Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts;  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the elite east coast engineering school, known for its high academic standard and lengthy history.   Founded in 1861, MIT stresses scientific research and close cooperation with industry.  It boasts over 80 Nobel laureates and is one of the most selective institutes of higher education, with nearly 20,000 applicants per year and an acceptance rate of 8%.  It’s current campus covers 168 acres along the north bank of the Charles River.

The open source movement has spawned the now infamous MIT OpenCourseWare, an initiative to put all of MIT’s educational materials from its undergraduate and graduate level courses online, free and available to anyone, anywhere.  Now in its 11th year, with over 2,000 courses available online, the initiative has inspired more than 250 other institutions to make their course materials available as open educational resources through the OpenCourseWare Consortium.  MIT is truly the leader in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

MIT is the one of the only institutions of higher education with its own on-campus nuclear reactor.  It is one of the most powerful university-based nuclear reactors in the United States. The prominence of the reactor's containment building in a densely populated area has been controversial, but MIT maintains that it is well-secured.  Other notable campus facilities include a pressurized wind tunnel and a towing tank for testing ship and ocean structure designs.  We were not allowed access to the reactor on our admission tour.

What we did find most interesting is the grading system for freshmen known as the “Pass/No-Record”.  The system relieves some of the pressure for freshmen to achieve, resulting in a grade of “Pass” or “No Record” for each class taken in the fall term of their first year.  In the spring term, passing grades (A, B, C) appear on the transcript while non-passing grades are again not recorded.  There are also alternative learning communities for freshmen such as Experimental Study Group, Concourse, or Terrascope.  One can’t help but wonder when the “kid gloves” will come off and students will actually be accountable for the amount of effort they put into each course.  Nevertheless, we were very impressed with the rigor and reputation of MIT’s curriculum.  MIT is ranked first in the world for its School of Engineering by U.S. News and World Report.  MIT counts astronaut Buzz Aldrin and architect I.M. Pei among its most famous alumni.

Students who applied to MIT, also looked at Harvard University, Stanford University and California Institute of Technology.  

For more information on Massachusetts Institute of Technology, visit  http://web.mit.edu/

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located at 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139  (617) 253-1000

Columbia University

Located in New York City, Columbia University is one of the original eight east coast Ivy League colleges known for their high academic standard and lengthy history.  The rest are Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.  Founded in 1754, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in New York State.  The Morningside Heights campus is a sculptured landscape of serenity in the middle of a very busy urban city.  You need never leave the campus; but if you do, you have all that New York City has to offer just a subway ride away.  World class museums, cutting edge shows, vanguard theatre, any cuisine in the world (authentically prepared) are at your disposal. Tickets to many events are discounted with a student ID.  The school pride of our very young student guides was palpable.  We followed the Engineering and Science groups into Havemeyer Hall twice, as no one failed to mention the much photographed lecture hall; as seen in Ghost Busters and all 3 Spiderman movies.

What is the downside?  Over 20,000 apply each year, but less than 10% are admitted.  The odds are against even the smartest and brightest in most U.S. high schools.  There is an elitist air that is slightly oppressive.  With all the Nobel Laureates on campus, one wonders if the undergrads are  given the nurturing attention they need.   



Students who applied to Columbia University, also looked at Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of Pennsylvania.  For more information on Columbia University, visit  http://www.columbia.edu/

Columbia University is located at 116th Street and Broadway, New York, NY  10027 (212) 854-1754

SUNY Binghamton

Actually located in Vestal, NY (close to Pennsylvania), on 887 acres above the Susquehanna River;  SUNY Binghamton is touted as a "Public Ivy".  It is also "the number one best value in the nation," says Kiplinger Magazine in 2010.  The average cost of tuition, room & board is $18,000 per year.  That's a deal compare to the "Actual Ivys", who average $50,000 per year.  But alas, it is quite competitive.  Over 20,000 apply each year for just over 2,000 seats.  There is also quite a large number of transfer students as well (over 4,000 apply for just under1,000 seats).   One third of SUNY Binghamton students transfered from somewhere else.  This begs the obvious question, "Why don't these students just start out at Binghamton to begin with?"  The answer is simple, the transfer requirements are easier to fulfill than the freshman requirements.  Out of the six schools on campus, the two hardest to get accepted into are the School of Management and the Decker School of Nursing. 

With a total student body of over 11,000; SUNY Binghamton is the third largest of all the SUNYs that confer doctorate degrees.  The student body is diversified, but with a disproportionately larger group of Jewish students from Long Island.  Bare in mind the winters at Binghamton are bitter, with an average temperature of 15 degrees F, and a wind chill of -20 degrees F.  Summers are beautiful at a high of 80 degrees F; but with a 190 acres of forest and wetland nature preserve on campus, there is very little to do on or off campus for the city folks.  Vestal and Binghamton are small towns.  Buses will take you to NYC on holidays at a reduced rate, but it is 3 1/2 hours door to door.

