Daily Lumina News 032824

In her college essay, Hillary Amofa focused on her life as the daughter of immigrants from Ghana and growing up in a small apartment in Chicago. She highlighted certain hardships and struggles. Then she deleted it all.
When the U.S. Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education, it left the college essay as one of the few places where race can play a role in admissions decisions. For many students of color, instantly more is riding on the already high-stakes writing assignment. Some say they feel pressure to exploit their hardships as they compete for a spot on campus.

Community colleges are an attractive option for international students, in part because they’re a fraction of the cost of four-year universities.
But with higher nonresident tuition fees, ineligibility for state or federal aid, and limited options for work, the reality can still generate sticker shock when international students arrive in the United States.

The new SAT is now digital, shorter, and adaptive, meaning students who score low on the first half of the test will get easier questions in the second half. The changes come as many colleges are moving away from requiring standardized tests for admission.
Erica Meltzer, national editor at Chalkbeat, weighs in with her thoughts on the changes contained in the new SAT and their impact on students in this interview.

The population of online learners is growing nationwide. The COVID pandemic is partly responsible for this growth, as colleges and universities were forced to adapt to the online environment.
But that doesn’t mean programming uploaded online translates into a quality learning experience. In this interview, Lisa Templeton of Oregon State University discusses the growing demand for online education and what’s required to deliver high-quality online programming that meets a variety of learners' needs.

The decision to shutter Birmingham-Southern College, a private liberal-arts institution in Birmingham, Alabama, comes just a year after the Board of Trustees voted to keep the college open while fighting for a lifeline from the state government.
At the time of the vote, the board had received assurances from state lawmakers that the college would “be positioned” to receive $30 million in bridge funding when the Distressed Institutions of Higher Learning Revolving Loan Program Act passed. That didn't happen. Now, students set to graduate in the spring of 2024 are left stranded.

For many high school seniors, this coming graduation day carries the sobering realization that the next step in their education journey is uncertain.
The delay in processing Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms has cast an unexpected shadow over their aspirations, particularly for those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.