A new study by Cappex.com shows that students are researching information on college websites from their mobile devices, though traditional channels such as email are still relied upon most to keep students on track during their college searches.

The Cappex study of more than 2,000 class of 2011 and 2012 high school students, as well as 82 college admission officers, also shows that videos are more popular for college searching than blogs on college sites.

Specific findings from the study include:

• 86 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer e-mail for initial contact from colleges
• Just 19 percent of 2011 high school grads want initial direct contact from colleges by cell phone, though 32 percent prefer to continue a dialogue with college admissions reps by cell phone
• 77 percent of 2011 high school grads prefer using a mobile-friendly version of a college’s website, while 23 percent would prefer to download an app from a college
• Class of 2012 high school students are somewhat more receptive to apps: 35 percent would prefer to download an app
• 34 percent of colleges surveyed said that they have created a mobile-friendly version of their website. Of those that have not yet created one, two thirds plan to create one this year
• More than 85 percent of 2011 high school seniors prefer to learn about colleges through video tours and student videos, while just 6 percent are interested in reading college blogs during their college searches

“When it comes to communicating with colleges, students are more open than ever to using their mobile devices and cell phones, though colleges need to understand their preferences,” said Chris Long, president of Cappex. “For instance, students may not want to download an app from every college they are looking at, but they will visit a college’s website using their mobile devices.”

“Colleges need to be sure to set up mobile versions of their sites to cater to growing mobile use among students,” Long added. “Additionally, colleges should continue using tried and true methods such as e-mail to make it easy for students to keep track of their interactions with colleges.”

The white paper summarizing the study can be found at http://bit.ly/irOAhX.

Academics:
Remember high school? You spent days polishing your application essays and nights worrying about a rejection letter from the university of your dreams. You’re at that university now, paying a small fortune for the small class sizes, award-winning professors and diverse, gifted classmates that you dreamed about two or three years ago. And now you’re trying to leave?You have probably already started taking those advantages for granted. Unless you’re considering a semester at Oxford, you might be unpleasantly surprised at the academics at your host school. There’s a reason foreigners come to America’s universities – they really are the best in the world.

Classes:
As budgets are cut, so are class schedules. Unless you’re in the biggest major on campus, there are classes that are offered very infrequently – classes that you’ll miss out on. It might be the seminar on women in journalism or on South American popular revolutions. Ever since the spring of my first year, I had been yearning to take a class on natural language processing (don’t ask – it’s really nerdy). I would have missed out on the chance to take that course if I had gone abroad. The kicker is that your junior year is when you start having enough priority to register for the classes that filled up when you were a freshman or a sophomore.

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This post from the Uloop blog gives college students 5 easy ways to network and make friends in college:

Switch It Up
Although it is very easy to be a part of the same organizations that you have been a part of for your entire life, it is more beneficial to branch out to various organizations that have different backgrounds, connections, and client bases than your own. For example, even if you are not politically driven it may be rather prudent to join Young Republicans, Campus Democrats, etc. Or on the flip-side, if you have been a part of a politically affiliated organization for a long time, then maybe you should switch it up and join the Adventure Club or Fencing Club. By doing this, your face and name gain recognition across demographics.

Approach the Unfamiliar
Oftentimes people get so wrapped up in their own lives that they forget that there are six billion other people on the planet. Yes, friendships are amazing, especially the lifelong ones. However, someone that you have known since pre-school will not vanish if you do not hang out with them for a couple days. Be approachable and approach those that you don’t know. For example, if someone is wearing a shirt that says “Combat Airsoft” you may feign interest in order to spark a conversation which could lead to a friendship. No one ever got anywhere by staying in their shell, and neither should you.

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3 Valentine Ideas for College or High School Students on a Budget:

1. Snail Mail – Not even college admissions use the ole’ U.S. Postal Service anymore.  Everything is digital, even college acceptance letters! But, receiving a sweet letter in the mail that is not a bill is definitely a treat.  So make your own card, buy a stamp, write your heart out to your Valentine, and you’ll only be out 44 cents!

2. Cook a Dinner at Home – You don’t have to go out to enjoy a decadent Valentine’s dinner with your Valentine. If you’re a college or high school student on a budget, you don’t need to impress your Valentine with a fancy French dinner, just cook up something at home! Not only will you save moolah, but you will impress your Valentine with your new found culinary skills. *Hint* Easy recipes are as simple to find on the Internet as scholarships are using Cappex.com!

3. Picture You Two Together - If you want to present your Valentine with a nicely wrapped gift but still stay on your college or high school student budget, a picture frame is the way to go.  You can find affordable picture frames at tons of places.  Plus, the most personal part of the gift is the picture you place inside.  It’s an affordable gift that has meaning to it, and it’s definitely better than your other affordable and personlized option: the illustrious mix-tape.