Students who applied to SUNY Binghamton, also looked at Alfred University, Colgate University, and SUNY Stony Brook.  For more information on SUNY Binghamton, visit http://www.binghamton.edu/

SUNY Binghamton is located at 4400 Vestal Parkway, Vestal, NY  13850 (607) 777-2171

SUNY Albany

Located in Albany, New York; SUNY Albany, or University of Albany, as they prefer to be called, is the second largest of all the SUNYs that confer doctorate degrees, as far as student body.  There are over 18,000 students and ten schools/colleges on the campus at the capital of New York State.  Political Science majors in the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy need not worry about access to internships at the many state and federal agencies located just a short bus ride away. 

The not so attractive quadruplet dormitories sit like four guard towers at the corners of a prison camp, waiting to shoot down escapees.  This 1970's architecture cover most of the campus with a cold and impersonal touch.  Sitting in stark contrast at the other end of the campus is the shiny new, state-of-the-art, $5 billion dollar, 800,000 square foot Nanotech Building, housing facilities for every high tech industry in the world.  It is the cutting edge of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.  It is so exclusive, only 184 students are currently enrolled (33 Undergraduates, 22 Postgraduates, and 129 Doctorate students)

Students who applied to SUNY Albany, also looked at Siena College, SUNY Binghamton, and Union College.  For more information on SUNY Albany, visit  http://www.albany.edu/

SUNY Albany is located at 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY  12222 (518) 442-3300

Marist College

Located in Poughkeepsie, NY; Marist College is perched on the Hudson River.  The brand new $35 million Hancock Center houses The School of Computer Science and Math and multimedia classrooms all overlooking the breathtaking Hudson River; as well as the Marist Institute for Public Opnion and the IBM-Marist Joint Study Project. The Fashion Design and Merchandising programs in the School of Communication and Arts offers tons of internships with the major NYC fashion houses.  Communication Arts majors will be interested to know there are also intersessions available in Hawaii.  That's right, Hawaii!!!  Nearby IBM Corporation (with facilities in both Poughkeepsie and Fishkill), has a longstanding partnership with Marist that has Marist students and faculty utilizing emerging technology in their research and classrooms.

Originally established in 1905 as a seminary by the Marist Brothers, Marist College is a small private college, with 5,000 students on campus.  The college became fully coed in 1968 when it admitted women.  With over 1,000 members, Campus Ministry is the largest student club at Marist.  Most of the 50 states are represented, but there is a disproportionately large number who hail from Long Island and New Jersey.  Marist has been given the unflattering nickname of 'Mattress College', and not for it's hospital corners.  Freshmen housing is restricted to residential halls; but sophmores, juniors, and seniors choose among the many townhouses based on a point system which rewards campus activity participation. 

Students who applied to Marist College, also looked at Iona College, Manhattan College, and Siena College.  For more information on Marist College, visit http://www.marist.edu/

Marist College is located at 3399 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY  12601 (845) 575-3000

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Located in Troy, NY; RPI is the pre-eminent engineering school in the United States.  Established in 1824 for the application of science to the common purposes of life, RPI is the oldest technological university in the world.  50% of all 6,000 plus students major in an engineering discipline.  RPI graduates currently hold 1,824 patents.  The brand new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) boasts a concert hall with the state of the art acoustic finishes on every surface.  The Admission Director was eager to share the news that a recent alumnae created the Guitar Hero III video game and another designed a green packing material grown with mushroom protein featured on the TV show CSI. 

Many of the 11 concentrations in engineering have their own building, concentrating on research exploration.  Each discipline offers their own Bachelors, Masters, and PhD diplomas, so you need never leave RPI for any advance degrees.  Students work in teams on real life projects sponsored by Bell Labs, Lockheed Marin, IBM, GE, and Boeing.  As competitive as the curriculum is, the retention rate from freshmen to sophomore is a whopping high 92%.  Bear in mind that over 15,000 applicants apply for only 1,200 seats.  As in any engineering school, the gender ratio is heavily weighted towards men, in this case, 3:1.

