was the first US college to go carbon neutral. The campus is also committed to green building, historic preservation, land conservation, and elimination of toxins.

2. Warren Wilson College

This nearly self-supporting school exists in Swannanoa, North Carolina. What makes this college special? All food and lumber are sourced from its own organic gardens and managed forests (even the chainsaws use soy oil!). All vehicles run on biodiesel or are hybrid or solar-charged. The streetlamps are solar-powered as well, with low light pollution. Students also give old items new life at the “free store.”

3. The Evergreen State College

This 1,000-acre campus (including 800 acres of woods, forest, and saltwater beach) can be found in Olympia, Washington.  Students get down and dirty with organic farming, conservation, ecology, and much more. Evergreen also buys 100% clean power, is trying out electric vehicles, and has a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified seminar building.

4. Oberlin College

This progressive college, home of green design master David Orr, has a web-based system that monitors energy and water used in dorms. It boasts the state of Ohio’s largest solar array, and perhaps the coolest thing is its model “living machine.” What’s a “living machine,” you ask? It’s a system designed to process waste water through a plant- and bacteria-based filtration system. Neat, huh?

5. Middlebury College

This Vermont college pushes carbon neutrality, hosts popular energy-saving competitions in the dorms, and has a sculpture made from locally harvested saplings. When they needed to rebuild an old structure, it was carefully torn down so the parts could be used again in green “reconstruction.”

6. Berea College

A five-acre residential complex of houses makes up this college’s Ecovillage, which has the goals of 75% reduction in energy and water use, and a 50% reduction in solid waste. These houses contain eco-friendly appliances, heavy insulation, solar panels, wind-power, rainwater collectors, a living machine, and more!

7. University of California

With high goals, including generating 10 megawatts of renewable energy by 2014 and achieving zero waste and carbon neutrality by 2020, this state school system is to be admired. UCLA has already increased bicycle use by 50%, and UC-Berkeley has won attention for hosting the first certified organic kitchen in a college setting.

8. Harvard University

Harvard has been installing motion sensors and other energy efficiency devices, their school buildings have achieved up to 73% reductions in waste, and their commitment to using recycled paper  is astounding. School trucks have also been converted to run on spare vegetable oil from dining facilities…no waste here!

9. Duke University

This university in Durham, North Carolina, now requires all future construction to be certified by the US Green Building Council. The campus features the SmartHouse dormitory, a LEED platinum building.

10. California State University – Chico

This university was awarded the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Chill Out contest award for their certified green building, installing energy-saving software, solar panels, and other initiatives.

Freshman Orientation

Depending on your university, freshman orientation will either be over the summer or in the fall right before classes start. If orientation is right before school starts, it could be either before or during Welcome Week, when many students head up to campus to hang out and get settled in for the year. To keep from getting the two mixed up, check when your orientation date is. This will ensure that you are on campus at the correct time and do not get penalized for missing important information.

The First Day of Class

As most students will arrive on campus at least a week before classes begin, your move-in date in the dorms is not a clear indicator of when classes actually begin. The first day of class is crucial to attend, as many professors relay important information for the year and will remove students from the class if they are not present, so make sure you know the date and don’t miss it!

Fall Study Break

Depending on your university, you may or may not have a fall study break sometime in October or November. Many students go home for fall break, and the farther ahead you plan, you will be able to find the cheapest available travel options. Also, if you have exams or papers due around your fall break, it is helpful to know that you have the extra time to study.

Thanksgiving Break

Depending on your university, you will have a different number of days off for Thanksgiving break. Some schools give students and faculty the entire week for vacation whereas others have a vacation that starts Wednesday at 5 pm the night before the holiday. Find out when your Thanksgiving break is early, and just like fall break, you will be able to book your travel arrangements early to get the best deals.

Final Exams

Every class will have final exams at different times in a week or two week period. It is important to find out when your exams are early in the semester so you can plan your study schedule accordingly.

When Grades Are Due

It is helpful to know when grades are due because some professors like to take their time while they’re grading. You may get frustrated if your grades are not posted right away, so knowing when the deadline is will help you stay in-the-know on when to expect them to be posted.

