Once you get in to college, you probably think you’re done reviewing all the ridiculous education rankings. Not so for those looking ahead to grad school.

For law school and b-school hopefuls, however, the rankings review might not be as bad as you think.

The hot-off-the-press 2009 print and online editions of “Best 174 Law Schools” and “Best 296 Business Schools” may appear daunting at first glance. But The Princeton Review’s annual guidebooks are chock full of fun lists that are mostly based on student input. It’s kind of like having a grad school insider give you the scoop on what each school is really like. Each guidebook lists the top 10 schools in 11 categories.

So if you’re interested in the best business school for career prospects, you would click on Stanford University (Stanford, CA). Or if you want to be aware of the toughest law school to get into — the only ranking in the books based entirely on school-reported data — you would take note of Yale University (New Haven, CT).

Both books include lists of schools that are the toughest to get into and that present the best career prospects, best classroom experience, and most competitive students.

The b-school ranking categories also include best administered, best campus environment, best campus facilities, best professors, greatest opportunity for minority students, greatest opportunity for women, and most family friendly.

The law school categories also include best environment for minority students,
best quality of life, candidates for Center for American Progress Fellowships? (or, students lean to the left), candidates for Heritage Foundation Fellowships? (or, students lean to the right), most diverse faculty, most welcoming of older students, and professors rock (legally speaking).

Remember, the schools are ranked from their students’ perspective. So the guidebooks can serve as a sort of shorthand for you. Say you’re a minority student interested in Badabing U., but it didn’t make the list of the top 10 schools for minority students. That’s your cue to follow up with the school and get your questions answered directly.

It can be dangerous to take grad school rankings at face value. But if you take the guidebooks and online listings for what they really are — a guide — you’ll have a valuable tool to determine how various schools rate in the areas that matter most to you.

For those looking toward law school or b-school: Do you plan to review the rankings first?

-Robyn Tellefsen

Kudos to Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea, for going back to college! And the best part? He’s studying music – the very field in which he’s already successful. Now there’s making good use out of your downtime (the band is currently on hiatus from touring and recording).

Furthering your skills in a field you are currently working in is far from uncommon. In fact, there are many certification courses, as well as advanced degrees, that can help interested students, like Flea, quench their thirst for further knowledge. This kind of education will give you more skills and higher earning potential.

In an interview with MTV News, the 45-year-old rock star attending USC – Los Angeles said:

“Being in a band has been an education, and being on tour has been an education, so this is just me furthering my education in a different way. When I was a kid and it was time to go to college, I thought, ‘College is for people who don’t have the street smarts to make it on their own — get in a band, get in a van and get rockin’.’ That was a good philosophy for me at the time, [but] there were a lot of things I wanted to learn, and I want to learn them now.”

Smart move, Mr. Flea. We like your attitude, not to mention your drive to educate America’s youth in a subject like music – Flea is a co-founder and teacher at Silverlake Conservatory of Music.

A Red Hot Chili Pepper being educated AND educating at the same time – muy caliente!

-Amanda Fornecker

As school begins, you’ll want to be sure that you have all the tools you’ll need to be successful, right at your disposal. And theClassConnection is a great find for the start of the 2008-2009 school year!

TheClassConnection was designed by two students in 2006, who were working on a student project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It’s a free online resource for students in high school, college, and graduate school that aims to help students boost their GPAs by using study tools and lecture notes from other students that may help kids better understand the material and study well. Think of theClassConnection as a “digital trapper keeper” and the path to good grades. And what’s even better is that theClassConnection believes in their ability to help you so much that if you don’t boost your GPA, they will give you $1,000 in private tutoring with SmartThinking.com.

Dave Sargent is the Chief Marketing Officer of theClassConnection and thinks it’s a great tool that will help students be even more successful than they were in the past. “People have been talking about the web and computers taking education to the next level since the dawns of PCs,” he says. “Yet hardly anything has been developed that actually helps students study more efficiently. We wanted to create the first academic network that allowed students to organize and streamline every part of their academic life online. That’s why we started theClassConnection.com.”