Students who applied to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, also looked at California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  For more information on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, visit http://rpi.edu/

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is located at 110 Eighth Street, Troy, NY  12180 (518) 276-6000

SUNY New Paltz

Located in New Paltz, NY; SUNY New Paltz, with a student body of over 8,000, is a very competitive, 4-year, residential liberal arts college.  Founded in 1828, as the New Paltz Classic Academy, SUNY New Paltz is located on 257 acres set in the Mid-Hudson River Valley, next to one of the nation’s oldest street, Huguenot Street, settled by French Huguenot refugees in the 1600s.   From almost anywhere on campus, a northward glance brings your gaze to Sky Top, the landmark summit of Mohonk Mountain House, another national historic landmark hotel resort, and the set of the 1994 feature film, The Road To Wellville.  The newly completed SUB Addition is an award winning glass design incorporating green elements throughout.

In 2007, Newsweek magazine rated SUNY New Paltz as America’s “Hottest Small State School”.  This is further illustrated by the over 19,000 freshmen and transfer applications last year.  The school accepted only 35% of the applicants with a very diverse student body.  Why is SUNY New Paltz so hot?  One might credit the low tuition.  The typical undergraduate New York State resident pays $5,270 per year for tuition.  Considering the enormous amount of majors available in bachelor degrees, it is a steal.  Typical private institutions average $30,000 per year for tuition.
 

Students who applied to SUNY New Paltz, also looked at SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, and SUNY Geneseo.  For more information on SUNY New Paltz, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/

SUNY New Paltz is located at One Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY  12561 (845) 257-7869

New York University

Located in Washington Square Park, the heart of Greenwich Village, in New York City; New York University, with a student body of over 40,000, is one of the largest private universities in the United States.  Founded in 1831, by Albert Gallatin, former Secretary of Treasury during Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s administration, NYU was intended as, “in and of the city”; the University with no walls and no gates.  NYU owned and operated libraries, faculty and staff offices, classrooms, labs and residence halls occupy all four sides of Washington Square Park.  The park and its famous arch, the emblem of NYU, and a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, are historical landmarks and a popular hangout for students, local residents, and tourists alike.  Famous alums include Samuel F.B. Morse and Martin Scorsese.  World famous faculty members include Nobel, Craaford and Pulitizer, MacArthur, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winners.   If you walk the neighborhood, there are plenty of star-gazing opportunities of the entertainment kind.

For the past few decades, NYU has expanded outside of Greenwich Village exponentially.  In New York City alone, there are classes offered downtown, midtown, and in the outer boroughs.  The Polytechnic Institute of NYU in Brooklyn, formerly known as Brooklyn Polytech, the second oldest school of engineering and technology in the U.S., is now an affiliate.  Among the many study abroad opportunities there were two locations featured in the PowerPoint presentation of our visit day.  The Admissions Officer was pushing their other two campuses (Abu Dhabi and Shanghai) a little too aggressively; touting it’s 4:1 teacher/student ratio, its wholly English language classrooms, and its free round trip flight for any applying student.  As one of the many parents sitting in the Info Session, I can assure you, interest was not high. 

In New York City, there are 15 schools within NYU, most notably, the Gallatin School of Individual Study; where the Admissions Officer was proud to inform us has a recent grad majoring in ‘Evil’.  This is truly a liberal arts school.

Students who applied to New York University, also looked at Columbia University, Cooper Union, and University of California at Berkley.  For more information on New York University, visit http://www.nyu.edu/

New York University is located at 50 West 4^th Street, New York, NY  10012 (212) 998-4550

Vassar College

Located in Poughkeepsie, NY; Vassar College is one of the original Seven Sisters, or the seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that are historically women’s colleges.  Together with Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, and Wellesley College, all were founded between 1837 and 1889.  Radcliffe has since merged with Harvard University and Vassar College has turned coeducational since 1969.  Founded in 1861, by Matthew Vassar, the original mission of Vassar College was to give young women a liberal arts education equal to that of the best men’s colleges of the day.  Vassar offered women the full range of courses from art history to zoology, taught by the leading scholars of the day.  We followed our student tour guide into the Thompson Memorial Library, where the famous larger than life stain glass window resides, depicting Lady Elena Lucretia Cornaro-Piscopia in 1678, the first woman to be conferred her PhD (in Theology), trimmed in pink, amongst a sea of men.  The scene depicts the school’s colors (pink and grey) representing the rose dawn of women’s education rising out of the sea of grey, what higher education was previously.

The buildings and grounds are meticulously maintained, funded by the endowments established by nearly 150 years of alumnae/i.  Having gone coeducational only a little over 40 years ago, Vassar College is keenly aware of both genders in all their internal and external communication.  Vassar College relies heavily on the generosity of the students who have gone before.  That's not to say that legacies are a shoe in when it comes to admission.  The school may be liberal, but is still highly selective.  One of the requirements of admission is proficiency in a second language other than English.  Last year, Vassar received nearly 8,000 freshmen applications for 670 seats.  Given the fact that Vassar only confer Bachelor degrees, that speaks volumes.

