Villanova University

33 Fun Facts About Colleges

Our favorite YA author John Green has "33 Fun Facts about Colleges" in this YouTube video from Mental Floss. 

Did you know, for example, that Villanova students manage the Pope's social media?

Or that Cornell might have been in Syracuse, but Ezra Cornell was once robbed there?

Or that Rice University has a puppy room set up during finals to help students cope with stress. Awww... We want one of those!

See the whole thing here.

Hat tip: Anne Edmunds of Webster University via Facebook

 

Misty Whelan, Conestoga High School

Misty Whelan has lived the college admission process from both sides of the desk, so to speak. True, she worked early in her career at Bryn Mawr College. But that's not what we're talking about. Now a counselor at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pennsyvania, Whelan has also navigated the college application process as a parent. Her 16-year-old daughter, Sarah, is taking her first steps in the process and her 19-year-old son is now attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The view from the parental side of the process has been invaluable for Whelan.

"It has really, really helped me immensely as a professional in terms of sympathizing and empathizing with families as they go through this process," says Whelan. "And the other thing it validated for me was letting my son do the work and not to do it for him. He did the bulk of the work. I learned a lot about how to center him and not have him panic or get too stressed out. Luckily, he knew what he wanted and did not have too many schools on his list.  I also learned a lot about financial aid and the scholarship process. That was the biggest eye opener for me -- how colleges fund students."