Notes in the Margins: Ethnic shifts, dual degrees and a CEO debate

At CUNY, an Ethnic Shift Because of Stricter Admissions First-time freshmen at the university's top-tier schools are entering with higher SAT scores, more Asian students, and fewer black and Hispanics. (The New York Times)

For medical students, dual degrees gain popularity A growing number of medical students nationwide are putting in the extra time to earn dual degrees in public health, academic medicine and seemingly disparate fields such as law and business. (San Francisco Chronicle) As Student Loan Default Rates Rise, Is the Law School Bubble Bursting? As stories of crushing student debt continue to circulate, some students may be rethinking a law degree. (U.S. News & World Report) Wesleyan president: A degree in ‘three marvelous years’ We will make more visible -- and provide more support for -- the “three year” route that I chose in the mid 1970s. That is, we will help those students who choose to graduate in six semesters (along with some summer work) get the most out of their time on campus. The three-year option isn’t for everyone, but for those students who are prepared to develop their majors a little sooner, shorten their vacations by participating in summer sessions, and take advantage of the wealth of opportunities on campus, this more economical BA might be of genuine interest. In our case, allowing for some summer expenses, families would still save about 20 percent from the total bill for an undergraduate degree. At many private schools that would be around $50,000. (The Washington Post) CEOs Debate: Do the Liberal Arts Pay Off? Carl Bass of Autodesk, the San Rafael, Calif.-based maker of design software, was adamant that we'll see radical changes in the structure of higher education over the next two decades: "The traditional liberal arts education is incredibly valuable. But if you would call it a business model, it has run its course." (The Wall Street Journal)

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