The student embassadors who shepherded us on our visit day emphasized two specific qualities possessed by the Vassar undergrad.  "Vassar is very 'chill' and very 'liberal'."  One can only imagine the myriad of definitions for their chosen adjectives.  I thought Vassar was a east coast school. 

Students who applied to Vassar College, also looked at Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Yale University.  For more information on Vassar College, visit http://www.vassar.edu/

Vassar College is located at 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York, NY  12604 (845) 437-7000

Union College

Located in Schenectady, NY; Union College was founded in 1795, and confers only bachelor degrees.   Union College, along with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, was known as the “Big Four” in the 1830s because of the high number of students it graduated.  In 1845, Union became the first liberal arts college to offer Engineering as a major.  After 175 years as an all-male institution, Union College began enrolling women in 1970.   The centerpiece of the campus is Nott Memorial, a rotunda (actually, 16 sided) with a National Historic Landmark designation since 1986. 

Last year, Union received nearly 5,000 applications, admitted nearly 2,000, and enrolled 500.  That’s a 40% admission rate.   In addition to fraternity and sorority houses, Union has Theme Houses, where students with similar interests can reside together.   Similar interests include ARTS House (Association of Ridiculously Talented Students), Iris House (for the LGBTQ community), Ozone House (for the Green community), and Thurston House (for those interested in East Asian interests).  Most of these 'mansions' were previously owned by General Electric, the company in this company town.  Since the recession, Schenectedy has fallen on harder times.  Tuition at Union is higher than peer schools.  Financial aid packages are available, but the student body ends up being predominately from the white upper middle class.

Union College, along with Cal Tech, Dartmouth, and Northwestern is part of the small number of colleges that utilizes a trimester system.  There are 10 weeks in each of the three semesters between September and June where students enroll in only three courses at a time.  The advantages to the trimester system is that by taking only three courses, instead of the usual four or five, you are able to focus on less subjects; in addition to covering more courses in a given year, and spreading your GPA out among nine grades instead of 10 or 11.  The disadvantages to the trimester system is that due to the shortened time frame for each course, everything moves at a faster pace.  Five weeks into the semester you have a midterm, and five weeks after that, a final.  This system is not for the slacker. 

Students who applied to Union College, also looked at Boston University, Kenyon College, and Brown University.  For more information on Union College, visit http://www.union.edu/

Union College is located at 807 Union Street, Schenectady, NY  12308 (518) 388-6000

Manhattan College

Located in Riverdale, NY; Manhattan College was founded in 1853.  Manhattan is a Catholic liberal arts college in the Lasallian tradition.  The School of Engineering’s Chemical Engineering Department is ranked among the top five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.  One of the biggest marketing points of Manhattan College is that it is the last stop on the IRT Line #7 train.  Students can walk to the subway and ride all the way to New York City using mass transit for the price of a subway ride.  Very convenient.

Manhattan has a total of 3,500 students, with 2,900 undergraduates.  Last year, Manhattan had a 63% acceptance rate.  Famous alums include Rudolph Guiliani, former New York City mayor and Raymond Kelly, New York City police commissioner. 

Students who applied to Manhattan College also looked at Fordham University, Hofstra University, and Pace University.  For more information on Manhattan College, visit http://manhattan.edu/

Manhattan College is located at 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY  10471 (718) 862-8000

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Located in Worcester, MA; Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was founded in 1865 as Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science.  It is the third oldest private independent technological university in the U.S.  With internships, co-ops and a vigorous career development center, over 90% of graduates have jobs lined up upon graduation.  Keep in mind, more than half of all WPI students are majoring in some type of Engineering.  So it comes as no surprise that the men to women ratio is skewed 4:1. 

WPI is a world renowned engineering school.  Fans of the Segway PT will be pleased to know Dean Kamen attended WPI (but never graduated).  What sets WPI aside from the other world renowned engineering schools is its founding motto of Theory and Practice.  Students must complete three projects, one in each of their sophmore, junior, and senior year.  A Humanities Project must encompass a Humanities concern in their sophmore year.  An Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) in the junior year is WPI’s most distinctive academic requirement, and is unique in higher education.  Each student’s IQP must relate technology and science to society or human needs.  Many of the projects are sponsored by external agencies and done in teams of 2-4 students.  The Major Qualifying Project (MQP) where all students must complete in their senior year has many of the students completing their projects abroad.  By the time students complete their bachelors degree they already have real world work experience.  

