Singer-songwriter Ben Folds sounded a call last fall to collegiate vocal groups everywhere that he was making an album of a cappella versions of his music to be performed by the best university groups he could find. WUSTL's Amateurs and Mosaic Whispers are in the 14 selected. The album will benefit VH1's Save the Music Foundation, which seeks to return instrumental-music education to schools.

References:

1. March 13, 2009 — Ben Folds's Perfect Pitch in the The Chronicle of Higher Education

If you want your baby to love fruits and veggies later in life, offer plenty of opportunities to try both as you introduce your infant to solid foods, new research in the December issue of Pediatrics suggests.
And mom, eat plenty of fruits and veggies while you're pregnant and breast-feeding so you'll help to pass on the preference for these healthy foods.
WUSTL nutrition director Connie Diekman said the study results provide practical information for new parents.

References:

1. Dec. 3, 2007 — Want to Raise a Fruit-and-Veggie Lover? Be Persistent in the CBC News (Canada)

and 8 others.

Cell phones, meanwhile, have allowed parents to stay more connected than before.Some educators expressed concern about the frequent contact, saying it could stunt self-reliance. But many students do not seem to mind when parents call professors to justify grades or intervene in roommate disputes. "I think part of growing up is learning how to solve problems on your own," Karen Levin Coburn, assistant vice chancellor for students at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years.

References:

1. Aug. 21, 2006 — College and universities find it difficult to enforce a line between a parent's involvement and interference in the Houston Chronicle

Recruiters are reportedly fighting for space at campus career fairs, according to college career offices. And employers are expected to hire 14.5 percent more graduates this year, according the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Recruitment efforts have even been so strong that at WUSTL and at the University of Texas at Austin, officials reported they could not accommodate every recruiter.

References:

1. Feb. 24, 2006 — Job prospects heat up for the Class of '06 in the CNNMoney.com

At Lafayette College, in Easton, Pa., many more seniors have applied for community service programs like the Peace Corps and Teach for America in the last two years. At WUSTL; Harvard; the University of California, Los Angeles; Dartmouth; and the University of Colorado, counselors said that over the last five years or more, they have seen a larger proportion of seniors looking to take time off from the serious pursuit of their future. Most of these students work after graduation, but not at jobs that they see as part of their long-term careers. There are three primary reasons students seek out alternatives to traditional career-building after college, said Mark Smith, assistant vice chancellor and director of the career center at WUSTL. One is simply fatigue.

References:

1. Oct. 23, 2005 — For Some College Graduates, a Fanciful Detour (or Two) Before Their Careers Begin in the The New York Times

and 1 others.

Some schools, while glad to see parents care, are expressing concern over the downside. During freshman orientation this year at Northeastern University in Boston, administrators urged parents not to call their children but to let them call home when they want to talk. At WUSTL, upperclassmen perform skits about healthy transitioning for parents. The University of Vermont hires students as "parent bouncers" to delicately keep parents from interfering in, for instance, meetings with advisers.

References:

1. Aug. 28, 2005 — Colleges try to contend with hovering parents in the Associated Press

When Kara Bates finished her stint as an Army pilot flying reconnaissance helicopters over Kuwait and Iraq, she decided that getting an MBA after leaving the military would set her up for a civilian job with equal responsibility. Bates's flight plan turned out to be flawless. A 30-year-old West Point graduate, she is now in her second year at the Olin School of Business at WUSTL. She has already accepted an offer from Guidant Corp., a manufacturer of cardiovascular devices, to act as a liaison with its medical customers.

References:

1. March 1, 2005 — Soldiers Armed with MBAs in the Kiplinger's Personal Finance

It seemed like a cool screen name when he selected it, in middle school. But five years later, when it was time to apply to college, Jeremy Woolf began to rethink his e-mail address. ''I found SexyJer13 to be inappropriate,'' Mr. Woolf says. WUSTL student Jeremy Woolf and WUSTL admissions director Nanette Tarbouni suggest students select appropriate e-mail address names before applying to colleges online.This year about 30 percent of college freshmen applied online.

References:

1. Jan. 18, 2004 — ThinkB4applying: No dopey names in the The New York Times

For upperclassmen, dorm life offers all the comforts -- and it's no longer geeky. Amenities like having your own room, parking your car nearby, and freedom to come and go are widely available as universities are making on-campus living desirable. WUSTL senior Erin Hickey comments.

References:

1. Jan. 18, 2004 — Cool campus cribs in the The New York Times

WUSTL has established stress-free zones during finals, where students can get chair massages and listen to New Age music. Addressing the notoriously poor sleeping habits of undergraduates, the university recently celebrated Sleep Awareness Week by handing out sleep quizzes and reminding residential advisers not to brag about how little sleep they can get by on.

References:

1. April 6, 2004 — Today's lesson for college students: Lighten up in the The New York Times