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Posts tagged ‘new york times’

Apr 17

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Life after NYT.com: News Alternatives

Letter to the Editor /via choiresicha.com

A smart Midd student once got up in front of a class of incoming freshmen and gave this advice: “Set your homepage to a news site — that way you’re forced to read about what’s going on outside the Middlebury bubble.” It’s pretty good advice, if you ask me, but it also became a little harder this month when NYTimes.com went under a “paywall.” I’m going to take a wild guess and say that some of you read a lot of the New York Times. And not everyone can grab one of the precious paper copies in the dining halls…

Admittedly, I am a little biased toward another newspaper, but last month I read 43 NYT articles and I’ve already hit my “legal limit” for this month. I’m not a digital subscriber and yet there are plenty of ways around the 20 article limit. But I wanted to recommend some other places to get your news that are still free-as-in-beer:

Go British: Our international population already knows the wonders of the BBC, even if they too have been hit by some funding cuts. They have a great mix of timely and deep news on a customizable homepage, but you may miss some of the buzz-worthy American news. I’m told it’s snooty, but The Economist has always been my favourite newsweekly in print and their website gives most of the best content from the magazine away for free. But this is not the place for breaking news — Economist goes deep with some of the smartest and well-researched pieces that you can bring up in your PoliSci classes. But if you’re not going to spend the time actually reading some of the lengthier articles, it’s probably not the best one-stop news site. The Guardian has some of the best multimedia and interactive coverage, if you’re missing the NYT infographics. Check out their SxSW coverage, for instance. Read more

Oct 15

Dean of Admissions Bob Clagett on the SAT

SAT guides abound

Dean of Admissions Bob Clagett’s post today on the New York Times‘ “The Choice” blog adds some useful perspective to our discussion last week of SAT scores and educational evaluation.  From the blog:

Too many prospective applicants obsess far too much about the role of their SAT or ACT scores in the admissions process. In fact, those scores are seldom a deal maker or breaker.

…Test scores fundamentally provide colleges with the roughest possible measure of your potential for academic success in college, and their predictive value usually declines over time. But they don’t tell us much about your intellectual “fire in the belly,” and that’s what our faculties want in their classrooms. That’s why your high school grades, and the rigor of the academic program in which they are achieved, are a much better long-term predictor of your potential for academic success.

As I’ve said before, I’m very happy to have chosen a college that has an admissions process guided by this approach.  Feel free to comment if you disagree or have more information to contribute to this discussion.