WPI also has a unique academic system, instead of the traditional two semesters, it has a quarter system.  Each of the four terms is seven weeks long and each student takes three courses each term, with some taking four.  With this quickened pace, an exam occurs every few weeks for each class, so it keeps you constantly on your toes.  The grading system is similarly unique.  There are only four grades available: A, B, C, and NR for No Record.  This is to promote team building, since students are no longer competing with each other over modifiers such as plus and minuses.  Any grade less than a C are an automatic NR, where students may elect to take the course over again.  There is no record of the first attempt on the transcript.

Admittedly, there is much less press on WPI then it’s peer engineering schools of MIT, RPI, and Columbia University.  It is located close enough to the bigger cities of Boston (less than one hour away) and New York City (two hours away), but housing is only guaranteed for freshmen.  Most upper classmen live off campus.  WPI also did alway with open lawn space.  Evidently, engineers tend to hole up in their dorm rooms playing computer games rather than spend time outdoors.   At any liberal arts and science colleges you would expect to find dozens of students outside taking advantage of good weather.  On the day of our visit it was warm and sunny.  We counted two students out on the small lawn adjacent to the Admissions Office. 

Students who applied to WPI also looked at MIT, Cal Tech, and Columbia University.  For more information on Worcester Polytechnic Institute, visit http://www.wpi.edu/

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is located at 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA  01609 (508)831-5000

Connecticut College

Located in New London, CT, Connecticut College was founded in 1911, as the Connecticut College For Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women.  It became co-educational in 1969 and changed its name to Connecticut College.  Considered to be part of the small group of institutions called, "Little Ivies", it boasts an average faculty to student ratio of 9:1.  It is a small, highly selective liberal arts college, considered to be the most expensive in the country for 2011-12 at $54,970; but the average scholarship package per student is $30,390.

All undergraduates are expected to live on campus. There is no Greek life, but students can kick off each weekend early with Thursday Night Events (TNE), which are activities sponsored by rotating organizations, classes, and residence halls.  On Fridays, students can venture into the college’s town of New London for the weekly Friday Nights in the District, during which shops and galleries stay open late.

The College is known for interdisciplinary studies, service learning, and shared governance.  Every student signs an Honor Code that allows them self-scheduling, non-proctored final exams.  The campus, overlooking Long Island Sound, is a 15-minute drive to Mystic Seaport, the largest maritime museum in the country.  Hartford, CT and Providence, R.I. are both an hour’s drive away.

Students who applied to Connecticut College also looked at Brown University, Wesleyan College, and Hamilton College.  For more information on Connecticut College, visit http://www.conncoll.edu/

Connecticut College is located at 270 Mohegan Avenue  New London, CT  06320 (860)447-1191

Rochester Institute of Technology

Located in Rochester, NY; Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) was founded in 1829 by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester and other Rochester community leaders as the Athenaeum, an association “for the purpose of cultivating and promoting literature, science, and the arts.”  The campus now occupies 1,300 acres in suburban Rochester, the third largest city in New York State.  With over 14,000 undergraduates and almost 3,000 graduate students on campus, RIT is one of the largest universities in the country, conferring Associates, Bachelors, Masters Degrees, Doctorates, and advance certificates.

Rochester Institute of Technology is a privately endowed, coeducational university with nine colleges emphasizing career education and experiential learning.  RIT has the fourth-oldest and one of the largest cooperative education programs in the world, annually placing more than 3,500 students in more than 5,500 co-op assignments with nearly 2,000 employers across the United States and overseas.  Interestingly, RIT is also the home campus for the federally sponsored National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which had been established in 1963 by Public Law 89-36 and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

At both the graduate and undergraduate levels, RIT is ranked among the Top 10 Schools for Video Game Design Study in the 2011 Princeton Review/GamePro Media second annual rankings.  So it comes as no surprise that the men to women ratio are skewed 2:1. 

Strangely, RIT is in the process of converting its quarter system back into the typical semester system with fall and spring.  One wonders at the reasoning behind the change.       

   

Admittedly, there is much less press on RIT then it’s peer engineering schools of MIT and RPI.  It sits on Lake Ontario and is six hours away from the bigger cities of Boston and New York City.  Housing is only guaranteed for freshmen.  Most upper classmen live off campus.

Students who applied to RIT also looked at MIT, Alfred University, and Clarkson University.  For more information on Rochester Institute of Technology, visit http://www.rit.edu/

RIT is located at One Lomb Memorial Drive  Rochester, NY  14623

(585) 475-2411

Princeton University

Located in Princeton, NJ; Princeton University is one of the original eight east coast Ivy League colleges known for their high academic standard and lengthy history.  The rest are Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.  Founded in 1746, as the College of New Jersey, and originally to train ministers; during the American Revolution, George Washington fired on the campus in order to rout out the British soldiers.   

