The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia. Consistently ranked among the top ten schools in the country by the U.S. News and World Report, the University of Pennsylvania offers four undergraduate schools and twelve graduate schools from which to choose. Ben Franklin founded the university in 1740, and its location in central Philadelphia keeps students close to major historical landmarks as well as Philadelphia’s bustling arts and commerce districts.

With almost 10,000 undergrads, the University of Pennsylvania is large enough to offer a wide variety of viewpoints but not so large that a student can’t make personal connections with staff and other students. Undergrads may choose between majors in the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Nursing, and the Wharton School of Business. Students also have the opportunity to create their own dual-discipline majors that involve programs or classes in more than one school.

Opportunities for Graduate Students at the University of Pennsylvania

Graduate students also number approximately 10,000. Masters and PhD programs are available in a wide variety of programs, including nursing, medicine, dental, communication, education, and more. The Wharton School offers an extremely competitive top-ranked MBA degree program, from which many of the nation’s top executives have graduated.

The University of Pennsylvania also offers many opportunities for research. With a budget of approximately $660 million for fiscal year 2006, the university employs thousands of research fellows, postdocs, and support staff. The university is one of the nation’s top earners in terms of external funding, as well–nearly $500 million in grants support the university’s researchers each year.

Located in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University is considered to be one of the nation’s top colleges. Since its founding in 1701, Yale’s campus has grown into large 260-acre campus with over with 11,000 students and more than 3,000 faculty members. A member of the Ivy League, Yale has fostered an ongoing rivalry with fellow Ivy campus Harvard.

Beyond being incredibly prestigious (Yale University alumni have been overwhelmingly represented in presidential campaigns), Yale’s library sets it apart from other Ivy League schools. With 11 million volumes, Yale’s library system is the second largest among U.S. universities. As a result of their impressive academic reputation and ample facilities, Yale attracts many of the nation’s top students and has developed a rigorous screening process for prospective applicants.

Among the student body, nearly half (44 percent) of students major in fields within Arts and Humanities, another 37 percent are in the Social Sciences, and only 19 percent major in Biological and Physical Sciences. Not surprisingly, political science, history, and economics are the most popular majors at Yale University. Yale University’s student body split evenly among men and women.

As part of the NCAA’s Division I, Yale University Bulldogs have 35 sports to choose from, divided almost evenly between men and women. Beyond sports, many students participate in the Yale Political Union, one of the university’s oldest and most popular groups. Along with the oldest student political group in the country, Yale also features the nation’s oldest student newspaper, the Yale Daily News.

Stanford University, located in charming Palo Alto, is a West Coast powerhouse when it comes to athletics and academics. The university’s graduate programs are highly sought after and very competitive, especially degree programs within the School of Law and the School of Medicine. Aside from its academics, the campus itself is an integral part of Palo Alto. The university’s Cantor Center is a renowned art museum in its own right, with an impressive collection of works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Research has always been a strong component of Stanford University’s prestige. Current faculty members count an impressive number of prizes and awards between them, including four Pulitzer Prizes and 16 Nobel Prizes. Ideas as diverse as recombinant DNA and IQ tests came out of Stanford’s research labs. Continuing this tradition, the Bio-X research program was designed to facilitate cross-discipline research in fields such as biology and medicine.

Student Life and Academics at Stanford University

Athletics play a large part in Stanford University student life–in fact, 80 percent of students participate in campus sports. College football is the most visible of Stanford’s athletic programs, showcased in the annual Big Game against Bay Area rival Cal. Famous alumni in the world of sports include Jim Plunkett and John Elway.

In the world of the arts, Stanford University also fields an impressive set of programs. Most notable is the creative writing program, founded by Wallace Stegner. Cross-cultural studies are also an important part of Stanford’s humanities programs. Students interested in cultural studies may choose between programs offered through the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, the Center for Latin American Studies, and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts.

Located in New Jersey, Princeton University is one the country’s prestigious Ivy League colleges. Founded in 1746, the country’s fourth-oldest college was known for years as the College of New Jersey. The name “Princeton University” was adopted in 1896, with the university designation indicating the expanded number of courses and degrees available.

The university boasts a rich history–in fact, the campus’s Nassau Hall was, at one point, the capitol of the United States. Today, the school is dedicated to both undergraduate education and its research capabilities and enrolls approximately 2,000 graduate students and 7,000 undergrads.

Faculty and Students at Princeton University

Princeton’s faculty has won a slough of awards, including Nobel Prizes. Past winners include John Nash, Toni Morrison, and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. In addition, 15 current or former faculty members have won the National Medal of Science. All Princeton faculty members are encouraged to work closely with undergrads to develop their interests and form working relationships–this is made possible by the 5:1 student to faculty member ratio.

Student life at Princeton University is lively and diverse. For the first two years, students are required to live on campus in one of five dormitories. Additional housing is available for upper classmen who also wish to live on campus (a surprising 97 percent of them chose to do so). Creative activities are sponsored and encouraged; the facility at 185 Nassau Street hosts fiction and poetry readings while student-run Theatre Intime produces musicals and plays.

Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois. With a wide range of options for both undergraduates and graduate students, Northwestern provides the opportunity to create cross-discipline curricula. Undergraduate options include programs in the School of Communication, the School of Education and Social Policy, the Medill School of Journalism, and the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, among others.

The Kellogg School of Management is Northwestern University’s renowned business school. MBA programs offer an emphasis in executive studies or international studies. Students may choose between programs in accounting, finance, management, managerial strategy, and marketing.

