Picking a University That Fits, Not Ranks

University rankings are popular, and often a starting point for many students when choosing a college or university, but do they guide applicants to the schools that fit their academic and career goals best?For Jerome Dela Rosa Lara, a Harvard University sophomore studying social anthropology and comparative study of religion, the school’s high ranking sparked…

CIA Seeks Younger Workforce at Spy Agency

The faces are younger, maybe Hispanic, maybe Middle Eastern — definitely diverse — and show a Central Intelligence Agency trying to recruit a new generation of team members.  “We offer a unique environment to work with smart, focused people who have a broad range of backgrounds, interests, experiences, and perspectives,” says the CIA website. “Our…

Turkey Detains Dozens More Over University Protests

Authorities in Turkey made dozens of new arrests in cities across the country Thursday, after downplaying international criticism — including U.S. condemnation — of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on university student rallies.       According to police, about 600 people have been detained since January 4 as protests spread in the capital, Ankara, and…

Justice Department Drops Yale Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department on Wednesday dropped its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University that had alleged the university was illegally discriminating against Asian American and white applicants. The Justice Department noted in its filing that it was voluntarily dismissing the action, filed in October under the Trump administration. A judge must still sign off on it. Federal…

Academics Look to Restore Integrity to Science, Research

Since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has reaffirmed a national commitment to integrity in scholarship and research, appointing scientists to numerous leadership roles.  Educators and experts applaud these appointments and say elevating intellectual integrity in research and science will take the combined effort of universities, industry and the public, too.    Biden appointed Eric Lander —…

US Lawmakers Push Mental Health Days for Kids Amid Pandemic

When she was growing up, Sophie Corroon struggled to get through a ballet class or soccer tryout without having an anxiety attack.The idea of going to sleepovers or being home alone left her feeling panicked. Corroon’s anxiety grew even more during high school in Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah when the…

Foreign Students View Capitol Riot With Fear

Shwe Einthe was about to leave her Washington apartment to grab a bite to eat when an emergency message blared on her cellphone, alerting her to violence at the U.S. Capitol building and a 6 p.m. citywide curfew.  “My first thought was, ‘Oh, my God, this feels like dictator Myanmar, like I am back in…

Bernie Sanders’ Mittens, Memes Help Raise $1.8 Million for Charity

About those wooly mittens that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, sparking endless quirky memes across social media? They’ve helped to raise $1.8 million in the last five days for charitable organizations in Sanders’ home state of Vermont, the independent senator announced Wednesday. The sum comes from the sale of merchandise with the…

SAT Cancels Tests in US and Abroad

The trend to deemphasize standardized tests in admissions decisions at U.S. colleges and universities moved ahead this week. The College Board, the organization that administers the tests, said it will discontinue some and improve others. Subject tests such as biology, chemistry and world history, for example, will be discontinued in the United States but not abroad.”We…

First Lady Jill Biden to Focus on Education Policy

Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Biden, who has a doctorate in education, is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president…

Meme of Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral Worldwide

Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern.  Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…

Dr. Jill Biden Steps Into First Lady Role

Jill Biden, the wife of recently inaugurated President Joe Biden, has made it clear that education policy will be a priority for her in the White House. Jill Biden is familiar with life in Washington as her husband spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president under Barack Obama. VOA’s…

Meme of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral Worldwide

Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern.  Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…

Meme of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders Goes Viral

Those who are not students of U.S. politics might be asking why the latest social media craze features an older gentleman in a dark puffer coat sitting in a folding chair and wearing large woolen mittens with a zig-zag pattern.  Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from the small and often very cold New England state…

Biden Plans to Forgive Some Federal Student Loans

President Joe Biden plans to make sweeping changes for students who borrow loans from the federal government, which could result in major relief for many younger Americans.As of 2019, about one-third of Americans younger than 30 held student loan debt, according to the Pew Research Center. The average debt load was $29,200 in 2018, according…