Princeton went co-ed in 1969, admitting women for the first time in its history.  With an endowment of $17.1 billion, Princeton is among the wealthiest universities in the world.  Princeton's undergraduate program is highly selective, admitting 7.86% of undergraduate applicants in 2011.  In 2001, Princeton became the first university to eliminate loans for all students who qualify for financial aid.  All demonstrated need is met with combinations of grants and campus jobs.  In addition, all admissions are need-blind. U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review both cite Princeton as the university that has the fewest of graduates with debt even though 60% of incoming students are on some type of financial aid. Kiplinger magazine ranks Princeton as the best value among private universities, noting that the average graduating debt is $4,957, "about one fifth the average debt of students who borrow at all private schools."

Princeton has consistently ranked number one among the best schools in the world; conceding that title to Harvard only once in ten years.  Needless to say, it is really, really, really hard to be admitted as a freshmen.  It strikes me as very odd why they would have a grade deflation policy in place (since 2004).  What is Princeton's grade deflation policy?  The instructors are prohibited from awarding a grade of A to more than 35% of the students in their class.  That means even if all 100 students in the class is turning in A level work, only 35 of them will be receiving As.  The only conceivable point is that too many As have been awarded in the past.  In order to show a range of grades, administration has had to institute this grade deflation policy; that not only does a disservice to the students, but also demoralizes the entire organization.  Nonetheless, Princeton has many notable alums include Michelle Obama, the current First Lady of the United States.

Students who applied to Princeton University, also looked at Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Pennsylvania.

For more information on Princeton University, visit  http://www.princeton.edu/main/

Princeton University is located at Princeton , NJ  08544 (609) 258-3000

Fairfield University

Located in Fairfield, CT; Fairfield University is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.  Founded in 1942, by adjoining the two contiguous estates of the Brewster Jennings and Walter Lashar families, Fairfield sits on 200 acres of bucolic fields overlooking the Long Island Sound.  With only 3,300 undergrads and 1,300 grad students on campus, Fairfield’s tuition is higher than average at $41,000; but they do boast a low student to faculty ratio of 11:1.

Fairfield has acquired the nickname of J. Crew U; due to the disproportionate amount of disposable income the students tend to spend on clothing.  The typical Fairfield undergrad stereotype is white, upper middle class, spoiled and sheltered.

Students who applied to Fairfield University, also looked at Boston College, Connecticut College, and Sacred Heart University.

For more information on Fairfield University, visit  http://www.fairfield.edu/

Fairfield University is located at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT  06824 (203) 254-4000

Stevens Institute of Technology

Located in Hoboken, New Jersey; Stevens Institute of Technology is a private, research university founded in 1870 with a bequest from Edwin A. Stevens.  Enrollment at Stevens includes more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.  The university is home to three national Centers of Excellence as designated by the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.  The current president, Dr. Nariman Farvardin, is the seventh president of Stevens. He took office July 1, 2011.  Stevens Institute of Technology also ranks #8 among "Best Engineering Colleges By Salary Potential".

Stevens granted several Ph.D.s between 1870 and 1900, making it one of the earliest Ph.D. granting institutions in the United States.  Stevens became coeducational in 1971. The Class of 1975 matriculated 19 women, and 40 years later, women make up 25 percent of undergraduates.  Stevens is within minutes of a subway ride to New York City.

Students who applied to Stevens Institute of Technology, also looked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and NYU Polytechnic Institute.

For more information on Stevens Institute of Technology, visit http://www.stevens.edu/sit/

Stevens Institute of Technology is located at Castle Point on Hudson, Hoboken, NJ  07030 (201) 216-5000

Yale University

Located in New Haven, Connecticut; Yale University is one of the original eight east coast Ivy League colleges known for their high academic standard and lengthy history.  The rest are Brown University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University.  Founded in 1701, Yale is the third oldest institution of higher education in the United States.  Originally charted as a college to train clergy and political leaders for the colony, it was renamed in 1718 to honor Elihu Yale, governor of the British East India Company.   Yale has also produced many notable alumni, including five U.S. Presidents, 19 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and many foreign heads of state.   Yale University Library, which holds over 12 million volumes, is the second-largest university collection in the United States.

Although an all-male institution, women have studied at Yale University as early as 1892, in graduate-level programs at the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  In 1966, Yale began discussions with its sister school, Vassar College, about merging to foster coeducation at the undergraduate level.  Vassar, then all-female, declined the invitation.  Both schools introduced coeducation independently in 1969.  Even after a decade into co-education, rampant student assault and harassment by faculty became the impetus for the trailblazing lawsuit Alexander v. Yale.  While unsuccessful in the courts, the legal reasoning behind the case changed the landscape of sex discrimination law and resulted in the establishment of Yale's Grievance Board and the Yale Women's Center.  As recent as March, 2011, a Title IX complaint was filed against Yale.  Part of the Education Amendment since 1972, Title IX states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.  Yale has had its share of coed troubles.