Top 10 National Universities for On-Campus Housing

1. Princeton University – 97% of students live on campus
   • Tuition: $36,640
2. Columbia University – 95%
   • Tuition: $43,304
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 93%
   • Tuition: $39,212
4. California Institute of Technology – 92%
   • Tuition: $36,282
5. University of California – San Diego – 92%
   • Tuition: $13,284 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $36,112 (Out-of-State)
6. Stanford University – 91%
   • Tuition: $40,172
7. Yale University - 88%
   • Tuition: $38,300
8. Dartmouth College – 86%
   • Tuition: $40,437
9. Stevens Institute of Technology – 85%
   • Tuition: $39,816
10. Vanderbilt University – 85%
    • Tuition: $39,930

On-campus housing is often the simplest choice – you don’t have to worry about furniture or utilities. The classrooms and lecture halls will probably be very accessible; laundry facilities are often just down the hall. Depending on the neighborhood surrounding your campus, living in the dorms may also be your safest and cleanest option. It’s also a great way to be social with other students and meet brand new people!

On the other hand, you will have less privacy since most university housing requires you to share a bathroom with other students on your floor. Dorms often do not have kitchens or kitchenettes, so you might be obligated to sign up for a meal plan as well.

If you are looking to spend less on tuition and campus living in general, a commuter school might be the right choice for you.

Top 11 Universities for Freshman Commuters

1. University of Massachusetts – Boston – 100% of students commute to school
   • Tuition: $10,611 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $23,188 (Out-of-State)
2. Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi – 85%
   • Tuition: $6,294 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $13,432 (Out-of-State)
3. Florida International University – 77%
   • Tuition: $5,678 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $18,077 (Out-of-State)
4. University of Colorado – Denver – 75%
   • Tuition: $7,214 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $20,126 (Out-of-State)
5. University of New Orleans – 75%
   • Tuition: $4,759 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $14,347 (Out-of-State)
6. Cleveland State University – 71%
   • Tuition: $8,516 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $11,437 (Out-of-State)
7. University of Nevada – Las Vegas – 70.6%
   • Tuition: $5,808 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $19,098 (Out-of-State)
8. Wayne State University - 68%
   • Tuition: $9,026 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $19,226 (Out-of-State)
9. University of Louisiana – Lafayette – 66%
   • Tuition: $4,426 (In-State)
   • Tuition: $12,998 (Out-of-State)
10. University of Utah – 66%
    • Tuition: $6,272 (In-State)
    • Tuition: $19,840 (Out-of-State)
11. Wichita State University – 66%
    • Tuition: $5,890(In-State)
    • Tuition: $13,924 (Out-of-State)

Obviously,  a commuter school will vary for each student depending on where you live. Driving will definitely require money spent on insurance and gas. But, if you are very interested in a school close to your home, weigh the cost of travel with the cost of room and board to find out if you will save in the long run. Commuting is also a great option for students who want more independence. Often there are rules in dormitories that feel constricting for freshmen. While you may feel excluded from activities on campus as a commuter, your studies won’t suffer from the distractions of dorm life.

Check out Cappex for more information on student housing options for your school.

Such places do exist. It’s just about finding them. And whether you’re in college now or heading there in the fall, your college may just have a great creative writing undergraduate program. While some colleges have separate creative writing majors, others may have creative writing concentrations within their English major. Finding the write right undergraduate creative writing program for you is all about researching the professors and instructors who teach the classes, being familiar with their work or teaching style, and understanding what kind of work you’ll be doing. Will you be able to concentrate on what you want to spend the most time on, whether that be poetry, fiction, non-fiction, playwriting, etc.?

Whatever it is you want to pursue, here are 10 colleges, that, according to CollegeDegree.com are the 10 best colleges for creative undergraduate writers:

1. Emory University
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Notable alum: Pulitzer Prize winning writer C. Vann Woodward, author of The Strange Career of Jim Crow.

2. Hamilton College 
Location: Clinton, New York
Notable alumni: Poet Ezra Pound; novelists Terry Brooks, Kamila Shamsie, and Peter Cameron; playwright Richard Nelson; actor and writer for The Office Paul Lieberstein; and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Descendants, Nat Faxon.

3. Johns Hopkins University
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Notable alumni: Feminist author Gertrude Stein, novelist Porochista Khakpour, poet Michael Dumanis, and film director Wes Craven.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Notable alumni: Author of Dr. Dolittle series Hugh Lofting and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.

5. New York University
Location: New York, New York
Notable alumni: Founder of MAD magazine William Gaines, Danielle Steel,Joseph Heller, and J.D. Salinger.

6. Washington University in St. Louis
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Notable alumni: Harold Ramis, and playwrights  Edward Shepherd Mead and Tennessee Williams.

