Don’t Buy Into the “College Experience”
By Jean Fan This piece is a response to “Why The College Campus Experience Still Matters.” Thanks to Gregoris Kalai for pointing it out. A recent LinkedIn article touted the importance of higher...
View ArticleVocational Schools: A Great Alternative
By Arthur Posey Arthur is a retired high school guidance counselor and freelance blogger specializing in issues that relate to education (including education reform, TEFL and the importance of...
View Article3 Difference-Making Skills that Colleges Don’t Teach
By Jay Cross Jay is the founder of The DIY Degree. In 2011, Jay used a strategy known as credit-by-examination to rapidly accelerate his degree and now shares his time and money saving graduation...
View ArticleDon’t Try to “Beat” the School System—Transcend It
By Matthew Manning “You’ve be absent a lot this year. Nineteen times. You’re aware that if you miss one more day, you lose credit for the year, right?” I was aware. I could not have been more aware....
View ArticleThe Cost of Being a Perfect Student
By Alex Clifford We’ve all been through the school system. I don’t know about you, but I’m really disappointed with it. When you’re in school, you’re on this giant treadmill. You’ve got to keep running...
View ArticleReasons Not To Take A Gap Year (And Why You’re Wrong)
By Jean Fan At last week’s Under 20 Summit, UnCollege hosted a breakout session where we discussed the value of taking time off from school. Sitting in a large circle, we went around and described the...
View ArticleSkilled Trade: Get Paid To Learn
If you’re anything like me, you realized early on that institutionalized education wasn’t exactly a “fit” for you. Although we know something is severely wrong, what choice do we have? Is it possible...
View ArticleAdvocating For Your Learning And Leadership Styles
By Tiffany Mikell In the last hackademic camp, we explored learning styles and leadership styles. Understanding how we best learn and lead is a critical component of hacking your education. There is a...
View ArticleBe The House: How to Stack The Odds of Life in Your Favor
This is a guest post from Jay Cross, founder of The DIY Degree. In 2011, Jay used a strategy known as credit-by-examination to rapidly accelerate his degree and now shares his time and money saving...
View ArticleEverything I Learned Out of School
By Rainesford Alexandra Rainesford Alexandra is a writer, classically-educated student, and creator of Dressing Room Writers, an online publication devoted to all things artistic. After writing about...
View ArticleAre You a Hackademic?
By Jean Fan When I first joined the UnCollege team last year, I wasn’t sure if I qualified as a hackademic. My story contrasts sharply with Dale’s. I went to public school from kindergarten to the...
View ArticleThe Last Gasp Before You Go Under
By Matthew Manning “Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.” —Benjamin Franklin I saw the movie 21 & Over in theatres. The traffic was a nightmare. We had to...
View ArticleWhy I Wish I Took a Gap Year Before Starting College
By Ben Kim Ben is a recent graduate from the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in Television and Media Studies. He is currently interning at RedHoop, a website that helps self-directed...
View ArticleWhat Schools Don’t Teach: Figuring Out What You Like
By Jean Fan A few weeks ago, I published a guest piece on EdSurge. Titling it “Why I’m Not Going to Stanford in September,” I expressed my need to learn how to learn on my own. Discovering knowledge...
View ArticleDon’t Try to “Beat” the School System—Transcend It
By Matthew Manning “You’ve be absent a lot this year. Nineteen times. You’re aware that if you miss one more day, you lose credit for the year, right?” I was aware. I could not have been more aware....
View ArticleHow Not Getting Into College Changed My Life
By Robert Shin Some background information for context: I lived and attended school in New Zealand my entire life, where the school year begins in February and ends in December. All references made are...
View ArticleWhat Schools Don’t Teach: Leadership
By Jean Fan As a freshman in high school, I remember enviously eyeing club presidents, student council members, and editor-in-chiefs. They led the school, or so it seemed. By junior year, when I held...
View ArticleThe Juggler’s Dilemma
By Zach Obront Zach Obront runs a blog at http://zachobront.com, where he rambles about entrepreneurship, psychology and history. He’s also the founder of Landline Assassin, a telecommunications...
View ArticleStart Here: Who Are You?
By Jean Fan Many of you folks have been actively following UnCollege since it started in 2011, but some of you are relatively new to the site. There are many great resources and blog pieces here. It...
View Article4 (More) Important Skills for Hackademics to Develop
By Jean Fan About a year ago, I published a piece on the UnCollege site called 4 Important Skills for Hackademics to Develop. The four skills I listed were writing, coding, networking, and thinking...
View Article
