Though still considered an unconventional route, taking a gap year before college may benefit students, USA Today reported. While there are no definitive figures, an estimated 2 to 10 percent of students in the United States defer college enrollment for one year, while rates for some European countries are at more than 50 percent. In the U.S., negative perceptions that gap years are only for affluent students and that taking a year off sets students behind could contribute to the lower rates, according to the report. One expert called on colleges to change these perceptions and noted that only a few institutions formally encourage students to take time off, including Princeton University, which offers full scholarships to up to 35 students in every incoming class.
Enstitute, a new New York-based program that addresses the technical skills gap, serves as an alternative to college for dropouts or recent graduates, VentureBeat reported. Its 11 inaugural fellows take on two-year apprenticeships, mostly at tech startups, including Tumblr, Bitly, Thrillist and NY Tech Meetup, and learn technical and management skills that are not provided by a college education. One employer said the students have higher levels of commitment and lower levels of entitlement than interns from elite universities, VentureBeat reported. The program provides free housing with an Enstitute founder, a weekly stipend and a supplemental curriculum of courses.
A Barnard College English class of 123 students is being investigated for systematic cheating, according to The Atlantic Wire. The scandal, which came to light Tuesday afternoon, comes eight months after Harvard University was embroiled in its own scandal. Students in the Barnard class, which did not have teaching assistants, allegedly passed answers around on their phones for reading quizzes that they graded themselves, the report said. The class senior lecturer, Peggy Ellsberg, became suspicious after the entire class received high grades and gave similar answers. The quizzes are being kept as evidence, and Ellsberg has asked the students to confess to cheating to avoid expulsion.