7. University of Iowa
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Notable alumni: David Morrell, author, famous for creating the character of John Rambo and Robie Macauley, novelist and editor of Playboy.

8. Columbia
Location: New York, New York
Notable alumni: Upton Sinclair and Hunter S. Thompson.

9. University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan 
Notable alumni: Famous playwright Arthur Miller, author Susan Orlean, Cathy Guisewite author, creator of Cathy comic strip.

10. Colorado College
Location: Colorado Spring, Colorado
Notable alum: Timothy J. Sexton and executive producer and writer for the TV shows ER and Law &  Order SVU Neal Baer.

Make your profile today at Cappex.com to find your college matches and scholarships to pay for them!

There are countless ways to compare the cities and towns that have colleges within them, but one of the most compelling ways is how well the two macro organisms get along…or don’t…

Not all cities and the colleges within them get along perfectly, but according to the Princeton Review, here are 20 colleges with superb college and town relationships:

1.Clemson University
Location: Clemson, South Carolina
Quick fact: Clemson University has two student-run newspapers. Founded in 1907, The Tiger News is the oldest student-run newspaper in South Carolina. The second newspaper is the Tiger Town Observer.

2. Kansas State University
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Quick fact: Kansas State, which often simply goes by K-State, is the oldest public university in the state of Kansas.

3. College of the Ozarks
Location: Point Lookout, Missouri
Quick fact: The College charges no tuition for full-time students, mostly due to its student work program. The program requires students to work 15 hours a week at an on-campus work station and two 40-hour work weeks during breaks–no wonder its town loves the students!

4. Virginia Tech
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Quick fact: Virginia Tech is one of the few public universities in the United States that maintains a corps of cadets.

5. Rice University
Location: Houston, Texas
Quick fact: Five streets demarcate the campus: Greenbriar Street, Rice Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Main Street, and University Boulevard.

6. Saint Michael’s College
Location: Colchester, Vermont
Quick fact: In the 1950s, Freshmen were required to wear a dress shirt, coat and tie to every class and for the evening meal.

7. University of Alabama at Birmingham
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Quick fact: There are over 150+ student organizations on the UAB campus.

8. Macalester College
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Quick fact: Notable alumni include Kofi Annan, Walter Mondale, Marlene Johnson, DeWitt Wallace, Alexander Wendt, Ari Emanuel, Peter Berg, Tim O’Brien, Bob Mould, and Charles Baxter.

9.Wheaton College
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
Quick fact: Wheaton College ranked 15th in “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by US News and World Report for national liberal arts colleges.

10. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Location: Needham, Massachusetts
Quick fact: Olin College is noted in the engineering community for its youth, small size, project-based curriculum, and large endowment funded primarily by the F. W. Olin Foundation.

11. St. Olaf College
Location: Northfield, Minnesota
Quick fact: St. Olaf ranks as one of the top 20 small colleges for liberal arts education (those with 5,000 or fewer students) for the number of students who go on to serve in the Peace Corps.

12. Agnes Scott College
Location: Decatur, Georgia
Quick fact: Agnes Scott has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral institute by the college’s 150th anniversary in 2039.

13. Westminster College
Location: New Wilmington , Pennsylvania
Quick fact: The student population is nearly 1,480 undergraduate and graduate students.

14. Nazareth College
Location: Rochester, New York
Quick fact: Nazareth was founded in 1924 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The first class, comprising 25 young women, began their studies in a large mansion on Lake Avenue in Rochester, New York.

15. Catawba College
Location: Salisbury, North Carolina
Quick fact: The school’s theatre program is consistently rated as one of the top 10 in the nation.

16. The University of North Carolina at Asheville
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Quick fact: UNCA is the only designated^[3] liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system.

17. Bellarmine University
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Quick fact: Bellarmine offers study abroad options on six continents in over 50 countries around the globe, ranging from departmental programs to summer enclave programs and semester or academic year exchanges at over 150 partner universities.

18. William Jewell College
Location: Liberty, Missouri
Quick fact: It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders.

19. Millsaps College
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Quick fact: Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country’s best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual.

20. University of New Orleans
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Quick fact: There are more than 120 registered clubs and organizations active at UNO, including 15 fraternities and sororities.

What is your dream college town? Leave a comment below!

Today’s question::

While students and admissions folks go crazy for new applicants, a startling 1 in 3 students who enroll in either a four-year or two-year college will probably transfer at some point*!