Some helpful tools and features of theClassConnection include digital flashcards, online storage of files, the ability to organize study groups, tutors, and more. If you’re having an issue with a class or particular subject, it’s almost certain that there will be some sort of help on theClassConnection.

TheClassConnection is a social networking site for students and even professors who want to have more in-depth discussions and share ideas without ever having to trek to the library during those cold winter snowstorms for a study sesh. It’s convenient, it’s helpful, and it’s guaranteed to help students do better. Work harder this year and use theClassConnection in the process on your quest for success.

-Amanda Fornecker

Ever wonder if there is a way to gain career experience while still in high school? Well, according to a recent New York Times article there exists a way to gain career preparation prior to college (or without going to college), but the importance of a college education is still emphasized.

This new high school program, known as a career academy, has recently gained extra attention and popularity. The National Academy Foundation (www.naf.org) heads the program and there are more than 2,500 career academies in the US today. Career academies, found mostly within low-income areas, combine job placement, college preparation, and classes to go beyond the old high school non-college track. The academies offer paid internships and jobs. The programs also include emphasis on subject areas that are usually not studied before attendance at a college. The areas include business, tourism, accounting, and much more.

A recent study performed on students who participated in these career academies showed that there are significant and lasting affects among these low-income teenagers, who many times believe they cannot have career success and experience self-doubt about pursuing a college education . With the help of these career academies, these high school students are able to build the confidence they need to attend college. So even though many are career ready, college is still part of the plan. And this is the message high schools which participate in this program hope to relay.

Remember these important facts. College allows you to explore your career field in a more in depth way. You’re able to meet people along the way who share your interests and therefore you are able to network. Also, college graduates make much more than those with a high school diploma or GED. These are the reasons why everyone continues to stress the importance of college.

To read this New York Times article in its entirety and learn more about this study, click here .

- Priscilla Rodriguez

You’ve seen them — bulletins sent in the mail or galleries linked on school websites — and they’re all filled with the same things: happy, smiling students of every race and color who are either walking around campus or deeply engaged in a professor’s lecture.

But just how accurate are these microcosms of college living? According to recent research headed by Timothy Pippert, an associate professor of sociology from Augsburg College (Minneapolis, Missouri), not very.

Using a random sampling of 371 college and universities, Pippert studied various promotional materials and found that schools often over-represented the number of minorities on campus. For example, while black and Asian students comprise 7.9 and 3.3 percent of the average college student body, respectively, their presence in college bulletins and other materials amount to 12.4 and 5.1 percent of students portrayed.

The effect can be two-fold, gain the interest of students who are interested in attending a diverse college and make minority students feel more welcome. But does this penchant for picture diversity constitute a conspiracy to lure in students? What do you think?

– Genevieve M. Blaber

“I left school at 15. I’m not a genius songwriter. I don’t think I’m really good at anything.” – Lily Allen to Rollingstone Mag

Well that’s an interesting quote from a somewhat British role model who sings about smiling. Leaving school at 15 is nothing to brag about, as not all of us can have a lucky break to have one CD that goes out and does well. She clearly has self-esteem issues (not to mention drug problems) and maybe if she took a few classes then she’d learn a craft and be able to go out into the world and be more productive. It’s sad that she doesn’t feel like she’s good at anything. But I guess that’s what cutting off your education will do to you at such an early age.

Some advice for Ms. Allen: In order to be really productive you first need to believe in yourself. Then see what you’re good at. You’ve got to be good at something, right? What are your interests, goals, and passions in life? Try to make a list of these things and see what programs might be of interest to you. A degree will certainly help you go farther than only a few years of high school education.

In the case of Ms. Allen, of course, she’ll need to get her GED before she proceeds with coursework at practically every collegiate program in the U.S. or Canada. Maybe she can go to cosmetology school and learn the dos and don’ts of dying your hair (pink is soo not in).

