Academics

Rankings Time: Forbes Ranks Marietta #112

A Press Release from Marietta led me to see the Forbes rankings of public and private colleges has been released.  And Marietta College is now knocking on the top 100 colleges in the country.

Marietta was ranked #112 in the country out of all schools that they ranked (the list is out of 600 schools) and, while not officially, ranked within the top 100 private colleges (I say this because they have a list of all the private colleges in the top 100, which is 89 schools, and since I’m not sure which schools are public or private, we are either in the top 100 or #101). In the state of Ohio, Marietta was ranked 4th (Behind #22 Kenyon, #74 College of Wooster, and #88 Oberlin College).

In the OAC. Capital was the closest ranked to Marietta.  They were ranked #138.  Otterbein was #221, John Carroll was #273, Baldwin-Wallace was #335, Mount Union was #481, and Ohio Northern was #570.  Heidelberg, Muskingum, and Wilmington were not ranked in the Top 600 schools.

For comparison, the highest ranked public college in ohio, Miami University in Oxford, OH, was ranked #331.  The Ohio State University was ranked #361.  Marietta also outranks all colleges listed on the poll from West Virginia, with Bethany College (WV’s highest ranked school) listed at #164.

So in other words, its great to be a Marietta College student.  And if you’re a high school senior looking to attend one of the best colleges in Ohio, you should check out MC.

Check out Marietta College’s Press Release after the jump.

Read more…

Chegg.com: Rent Textbooks, Save Money

Over at The Consumerist, they highlighted an article from Clark Howard on Chegg.com, a textbook rental service.

Chegg.com is like the Zappos of the Textbook industry, in a way, as you pay less for the book than you normally would, don’t pay for shipping back to their warehouse at the end of the semester, everything is recyclable and made of recyclable materials, and they plant a tree for every book rented.  Better yet, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if it turns out you don’t need the book, or the quality of the book is not what you had been promised.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what’s the catch?  Well, there really isn’t one that i can find.  The length of a rental is 125 days for those on the semester system, 85 days for those on the quarter system, and 60 days for those poor souls taking summer classes.  Considering that Marietta’s semester is 15 weeks long, and only uses 105 days, you’ll have plenty of time to ship the book back on time.

Their rental rates are based on supply and demand, so a popular book will be much more expensive to rent than a less popular one, so some savings may not be as good as others.

If you really fall in love with the book you rented, you can buy the book from Chegg (they charge you on top of what you paid for the rental and shipping, then tax is applied).  You can also extend rentals from 15 to 30 days, all the way up to another full semester.

On the flip side, a 25 percent penalty fee is assessed on books not postmarked by the return date listed on the account.  If your book is one week past due, you are charged the entire price of the book, as they assume you want to own it at that point.

The site has been around since 2004, and has claimed to have saved over $42 million dollars for students nationwide.  If you’re up for trying it out, then go for it.  It seems like the cheapest option out there, as far as textbook shopping goes.  Just remember that this is only one of many options, so make sure that you use our book-buying guide and save yourself some money this year!

Bookstore Now Lists Fall Book Lists

Check out the Marietta College online book lists now so that you can shop around and get the best price possible.

Remember to check Half.com, Amazon.com, and Textbooks.com.  If you’re buying directly from the Marietta College Bookstore, you are probably paying much more than you need to.

Check out this story I wrote before the Spring semester to see the exact savings compared to Half and Amazon and learn other tips.

Textbooks.com has provided these tips as well (FULL DISCLOSURE: I was sent these tips by Textbooks.com in a message sent to blogs like Writing on the Mall.  I am not being compensated for posting these tips):

There is no doubt about it – textbook prices suck! Textbooks.com, the site with the cheapest prices on the planet’s biggest selection of hand-inspected used textbooks, is committed to keeping more cash in the pockets of students than any other website. JT Thome, Chief Operating Officer of Textbooks.com shares the following tips to help students save when shopping for textbooks.

• The biggest mistake that many students make when purchasing their textbooks is that they wait too long.  The secret to reducing the cost of a student’s textbooks is to shop early when the used books are plentiful. Used books save money – big money, especially when the used books are bought online on sites like Textbooks.com.

