From the News You Can Use Archives 05/29/07
May News Digest
By Ian Crawford, Web Communications Editor
- SAT Score Prediction by Finger Length
- Financial Aid Award Letter Analysis Offered Online
- Financial Aid Fraud Complaints Remain Constant
- One-Quarter of U.S. Undergraduates Do Not Receive Any Financial Aid
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SAT Score Prediction by Finger Length
Comparing the length of a student's ring and index fingers can help to predict how well they do on SAT exams, according to new research.A longer ring finger than an index finger may lead to higher math scores. A longer index finger suggests better scores in reading and writing.
Researchers from the University of Bath in England found that different levels of the hormones testosterone and estrogen in the womb affect different parts of the developing brain and so determine finger lengths.
More testosterone leads to better spatial and mathematics skills, and a longer ring finger. More exposure to estrogen develops verbal ability, and a longer index finger relative to the ring finger.
In conclusion, the researchers found a positive correlation between student's finger-length ratio measurement and their SAT scores in math and literacy exams.
A new tool for high school counselors, perhaps?
Brosnan, M. - Digit ratio as an indicator of numeracy relative to literacy in 7-year-old British school children. To be published in an upcoming edition of the British Journal of Psychology
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Financial Aid Award Letter Analysis Offered Online
A new Web site analyzes financial aid award letters for clarity and transparency and then assigns a letter grade (one institution gets a 'D' for its award letter).FinancialAidLetter.com was launched by Kim Clark, a senior writer at U.S. News & World Report who launched the Web site while on a six-month Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism fellowship at Ohio State University.
According to Clark, "Over the years, people have been giving me letters and saying: 'I don't understand these.' And I would look at them and say, 'Wow, I don't really understand them either.' There's so much jargon; there are so many buzzwords. The letters that students receive from colleges are often unintelligible to 17-year-olds or especially a parent who hasn't been to college," Clark says. "It makes it very difficult for families who are trying to compare offers."
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Financial Aid Fraud Complaints Remain Constant
According to The College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act of 2000: Sixth Annual Report to Congress, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about financial aid fraud have remained fairly constant over the past decade. When compared to all of the other types of complaints registered with the FTC, the percentage of financial aid fraud complaints has decreased over time.The College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act of 2000: Sixth Annual Report to Congress
- Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Federal Trade Commission
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One-Quarter of U.S. Undergraduates Do Not Receive Any Financial Aid
In a News You Can Use article this month, we reported that three-quarters of undergraduates received some form of financial aid in the academic year 2004-05 and 45 percent took out loans to help pay for their education, according to the “first look” of statistics collected from postsecondary institutions that receive federal aid.Complete article: One-Quarter of U.S. Undergraduates Do Not Receive Any Financial Aid
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Story posted May 29, 2007.
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