I can’t help but wonder, if she doesn’t have any talents, what’s her back-up plan if and when she doesn’t have another singing hit? Maybe with a degree Lily Allen will actually smile for a good reason and not at seeing her ex-boyfriend miserable…

-Amanda Fornecker

If you’re like most soon-to-be college students, chances are there’s a philosophy course waiting in your future. While you may recoil in horror at the notion of studying things like utilitarianism and deontology, the truth is that looking at the world through a philosophical lens can be fun and — dare I say it? –- enlightening.

Still skeptical? Then maybe you should try easing yourself into the realm of philosophical discussion with the help of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. Each book from this ongoing collection is dedicated to analyzing a different cultural icon or show within the entertainment world. Chapters are written by college professors from across the nation and are as educational as they are representative of fandom at its finest, with everything from character motivations to plotlines discussed.

Case in point: After reading just two chapters of Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul, I’ve been introduced to classical and contemporary thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Judith Jarvis Thomson — all in the course of pondering popular Batty topics like why Batman is better than the Man of Steel, and Bruce Wayne’s motivations for ever donning the cape.

In short, the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series is a perfect easy-to-understand crash course in philosophy cushioned by a topic you already love. Where else will you be able to read about the philosophical implications of hot shows like 24, Lost, Family Guy, The Office, and even The Daily Show?

– Genevieve M. Blaber

For those of you who are currently on the search for internship help, there’s a new site that just may be perfect for you. Dr. Jerry Cahn, president of Presentation Excellence, recently launched a networking site called InternPower along with the help and input of his intern Oriana So, a student at CUNY Baruch College. The site is so in tune with students that its initial launch was done through Facebook. InternPower is committed to helping students and hiring companies optimize the internship experience.

InternPower is intended not only for those seeking internships, but also for companies who work with interns and those who have already participated in an internship. InternPower offers a variety of help for both students and companies alike. Students can go on the site and locate potential internships. They are also provided with guidance on the internship application and selection process. Companies can use the site to locate options on how to reach out to their target students. There is even a section on the site for intern supervisors to share advice and questions.

Internships have become very important for gaining experience within your field of study and also for helping students figure out if they’re following the right career path. It also provides the intern with an opportunity to gain insight on potential companies. Finding an internship has become easier as the popularity and need of internships began to increase. Prior to the creation of internship websites that list potential opportunities, students only had the option of talking to a career center counselor at their college, or getting contact with people they knew to help get their foot in the door.

InternPower is just one of the many websites that provide students with internship help. Internshipprograms.com, monstertrak.com, and careerbuilder.com list internships for students studying in all majors. But sometimes you have to go beyond just these sites. Performing an internship search through search engines such as Google is very helpful. If you’re a graphic design student, putting words such as “graphic design internships’, can lead you to several different companies who are seeking interns to work on web design projects. Another good idea for locating internships is to visit a company’s web site and checking to see if they have job listings available.

Journalism majors, such as myself, find themselves seeking internships not only through search engines and websites, but also by writing directly to publications in which they are interested in interning for. When I began my internship search I looked through the regular sites (i.e., careerbuilder, monstertrak) but saw that this wasn’t enough. As time passed on I found websites which were dedicated to journalism majors, and looked at mastheads of all the publications which have always caught my eye. I read through forums, such as the one seen on internpower.com, and read through blogs similar to some that can be found here on collegebound.net.

I began sending emails to inquire about current openings with companies and also applied to listings seen through Google searches I had performed. I didn’t receive responses right away (the waiting period can be nerve-wracking), but when they did start arriving I began to feel the excitement. I knew soon enough I would begin doing something I loved and would begin the journey down my dream career path.

Sites that include forums (internpower.com) and message boards become ideal in the individual’s internship search because it brings you together with others in your situation, as well with those who have already had the opportunity to intern at a company.

-Priscilla Rodriguez