Looking for a good read? A model for your own project? Here are 10 current and varied higher education blogs created by college and university staff, faculty, and students. What did they do to catch our notice? They had to be audience savvy, content-rich, and visually appealing publications; we wanted them to be of interest in general, not just if you were a member of that community or specifically considering a particular institution. They also couldn’t be primarily news blogs, functioning primarily as a PR tool than as an audience information resource, or digital magazines.
Do you think we missed you? Let us know!
Baylor College of Medicine’s Baylor COM Blog Network
This portal aggregates five blogs in total maintained by Baylor College of Medicine: Momentum, From the Labs, Policywise, The Stitch, and Progress Notes. Each blog has its particular purpose (i.e. news, research, surgery, etc) and can be accessed from a beautifully curated and easy to navigate homepage or via each individual blog’s page. The result is an organic publication feel to what is really a utilitarian information vehicle; it trips lightly from hard research to fun features to profiles to safety tips.
Recent post of note: What are the long-term side effects of COVID-19?
Binghamton University’s Binghamton University Blog
This simple blog is appealing because it provides timely, straightforward advice and information to its audience. While it is housed in the admissions section of the website, most of the recent content seems directed at student life both on and off campus. Because it is framed in this way, it seems less like a marketing push (come to our university!) and more like a conversation about all the ways Binghamton and its surrounding area is great.
Recent post of note: My Favorite Binghamton University TikToks
Edinboro University’s TartanEdge Center for Career Development & Experiential Learning Blog
Clean, attractive, informational, diverse content — this checks all the boxes. As expected from a careers-focused blog, you can find resume and cover letter tips and job and internship leads. But this blog also features titles like “Interviewing While Non-Binary” and “Hispanic Heritage Month: What it Means to ‘Bring My Self’ to Work,” making it an inclusive environment. Furthermore, the standard advice articles feature practical and actionable content that anyone, not just Edinboro community members, can apply.
Recent post of note: How To Write An Interview Thank You Email [Tips + Examples]
Florida Institute of Technology, Online Programs’ Florida Tech Online Blog
This straightforward blog anticipates the needs and questions of the adult student who is looking to complete an online program while in the workforce. Not only can you find expected program descriptions and student and faculty profiles, but you can also look to it for practical job advice, knowledge of business terms and concepts, and checklists and FAQs to help you decide your career path. The clean, easy to navigate format makes it a quick stop to find the information you need. A blog doesn’t have to be fancy to be successful.
Recent post of note: Supply Chain Lessons from COVID-19
Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Admissions Blog
This mostly student-written blog covers a gamut of topics from perceived advantages of applying early action and coping with COVID to career paths and greek life. The look of the blog is unique, with each student writer having an illustrated avatar associated with each post. The tone is informal, chatty, and youth-centered — we especially appreciated “a recipe for making yourself extremely hosed (or what I’m doing this fall) — but it also is cogent enough that a parent or other adult influencers can immediately see the content value.
Recent post of note: one with nothing
Princeton University’s Undergraduate Student Blog
This little beauty of a blog is a fun, image-focused exploration of student activities and advice for those considering Princeton as their academic home. The blog has a bubbled list of topics at the top for easy sorting and the entries themselves appear as intriguing photos that reveal the content underneath when your mouse passes over them. This is audience aware communication and we love a smart approach like that.
Recent post of note: How to Stay Active on a Socially Distanced Campus
The State University of New York (SUNY)’s Big Ideas | SUNY Blog
The Big Ideas blog is a busy portal into just about everything SUNY. The busy, however, is successfully corralled by clear labeling and a fantastically diverse content spectrum. Want to talk about health? Check. Care to hear about campus initiatives? You got it. Feel like non-traditional students don’t get enough focus? That’s not an issue here. Rankings important to you? Ok, step this way. The blog makes this plethora of coverage a selling statement on its homepage: “Fact: We Have More Than 1,000 Articles.”
Recent post of note: Non-Traditional Students Prove It’s Never Too Late to Learn
University of California, Berkeley’s Berkeley Blog
“Campus scholars’ perspectives on topical issues — in conversation with you” reads the tagline to the Berkeley Blog, which has categories ranging from culture and economics to mind and body and law. The number of authors is also expansive, running the gamut of experience and expertise. What sets this blog apart is that it isn’t a direct recruiting or marketing tool (though we’d argue that any public facing web destination is certainly those), but it’s an academic exploration of topical issues that showcase Berkeley’s community.
Recent post of note: Here’s how Biden can help conserve 30% of U.S. land by 2030
University of Edinburgh’s Study Abroad Blog
There are two things that make this blog stand out. First, it’s not about their students studying in other countries; it’s about those who choose University of Edinburgh as their destination. Two, it’s visually stunning. You can argue that Scotland has an inherent advantage in the beauty of the terrain, but its template design shamelessly builds on that natural imagery. It looks like they are gearing up after about half of a year of silence and we look forward to more.
Recent post of note: My trip to the Highlands
University of Idaho’s University of Idaho Women’s Center Blog
While most of these blogs have marketing, recruiting, and student life focuses, there are also excellent blogs focused on specific academic topics and salient issues that are important to their institutions. The Women’s Center Blog has a pleasing, clean old-school blogging format paired with an important, needed spotlight on women’s issues. Even better, it’s written by three students in different majors who share a passion for feminism and writing.
Recent post of note: No: Say it Loud, Say it Proud
CODA: Don’t have time to read a second article on blogs? Here are nine more from a previous version of this article that are still top of their game. We highly recommend that you check them out too.
- Bentley University: Career Edge
- Cornell University SC Johnson School of Business: Dyson School Business Feed
- Georgia Tech: Admission Blog
- Lehigh University: Admissions Blog
- Northeastern University: Graduate Programs Blog
- Tufts University: Inside Admissions
- University of Georgia: Undergraduate Admissions Blog
- University of Illinois: Admissions Blog
- University of Oregon: Around the O Blog