• The second biggest mistake that some students make is by waiting too long to sell their books back at the end of the semester. By selling their books back after their final exams, the students will get the most for their money.

• Selling their books back online will pay them even more. Specifically, Textbooks.com automatically pays students a bonus of 10% for those books bought back online that were originally purchased from Textbooks.com. And, for the top best-selling textbooks, Textbooks.com actually guarantees to the student when they purchase their books that they will receive 50% of the new book selling price when they sell them back at the end of the term. This is true whether the student bought the books new or used. These titles are listed on the Textbooks.com website as “Guaranteed Cash Back” titles.

• When buying used books online the discounts can range anywhere from 30% to 90% off the new book price from the publisher. And for those students that want to buy new books, they can find discounts from 15% to 30% off.

• When making their purchase, students should be sure to double-check the ISBN number to make sure they are purchasing the correct edition. Also, make sure not to buy an international edition.  Websites like Textbooks.com never sell international editions, and any old editions are always very clearly marked.

• Again, shop early.  As soon as students have their courses selected and have received their syllabus from the faculty member, it’s time to buy their textbooks.

As a note, as well, I have had good luck with International editions of books, so as long as they are printed in English, get them if they are cheap and available.

The Chronicles of (What?) of China…Part 3

Here is the third part of Katie O’s China experiences.  And pardon the headline…was bored.

For the record, I’d rather be napping. But for records sake, I will press on in blogging. It’s a humid (95%) day in almost sunny Beijing. This is the most rain China’s had all year which seems like a mist compared to what I’m acquainted with in Marietta, OH. Let’s see what I can remember…

First Friday (a week ago) we (Kelley, Mel, and I) decided that we were going out! We didn’t have to be awake until ten the next day, and we were going to make the most of it. After dinner we showered and got ready in the room, it was the same routine, different country! We left about 11pm or so and walked a few blocks to Lush. A very quaint bar, with delicious looking food, hookahs all around, and completely full of Westerners. We were looking for a scene that was a bit more lively, so we walked down the street to a club called Propaganda, a club under the only Mexican restaurant I’ve seen so far, La Bamba. It was complete craziness. We snatched a few drinks and made our way to the dance floor, which was just a sea of bodies. The music was fantastic and mixed so incredibly well. We met lots and lots of interesting and friendly people. Finally around 2:30am we decided to call it a night and hobbled back to our dorm. Once back we lounged outside with some waters and chatted with other international students.

Everyone here is disarmingly friendly, at first, when I got here I thought people were always trying to trick me, playing a joke on me, but really people here are so polite! If they see you coming at the end of the hall they’ll hold the elevator, if they see you having trouble differentiating lotion from body wash, they do their best. It’s amazing how much can be communicated with a few words and lots of hand gestures.
I had a personal language victory the other day when Mel and I went to the supermarket for blank CDs, couldn’t find any, and after about 5 minutes of trying to talk to worker, I was able to explain that I want to put my music on a CD and she understood!

On Monday classes started. It’s intense, we have to memorize an entire dialogue for each lesson, and the homework is nuts. What took a week at Marietta we do in a day here, ACK! But I already feel like I’ve learned a lot. The craziness is though, if you don’t come prepared to class you have to sing a song!

Met Jack for dinner on Weds and got to meet his wicked awesome friends! He hasn’t changed a bit, it was so nice to see a face from “home” here in China. I’ve really forged a lot of great friendships though!

I’m also in a Chinese Film class that’s proving to be really interesting! It’s very different from the class in Marietta (though I liked that one too!) The Professor was an assistant director for “Farewell, My Concubine” and the only movie on the syllabus I’ve seen before is “Shower” which I love. Our professor learned English in Britain, so he’s Chinese with a British Accent, it’s fantastic.

I’m starting to get a little homesick, it’s not affecting my daily life of anything here but I got on skype with Ang and Kim and couldn’t see or hear well but I could make out Kim’s laugh and wanted to hop on the next plane back to Marietta for enrollment days!

I don’t have any specifics planned for the weekend yet…just more “going out” tonight, touring the summer palace tomorrow, and studying!