The U.S. News and World Report ranked Yale third among national universities in 2012, as it has for each of the past fifteen years, in every case behind, in either order or tied with Princeton and Harvard.  Like other Ivy League schools, Yale instituted policies in the early 20th century designed to increase the proportion of white Protestants of notable families in the student body, and was one of the last of the Ivies to eliminate such preferences, beginning with the class of 1970.  On the day of our visit, there was diversity among the student body in so far as we can tell.  Yale has indeed come a long way since the 1970’s.   Over 30,000 apply each year, but less than 10% are admitted.  In addition, the postgraduates outnumber the undergrads.  With all the Nobel Laureates on campus, one wonders if the undergrads are given the nurturing attention they need.

Students who applied to Yale University, also looked at Princeton University, Harvard University, and Brown University.

For more information on Yale University, visit  http://www.yale.edu/

Yale University is located at 38 Hillhouse Avenue  New Haven, CT 06511  (203) 432-9300

Wesleyan University

Located in Middletown, Connecticut; Wesleyan University is a small liberal arts college with 2,900 full time undergrads and 200 graduate students on a 316 acre campus.  It was founded in 1831 by Methodists and named for John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.  Wesleyan is among the oldest of the originally Methodist institutions of higher education in the United States.

Wesleyan is highly selective, with more than 10,000 applicants for 800 seats each year.  The median SAT score is 2100.  This selectivity does not come cheap.  The all in annual cost of a full time student is $57,932 (up from $36 back in 1831).  Just this year, Wesleyan abandoned its Need Blind admission policy in favor for a selectively Need Aware one.  Acceptance is need blind up to a point, and then the remaining seats are filled with students who can demonstrate the ability to pay.  This trend in need blind institutions going need aware is gaining momentum as even the elite east coast schools such as Cornell University are morphing their grants into loans due to these recessionary times. 

Wesleyan students were all male, primarily Methodist, and almost exclusively white.  From 1872 to 1912, Wesleyan was a pioneer in the field of coeducation, admitting a limited number of women to study. Coeducation succumbed to the pressure of male alumni, some of whom believed that it lowered Wesleyan’s standing amongst its academic peers.  In 1911, some of Wesleyan’s alumnae helped to found the Connecticut College for women in New London, Connecticut, to help fill the void left when Wesleyan closed its doors to women.  By 1968, women were again admitted as exchange or transfer students.  In 1970, the first female students were once again admitted to Wesleyan’s freshman class since 1909.  Wesleyan is actively recruiting students of color with the Freeman Asian Scholars program providing merit and need-based aid to eleven incoming students from select countries each year.

We found the students at Wesleyan self-important and snobbish, which probably stems from having the reputation of being a "Little Ivy" or a “poor man's Brown.”  I think I’d prefer a school with less social climbing.

Students who applied to Wesleyan University also applied to Vassar College, Connecticut College, and Yale University.

For more information on Wesleyan University, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/.
Wesleyan University is located at 70 Wylls Avenue Middletown, CT  06459 (860) 685-3000

Carnegie Mellon University

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Carnegie Mellon University was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools.  It was officially renamed the Carnegie Mellon University after merging with the Mellon institute of Industrial Research.  The 140 acre main campus sits on 140 acres in downtown Pittsburgh.  During the 1970s and 1980s, the university’s growth soared from an annual research budget of $12 million to more than $110 million.  The university earned a reputation for innovation in the fields of Robotics and Software Engineering.  President Richard M. Cyert (1972-1990) pioneered the “Andrew” computing network, which linked all the computers and workstations on campus, setting the standard for educational computing and establishing Carnegie Mellon as a leader in the use of technology in education and research. 

One of Carnegie Mellon’s most famous faculty member was Professor of Computer Science Randy Pausch.  His book, The Last Lecture, based on a lecture he gave in 2007 after he learned he had pancreatic cancer, quickly rose to The New York Times Bestseller list.  A famous alum is John Forbes Nash, Class of 1948, winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics and the subject of the book and film A Beautiful Mind.  Carnegie Mellon is a prestigious east coast engineering school with 93% of its student body at the top 10% of their high schools, rated first in the country for the field of Computer Science.  So it comes as no surprise when we found the campus filled with slightly awkward geeks consumed with studying in their dorm rooms.