Facts about Northwestern University

Northwestern University’s athletic program fields teams in basketball, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and more. In December of 2005, the school’s football team earned a berth in the Sun Bowl. Intramural and club sports are also popular campus activities, offering sports such as dodgeball and volleyball. Northwestern is the only private university to belong to the Big 10.

The university enrolls nearly 8,000 undergraduate students and approximately 7,000 graduate students. Most graduate programs are housed in Northwestern’s satellite campus in Chicago. The college may be most well known for its outstanding journalism program, which has been ranked among the top three in the country. Northwestern’s newspaper, not surprisingly, is ranked as one of the nation’s best college papers.

Harvard University is famous as the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The university was founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. Although founded in a Puritan colony, Harvard has no religious affiliation. The school’s famous alumni include quite a few U.S. presidents, including John Adams, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Because of its age, the Harvard campus offers wonderful examples of Colonial architecture. Brick buildings, iron-tipped gates, and well-manicured greenbelts characterize the campus. Campus tours are popular with visiting tourists as well as incoming freshmen. The oldest buildings on campus pre-date the Revolutionary War.

The Impressive Achievements of Harvard University Faculty

Harvard University is made up of 12 different colleges, including the Business School, Design School, Divinity School, and the School of Public Health. Faculty members in each school are renowned within their fields; past and present faculty members have racked up an impressive 46 Pulitzer Prizes. Recent winners include Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 prize for literature.

Harvard’s research facilities have made impressive breakthroughs in the world of science and medicine. In 1993, Harvard University researchers identified the gene for Huntington’s Disease. In 2000, a Harvard team created a new cancer drug being tested in patients for whom chemotherapy is either not an option or has not been successful. With dozens of affiliated research institutes, Harvard is well positioned for another remarkable century of discovery.

The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is nestled in the center of Southern California’s most exciting metropolis. The university was founded in 1919 as the southern branch of the state’s public university system; however, it soon grew too large for its location and the Westwood campus was built less than a decade later. The school opened its doors to graduate students in 1934, and the School of Public Health was founded in 1961.

Currently, almost 25,000 undergraduates study at the University of California Los Angeles, along with almost 11,000 graduate students. UCLA faculty remains among the most decorated of any American university. Historically, five UCLA faculty members have won the Nobel Prize, two have won Pulitzers, and nine have won a National Medal of Science. Since the year 2000, the UCLA staff has included 11 Fulbright Scholars.

Renowned Programs at the University of California Los Angeles

With its Los Angeles location, it isn’t surprising that the UCLA film program is top-ranked. In fact, the undergraduate film and theater program was ranked number one in the country by the Princeton Review, topping cross-town rival USC. Alumni of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television include actress Mariska Hargitay and director Gore Verbinski.

The Anderson School of Management at the University of California Los Angeles is also a nationally ranked program. As one of the top ten business schools in the country, the Anderson School plays a large part in predicting and shaping California’s economy (largely through the Anderson Report). The UCLA economics program is also top-notch, producing alumni such as William Sharpe, the 1990 Nobel Prize winner.

Known as Caltech, the California Institute of Technology is one of the nation’s premier technical schools. The university prides itself on its technological achievements, and 31 of its faculty and alumni have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. The list of Caltech Nobel honorees includes Linus Pauling, Roger Sperry, and Robert Grubbs.

The California Institute of Technology is a small university, with just over 2,100 students (approximately 900 undergrads and 1,200 graduate students). Despite its small student body, there are numerous extracurricular activities that showcase the student body’s diversity. Campus clubs include the Caltech Anime Society, the Caltech Chess Club, the International Film Club, and the Caltech Environmental Task Force.

Disciplines of Study at the California Institute of Technology

Courses of study available at the California Institute of Technology include biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, physics, math, and astronomy. Many prospective students aren’t aware that Caltech also offers courses in the humanities and social sciences. Currently, the humanities research facility is working on compiling and cataloging Albert Einstein’s writings.

Astronomy is a particular focus of the California Institute of Technology. The university’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego features a 200-inch telescope, and other Caltech observatories are located in Hawaii and the Andes. The institution is currently working with the University of California on a project to build a telescope with a 30-meter diameter.

Duke University has a long and storied history, beginning in the mid-1800s. The university was founded as a private school, and its name was changed to Trinity College when it became associated with the Methodist Church shortly before the Civil War. In 1892, the college was moved to Durham, and rechristened Duke University in 1924, after a prominent college official. Today, the Duke family oversees an endowment that provides funding for educational initiatives in the region.

The university offers nine different schools, including the Divinity School, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, and the Fuqua School of Business. Approximately 6,000 undergraduates and 7,000 graduate students attend Duke University. The university’s operating budget is largely financed through the Duke University Health System, with additional support from the government, donors, and tuition fees.

The Storied Duke University Blue Devils

Many students attend Duke to be a part of a Blue Devil sports team. With 26 teams in NCAA’s Division 1, athletics are a very large part of student life. Both men’s and women’s athletic teams enjoy success on a national level; the men’s basketball team won the national championship in 2001. The women’s golf team is particularly strong, winning the NCAA national title in 2005 and 2006.

The Duke University campus is lush and green, featuring regional landmarks such as the Duke Chapel, a 210-foot gothic tower. Other campus buildings of note include the John Hope Franklin Center for Interdisciplinary and International Studies, the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences, and the Nasher Museum of Art.