Yellow Ribbon Program Comes to MC

The College just recently started advertising their Yellow Ribbon program participation last week (or at least that’s when I started noticing it).  For those wondering what it is, the Yellow Ribbon Program is a national partnership between the VA and institutions of higher learning across the country to help get veterans of war the education that they might want to receive at colleges that are not fully covered by the GI Bill.   Read more…

Education Majors Can Now Get Intervention Specialist License

Obviously, its the summer time, so news is slow.  I saw this up on the school’s site and figured to post it.  Another cool little feature that makes Marietta College what it is.

Here is the college’s press release talking about the new addition.

June 12, 2009 — Marietta College’s Department of Education will be broadening its horizons this fall with the introduction of a new licensure program—Intervention Specialist—that will provide students with the necessary classes and experiences needed to become an Intervention Specialist for children with mild to moderate disabilities.

The Marietta College Mild-Moderate Intervention Specialist licensure program is designed for individuals who will receive content area certification in addition to the Mild/Moderate licensure. The Ohio Mild to Moderate Intervention Specialist license enables the holder to be employed as the special education teacher in classrooms serving students with mild to moderate disabilities. Successful completion of the program and passage of the Praxis II Special Education exam qualifies the candidate for a license.

This Mild-Moderate undergraduate educational needs major is designed around the standards required by its national accrediting body, The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Hands-on fieldwork beginning as a freshman will allow the student to become experienced and knowledgeable about students with disabilities starting at the beginning of their education program.

“We are excited to offer this new major that meets the demand of shortages of special education teachers across the United States,” said Associate Professor of Education Dr. Bill Bauer. “The Education Department is committed to producing Intervention Specialists that are both highly qualified and have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become educators that will provide a positive impact on their students and families.”

– Brenda Puckett

College Relations

Students Abroad Blog About Experiences

Marietta College students are studying abroad this  semester, but with a new added twist.  Students that are part of the McDonough Center for Leadership are spending the semester writing about their experiences while they learn at schools around the world.  In total, there are nine students blogging about their stay in the country they have chosen.  While some have already made the trip over and began coursework, others are still waiting to begin their adventure.  For a list of all the bloggers and links to their sites, keep reading after the jump.

Read more…

Book Buying Tips

If you havn’t heard, the book lists are up for the Spring Semester.  Typically not the most fun day, as you are expected to shell out around $500 (in most cases) for books.  Absurd.  If you follow these helpful tips, you should be able to save AT LEAST 30 to 40%, if not closer to the elusive 50% mark.

Read more…

Think Tuition Here is Bad? Try $50,000+

Tis the time of year for sites to list their top stories, top articles, top reviews, etc, etc, and for people like me to report on the more interesting ones.

One of the more interesting stories I missed is about the Top 25 most expensive colleges for the 2008-2009 term, which was found thanks to The Consumerist unveiling their Top 17 most useful posts of the year.  The original article ran on CampusGrotto, and features its findings and talks about how students rarely ever pay full price.

Shockingly enough, the $32,000+ that is Marietta College’s tuition is about $20,000 less than the #1 ranked Sarah Lawrence College, which is pegged at $53,166.  Two other schools crest the $50,000 mark, with #2 George Washington University at $50,312, and #3 New York University at $50,182.  To see the rest of the Top 25, Read more…

Winter Term Thoughts

As Monday marks the first weekday of winter break, I figured I should share some musings of the loss of “J-Term”

Some of you may remember J-Term, a two week period where a student of the college could take a course in two weeks instead of an entire semester.  It evolved into teachers leading course-based learning excursions, including tours of the local, national, and international realms.  Trips overseas and cruises were the most popular trips.

Through what I can only see as a cost-cutting move, our break was shortened and J-Term removed.  But really, I feel this is a benefit.

The last day of finals week is Friday, May 1st.  This gives more time to students who either work all summer or take on an internship.  The extra weeks can be critical financial and scholastic moves that aid in a student’s ability to continue to attend MC or move on and get a job.  It also allows for less of a lull  between semesters, which I’m fine with.

Honestly, I’m fine with the decision.  The question will be whether J-Term is brought back next year or left off again.  Personally, I’m for nixing it.  I don’t mind less of a break in the winter.  More summer is nice…more bearable to live in Northeast Ohio in the summer, not the winter.  Brrrrr.