Students who applied to Carnegie Mellon University also looked at MIT, RPI, and Cornell University.  For more information on Carnegie Mellon University, visit http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtml

Carnegie Mellon University is located at 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA  15213 (412)268-2000

Cornell University

Located in Ithaca, New York; Cornell University is a private tier one research university founded, as a result of a New York State Senate bill that named it as the state’s land grant, in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, with the motto and popular Ezra Cornell quote: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Since the beginning, Cornell has been co-ed and non-sectarian.  Its reputation as an elite Ivy League school is reaffirmed with the number of Rhodes Scholars (28) and Nobel Laureates (41) .

The school is highly diverse, though Asians make up most of the minorities.  On our campus tour we did notice some obvious voluntary segregation – one group after another of racially similar students.  The two sides of the 745 acre campus are bound by gorges, rumored to be the site used by academically over-stressed students driven to the point of suicide to meet their doom, hence the saying, “Cornell is gorges.” The current students we encountered deny being stressed, but admit to a challenging curriculum.  Classes are graded on a curve, encouraging students to be super competitive in order to receive the few As distributed.  The tuition seems to vary based on the school you attend.  Out of the seven undergraduate colleges, some are endowed colleges charging private school rates, while others are contract colleges charging public school tuition with discounts for in-state students.  Each of the seven colleges admits their own students, provides their own faculty, and in almost every sense, operates independently from the rest.  We found some engineering students studying at the library and some agricultural and life science students throwing frisbee on the quad – naturally.  The admission rate of 18% for the over 30,000 applicants each year makes Cornell highly selective. 

Students who applied to Cornell University, also looked at Brown University, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University.  For more information on Cornell University, visit http://www.cornell.edu/.

Cornell University is located at 300 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY  14853 (607) 255-2000

Brown University

Located in Providence, Rhode Island; Brown University is one of the original eight east coast Ivy League colleges known for their high academic standard and lengthy history.  The rest are Princeton University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.  Brown University was founded in 1764 under the reign of King George III as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation.  The school is highly selective, accepting only 8.9% of all applicants.  The women’s college, Pembroke College, merged with Brown in 1971, and it became co-educational.  In 1969, following a student rally in support of reform, Brown instituted sweeping changes featuring simplifying grades to A,B,C, and no credit; thus eliminating modifiers which was thought to increase unnecessary competition among students.  Brown is also in close proximity to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where students have the opportunity to take up to four courses and have the credit count towards a Brown degree.  The reciprocal also exists.  There is a dual degree program introduced in 2007 where students can pursue a five-year program resulting in a Bachelor of Arts at Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts at RISD simultaneously.

Brown has a need blind admissions policy, which means it does not take into consideration your ability to pay their full tuition into account during the admission process.  All loans for students whose family income under $100,000 have been eliminated, as well as all parental contributions for families whose incomes fall under $60,000.  This could account for the title conferred by the 2010 Princeton Review to Brown as the 'No. 1 College in America for Happiest Students.  Emma Watson of the Harry Potter movie series is rumored to be happy at Brown.

Students who applied to Brown University, also looked at Cornell University, Harvard University, and Northwestern University.  

For more information on Brown University, visit http://www.brown.edu/.

Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island  02912 (401)863-1000.

Clarkson University

Located in Potsdam, New York; Clarkson University is one of the smallest nationally ranked research university, with a total student population of around 3,000.  Clarkson was founded in 1896 as a memorial to Thomas S. Clarkson whose favorite biblical verse, “A Workman That Needeth Not to be Ashamed” became the school’s motto.  The school’s colors, green and gold, came from Clarkson’s favorite flower, the goldenrod. Clarkson is an engineering school, boasting a whopping 95% job placement rate for its graduates.  The ‘Hired By’ video showcased on its homepage presents seniors holding up handmade signs displaying their employer’s names – Hired by GE, Hired by IBM, Hired by Johnson & Johnson.”  The stats are quite impressive. 

Clarkson University also hosts Clarkson School, a bridge between the senior year of high school and the first year of college where 50 to 80 high school students each year complete a year of experiential living and learning experience on a college campus.  Upon completion, students apply and enter into university as a freshman with advance standing. 

Potsdam remains a small town, with little or nothing to do.  On the day of our visit, which turned out to be one of the rare (above 40 degree Fahrenheit) warm weather days in Potsdam, we were able to walk to the two staple establishments in town – Maxfield, a restaurant/bar and the Clarkson book store.  The dorms were another disappointment.  The rooms and flooring were run down, with no signs of any maintenance ever being done. 

Students who applied to Clarkson University, also looked at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Lehigh University.  For more information on Clarkson University, visit http://www.clarkson.edu/

Clarkson University is located at 8 Clarkson Avenue Potsdam, New York 13699 (315)268-6400.