Why do you think that so many college students transfer? What’s behind all the movement?

*A statistic in a report issued by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Have a thought or an answer? Leave a reply below.

We’ve also asked our @Cappex Twitter followers to chime in! Here’s what people are saying on Twitter:

“Who run the world? Girls.”

Here’s where Forbes’ top women CEO’s went to college:

Irene Rosenfeld
CEO of Kraft Foods
Undergraduate college: Cornell University
Rosenfeld not only earned her B.A. in psychology from Cornell, but she also earned her Ph.D in marketing and statistics there as well.

Mary Schapiro
Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Undergraduate college: Franklin & Marshall College
Schapiro was the first woman to be the permanent Chairment of the SEC. She was appointed by President Obama in 2009.

Ursula Burns
CEO of Xerox
Undergraduate college: Polytechnic Institute 
Super cool lady, Ursala Burns, is not only the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company, but also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company.

Andrea Jung
CEO of  Avon
Undergraduate college: Princeton University
First generation Canadian-American, Jung rose to the top through her positions at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and currently, Avon.

Carol Bartz
Former CEO of Yahoo!
Undergraduate college: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Bartz was once told when she requested a transfer to 3M’s headquarters that “women don’t do these jobs.” She sure proved whoever said that to her wrong!

Angela Braly
CEO of Well Point
Undergraduate college: Texas Tech University
Braly received her undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University in 1982 and her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law.

Patricia Woertz
CEO of Archer Daniels Midland
Undergraduate college: Penn State
Taking on her role as CEO, Woertz commented, ”I’m outside the company, outside the industry, outside the family, outside the gender expectations.”

Cynthia Carroll
CEO of Anglo American
Undergraduate college: Skidmore College
That geology major IS important! Carroll earned her B.S. from Skidmore in geology and then went on to earn her masters in geology from the University of Kansas. She didn’t stop there; she then went on to earn her MBA from Harvard.

Ellen Kullman
CEO of Dupont
Undergraduate college: Tufts University
Kullman studied mechanical engineering at Tufts and then earned her master’s degree in management from Northwestern University. Moral of the story? Your major in college doesn’t dictate your future career–it only helps to inform it!

Sallie Krawcheck
Former CEO of Global Wealth & Investment Management for Bank of America
Undergraduate college: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Krawcheck oversaw the largest wealth management business in the world at $2.3 trillion in client assets.

Are you interested in a future in business? Find your perfect college match that will help you reach your goals!

Today’s question comes from Inside Higher Ed:

A study from Sallie Mae said that 22% of college students with a family income of over $100,000 opted for a community college last year. Four years ago, the number was at 16%.

What do you think is behind this fact that more affluent students are going to community college? Should community colleges update their facilities to accommodate these students? 

Have a thought or an answer? Leave a reply below.

We’ve also asked our @Cappex Twitter followers to chime in! Here’s what people are saying on Twitter:

Not to arbitrarily add to that pile of “things to know about college”, but you should probably know what it means for a school to be on academic trimesters. There are different ways to break up the year, semesters, quarters, and trimesters! A trimester system divides the academic year into three terms, roughly 14 – 16 weeks each. Let it be known that these things vary greatly among schools, so always check with the schools you’re interested in to learn more about their academic calendar.

Often, colleges and universities that run on trimesters start around mid-September, which is considerably later than schools on semesters, and they often end later in the year towards the middle of June. Similar to the advantages of the quarter systems, many people believe trimesters give students more flexibility and diversity in their class choices. This means that you can take more of the classes you love, and the more frustrating classes are shorter in length–it’s kind of a perception thing.

Disadvantages of trimesters can be that your academic schedule might wind up conflicting with summer job or internship scheduling. Students also sometimes feel that finals rush up on them very quickly.

Atlantic College

Augustana College

Brandman University

Briar Cliff University

Bryn Athyn College of the New Church

Cambridge College

Carlos Albizu University – Miami

Cathedral Bible College

College of the Atlantic

Franklin University

Golden Gate University – San Francisco

Granite State College

Hodges University

John Dewey College – University Division

John Wesley College

Knox College

Lawrence University

Mercyhurst College

Nazarene Bible College

Northwest Missouri State University

Northwestern Polytechnic University

Nova Southeastern University

Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

Parker University

Rockefeller University

Samuel Merritt University

SUNY Empire State College

Union Institute & University

United States Merchant Marine Academy

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

William Cary University