Largest Tuition Strike in US History Highlights Financial Challenges of Pandemic

Student loan debt in the U.S. accounts for over $1.7 trillion, a figure higher than the GDP of countries like Canada, Russia, and South Korea. Now, students at one of the United States most prestigious universities say they will withhold their tuition payments unless the school meets their demands. VOA’s Keith Kocinski in New York…

Students in Italy Protest as Schools Reopen  

Hundreds of students protested in Rome on Monday to demand more classrooms, transport to school and better access to education.After almost 10 months of remote learning, it was the first day back for high school pupils, yet many chose to demonstrate instead. For most high schools, only half of the students from each class were allowed…

US College Accused of Human Trafficking

Eleven students from Brazil and Chile have filed a federal lawsuit accusing a northwest Iowa community college, a recruitment company, a pet food manufacturer, and a packaging company of human trafficking and involuntary servitude. The lawsuit filed January 11 in the Northern District of Iowa says Western Iowa Tech Community College and J&L Staffing, both in…

US Scholarship to Fund Law Students in Civil Rights

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund launched a $40 million scholarship program on Monday to support a new generation of civil rights lawyers, dedicated to pursuing racial justice across the South.With that whopping gift from a single anonymous donor, the fund plans to put 50 students through law schools across the country. In return,…

Capitol Chaos Brings Unwelcome Memories for New Americans

The deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol delivered a sobering lesson to Gigi Mei, who graduated last May from Columbia University in New York.“Democracy is really fragile, and it takes a lot of efforts and energy,” said Mei, a 25-year-old from China. “And it needs people from all aspects to sustain, protect and practice.”Mei was…

More Than 80 People Killed in West Darfur Attack

Unknown armed men killed more than 80 people and injured at least 160 others in the Krinding refugee camp and elsewhere in Genena, the capital of Sudan’s West Darfur state this weekend, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.  Governor Mohamed Abdallah Al Douma also deployed hundreds of troops across the state to restore security. The trouble began Friday when a member…

Hungary Welcomes EU’s First Chinese University Campus

Three years ago, the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban forced the well-regarded Central European University out of Budapest, largely because of who funded it — Hungarian-born American financier and philanthropist George Soros, long a target of populist conspiracy theories and a critic of Orban’s championing of “illiberal democracy.”Now the Hungarian government is pressing…

Young Poet Amanda Gorman to Read at Biden Inaugural

At age 22, poet Amanda Gorman, chosen to read at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, already has a history of writing for official occasions.   “I have kind of stumbled upon this genre. It’s been something I find a lot of emotional reward in, writing something I can make people feel touched by, even…

Biden Proposes Samantha Power for USAID Lead

Samantha Power, nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to head the U.S. Agency for International Development, brings human rights and development experience to the role if confirmed.   “As a journalist, activist, and diplomat, I’ve seen the world-changing impact of @USAID,” Power offered in a tweet. “At this critical moment, I feel immensely fortunate to have the…

Robot-Driven Camera Makes Virtual Class Seem Less Virtual

During the pandemic some schools are able to go to a so-called “hybrid model” where some students physically go to school while others remain at home and log in virtually. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us about a robot connecting students and teachers in a hybrid classroom …

Visa Delays Hinder Foreign Student Job Prospects

Emma is a 27-year-old Chinese national who is pregnant and living with her husband in New York. Emanuel, 23, lives in Virginia and is from Morocco. Peter, 31, moved from China in 2014. He resides in Houston, Texas.Emma, Emanuel and Peter do not know each other, but they have one thing in common: Their international…

Prominent Hong Kong Student Activist Charged with Subversion

Authorities in Hong Kong have reportedly charged pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong with subversion under the new national security law.  News of the new charge was posted on Wong’s Facebook account Thursday.  The 24-year-old activist is currently serving a 13-and-a-half month prison sentence for organizing an unauthorized protest in 2019.  It comes one day after at least 53…