So happy Valentine’s Day! And if none of the above options work for you, why not find some scholarships to save your Valentine money on college?  That’s probably the best Valentine they’ll ever get!

Here are the colleges that saw a decline in applications for the 2015 class:

• Tulane University: -13.65%
• SUNY Stoney Brook: -11.91%
• Grinnell College: -7.61%
• Wesleyan University: -6.07%
• Elon University: -6.06%
• Lafayette College: -3.16%
• Rutgers University: -2.29%
• University of Maryland College Park: -1.69%
• Colgate University: -1.37%

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Here are 5 things every college-bound senior needs to do before Spring Break ends:

1. Visit Your Schools in Question: If you’re unsure about which college or university is the right match for you, you might to avoid simply flipping a coin. “Heads? Okay, State it is!”  Make an informed decision, not a random one.  If the schools in question are in close proximity to you, take a mini trip during Spring Break to remind yourself why you liked them in the first place, or even, why one school might actually be a better fit.

2. Contact Current College Students: By Spring Break your senior year, you’ve probably done considerable college research already.  But since the deadline to making a decision is approaching, finding out about nitty gritty stuff might help your decision-making. Send an email or a Facebook message to a friend, or a friend of a friend, or person you had gym class with junior year who’s already enrolled and attending a school you’re interested in. Ask questions about the social life, how much homework they have, where they like to hang out on campus.  For many, college is a passion and they’d be more than willing to chat with you about it.

3. Find Scholarships!!!!: A break from a school gives you the perfect opportunity to dig up as many scholarships as you can.  If you’ve already received your financial aid award letter, you’ll know how much more of your tuition you’ll have to cover.  Finding scholarships is a great way to cover a big portion, if not all, of your tuition.  There are easy-to apply-to-scholarships out there, especially on Cappex.com, so get going!

4. Talk with Your Family or Guidance Counselor: Flesh out your college or university options with people who are looking out for your best interest and education.  Go over your choices, the different tuitions, locations, and find out what your biggest advocates think about your college choices.  Since higher education is such a big and important decision, and a costly one, listening to input from people who want to see you succeed can help you make the right choice.

5. Avoid Going Crazy Waiting for an Acceptance Letter:  The final word of wisdom we hope to instill in you is to avoid mental breakdowns over an acceptance letter.  Many acceptance letters arrive over Spring Break, so try to avoid biting your nails off or freaking out your friends with your anxiety.  Getting into a school or not will not make or break you.  No matter where you land, you are in charge of making your college career what it is. So relax ,and enjoy your Spring Break.

A new report written about in The New York Times higher education blog The Choice illustrates that more minority high school students are making the grade on AP exams, but still remained underrepresented overall in the nation’s AP classroom.

More than 853,000 public high school seniors in last May’s graduating class, or 28 percent of the class, took at least one A.P. exam. Some 59 percent of those who took the tests earned a grade of 3, 4 or 5, which are required for college credit.

Trevor Packer, vice president of the Advanced Placement program, said that while the report shows that more students across the country enroll each year in classes to prepare them for the exams, there are some signs that improvement is not consistent among some groups and in some subject areas.Over the past decade, the number of minority students graduating with a successful A.P. experience has more than doubled, according to the report.

“A focus on access and equity is resulting in greater percentages of students going into college with A.P. scores that qualify and result in higher college performance,’’ he said.”

But the gap between how those students performed, compared to nonminority students, is still great in most states in the country.

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U.S. News writes about the 15 most wired college and university campuses and how many computers there are on campus per college student:

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,700 undergraduate programs last year, and 1,280 schools reported data on both their total student body (combined graduate and undergraduate population) and the number of computers available to students on campus. Of those schools, the average number of computers per student on campus is .14. That means, on average, there are roughly seven students per computer on college campuses nationwide.

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Probably the last thing on your mind while you’re searching for and applying to colleges is who your roommate will eventually be.  But, the reality is that after the admissions process,  in most situations, you’ll have to live with a stranger your freshman year in a college dorm room.

Whether you wind up becoming best friends with your roommate or cordial acquaintances, here is some advice from ULOOP.com on how to maintain a good relationship with your college roommate:

Do have roommate nights. Grab a bowl of popcorn, sit on the couch, or your extra long twin bed, and put in a chick-flick. My roommates and I always have Gossip Girl Mondays. Having these nights keeps your bond strong; it’s an easy way to break away from some of the stress of school, especially when it’s midterm week and you don’t say a word to your roommate because you’re cramming for your Chemistry test.

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The Texas Tribune writes that Governor Rick Perry wants his state’s college and universities to offer a $10,000 bachelor’s degree:

Perry also wants lawmakers to consider outcome-based financial support for those schools, basing a substantial portion of their funding on the number of degrees they issue with particular attention to degrees for at-risk students and for those in critical or essential areas of study.

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