StudentNation

StudentNation is a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism and is made possible through generous funding from the Puffin Foundation. StudentNation focuses on first-person accounts from student activists, organizers, and journalists and has helped launch the careers of contributors to The New York TimesVoxBusiness InsiderTeen Vogue, the Guardian, and more. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected]

Marijuana Legalization Gains Momentum in California

Marijuana Legalization Gains Momentum in California Marijuana Legalization Gains Momentum in California

Prop 19, supported by the Just Say Now campaign, is currently leading in the polls and could help the California Democrats in November.

Sep 17, 2010 / StudentNation / Michael Tracey

The State of the Student Left The State of the Student Left

Highlights from a panel from the US Social Forum on the politics of the contemporary American student Left.

Sep 17, 2010 / StudentNation / Laurie Rojas

DREAM Act Comes to the Senate Next Week

DREAM Act Comes to the Senate Next Week DREAM Act Comes to the Senate Next Week

Senators decide next week if hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people will get a path to citizenship. Student activists are mobilizing to convince them to say yes.

Sep 16, 2010 / StudentNation / Braden Goyette

The Archaic Typewriter: Training Tool for Student Writers? The Archaic Typewriter: Training Tool for Student Writers?

Pierce Nettling argues, "if students want to become more succinct writers, there is no better substitute than practicing on a typewriter."

Sep 16, 2010 / StudentNation / Pierce Nettling

Students Prefer Print College Newspapers Over Online Students Prefer Print College Newspapers Over Online

In this period of flux for journalism, as publications are adapting to readers' demands for online content, Poynter's recent conclusion that students prefer reading print college n...

Sep 15, 2010 / StudentNation / Joanna Chiu

Major Student Loan Mistakes, and Ways to Avoid Making Them Major Student Loan Mistakes, and Ways to Avoid Making Them

The economy's long nosedive has done more than raise unemployment rates and housing foreclosures—it's also contributed to a devastating increase in the amount of student debt. Following a recent Education Department report on debt repayment figures, Gawker compiled a list of the top ten universities for student debt, which is topped by NYU's staggering $659 million total. This year also marked the first time in history that outstanding student loan debt exceeded outstanding total credit card debt, with student loan debt nationwide increasing at a rate of about $2853.88 per second. It's a grim landscape for students who've borrowed money, and one that is rife with ways to exacerbate the amount owed. In light of this, Sarah Deveau has provided a helpful list of tips and practices to avoid via the San Francisco Chronicle. Highlights from the pieces, "The 6 Worst Student Loan Mistakes You Can Make" include smart warnings against tempting practices like falsifying information on a student loan application, spending loan money on non-essential purchases and missing payments. "Some experts suggest that your monthly student loan payment should be no more than 10% of your expected salary," Deveau writes. "Calculate your monthly loan payments based on a 10-year repayment schedule, including interest, the find out the average starting salary for your career choice. If your loan payments will be higher than 10%, look at reducing the amount you borrow, either through producing more income or switching to a less expensive program." The bottom line, she says, is this:  A student loan is often the first large sum of money a young adult must manage themselves. Avoiding common money mistakes when it comes to financing your college education is crucial to graduating with only good debt, and as little of it as possible. Some of it seems fairly no-brainer, but Deveau lays it out in concrete, practical terms that should make a lot of sense—especially to students taking on loans for the first time.

Sep 10, 2010 / StudentNation / Carrie Battan

Students Ask Obama to Add Solar Panels to White House Roof Students Ask Obama to Add Solar Panels to White House Roof

Unity College students and Bill McKibben launch road trip to reinstall Jimmy Carter solar panel back on the White House roof.

Sep 9, 2010 / StudentNation / Peter Rothberg

Generation Y Encouraged to Break Tradition Generation Y Encouraged to Break Tradition

Why are 20-somethings taking longer to grow up, no longer following the traditional timetable of adulthood?

Sep 8, 2010 / StudentNation / Melanie Breault

For-Profit Colleges’ Latest Lesson to Students: How to Fight Stricter Regulation of Schools For-Profit Colleges’ Latest Lesson to Students: How to Fight Stricter Regulation of Schools

For-profit colleges have been enlisting students to write letters opposing proposed regulation that could limit federal student aid.

Sep 7, 2010 / StudentNation / Marian Wang, ProPublica

Sierra Club Ranks America’s Greenest Schools

Sierra Club Ranks America’s Greenest Schools Sierra Club Ranks America’s Greenest Schools

Intercollegiate rivalry isn't all about the academics anymore. It's also about eco-friendliness, says the Sierra Club.

Aug 25, 2010 / StudentNation / Carrie Battan

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