Daily Lumina News 031924

It won’t be long before members of the Class of 2024 make their way into the world. Their next steps may include settling into a job that jump-starts their career, following their entrepreneurial dreams, pursuing a graduate degree, or taking the scenic route as they navigate life after college.
With the promise of commencement season in the offing, here are five charts with key facts and trends about bachelor’s-degree holders.

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ended race-conscious admission programs at colleges and universities across the country. Now, institutions are navigating new territory when it comes to admitting students.
In this interview, Carleton College's Alison Byerly discusses how her school is trying to achieve diversity in a post-affirmative action world.

Standardized testing largely became optional for college admittance during the pandemic for first-year students in fall 2021. It remains that way at a majority of institutions issuing four-year degrees.
But soon it will no longer be optional at schools such as Yale University, Dartmouth College, and Brown University. Some think it’s a sign of what’s to come, but is it?

College students have been using protests to urge divestment for decades and for many different causes. They have successfully pushed universities to cut financial ties with fossil fuel companies and companies with business in apartheid era South Africa.
Now, after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel's ensuing war in Gaza, some students want their schools to divest again, this time from Israel. But the tried-and-true approach to protest is facing new barriers.

The "Better FAFSA” was supposed to be faster and easier for students and families. Instead, it’s been riddled with issues.
Sandy Jimenez, who's been a college access professional for two-plus decades, offers a first-hand account of what it's like to complete the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form—plus advice for those trying to keep students engaged and motivated during this FAFSA upheaval.

The COVID-19 pandemic only highlighted—and worsened—the drop, fail, or withdraw rates of students in key gateway courses. This has been especially true for students of color and those from low-income backgrounds.
Now, one group of universities is attempting to replicate and scale a promising intervention. And initial results indicate success.