The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 6 February 2013.
Yale law student details why he hates his classmates in open letter
A third-year student at Yale University’s law school has used a student forum to write an open letter to his classmates explaining why he hates them in detail. He accuses them of being uptight and being too easily offended. The Asian student also accuses them of casual racism. The Huffington Post reports the story, or you can see the full letter at Above the Law. Be warned, it contains a lot of swearing…
98-year-old man studies at university in Japan
A 98-year-old man is studying a course in the history of internal politics at Momoyama Gakuin University in Osaka, Japan, reports The Japan Daily Press. Nobukatsu Murakawa has been commended for his dedication, with the journey to university taking two hours, and his commitment to his studies. He enrolled on the program, targeted at adult learners, five years ago.
India’s universities must improve, states prime minister
Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, has called for a concerted effort to improve the standard of Indian universities, citing the lack of an Indian institution in the top 200 of the QS World University Rankings as an indication of low quality. India was the only BRIC country (Brazil, Russia, India and China) not to be represented in the top 200. Singh blamed a failure to keep up with the times, and “unnecessary rigidity”, reports India Today.
Americans question quality and affordability of higher education
A report from the Lumina Foundation and Gallup has found that three-quarters of Americans think that attending university is unaffordable, and over half think that it has gone down in quality or has not improved on past failings. However, a majority also believe that a degree is necessary in getting a decent job, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. The full report, entitled America’s call for higher education redesign, can be read here.
Five easy dessert recipes
On a slightly lighter note, UK newspaper The Independent, has compiled a list of five easy dessert recipes for students. Those with a sweet tooth should definitely check it out! The piece has recipes for apple crumble, sticky toffee pudding, shortbread, flapjacks and molten chocolate cakes. Maybe we’ll have a crack at these at TopUniversities.com…