The cult of peer institutionsRemember the aphorism you were told as a child when you complained that, among all your friends, only you were not doing karate/getting dance lessons/building a machine pumped 150-psi pneumatic potato cannon with a muzzle velocity of 200 mph and 400-meter range? You turned your pleading eyes upon your mother or father who would wisely respond, "If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you?" That sage advice is evidently lost upon most of us collegians who, though we pride ourselves on unconventional thinking, have nonetheless elevated conformity to the position of a saintly relic. 3 Comments |
Setting the record straight on graduate stipendsHopkins was the first American university to be founded with graduate education and research as a core part of its mission. To this day, Hopkins is world-renowned for the quality of its graduate education. Unfortunately, a number of misperceptions about graduate student stipends, the payment of teaching assistants and the extent to which the funding of graduate education is linked to undergraduate tuition rates, have been circulating among the undergraduate student body. Post a comment |
A proposal for study abroadDespite the disappointment fostered by the Tours and Villa Spelman liquidations, Hopkins can emerge as a leader in foreign study. I know that this sounds like wishful thinking, but why not look beyond the usual full-semester options, and focus on more flexible summer possibilities? Is there a way to revamp study abroad that is perfectly attuned to Hopkins' present condition? Ultimately, the school will need a new centerpiece program, not simply increased levels of paperwork and a greater roster of third-party offerings. Post a comment |
'08 candidates of a new breedThe 2008 presidential campaign has started early this season, perhaps earlier than ever before. The reality of the non-stop campaign is unfortunate from both a social and policy standpoint, yet the American people are lucky with this field of candidates. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are all immeasurably better than either Howard Dean or John Kerry. Post a comment |