Why University of 'X' is your #1 choice

[naoj]

Why do u/did u wanna go to oxford/cambridge/warwick/harvard/yale/UM/USM...where ever??? Regardless of country. OR better yet, if u didn't get into the uni of your choice (at time of application), where are u now and are u happy?

I figured this would be a good way to expose people to first hand info about institutions of tertiary education. And to what others have to say about where ever one may end up.

Here's my two cents.

I wanna go to :

1. Stanford - weather rocks. I'm the scared of cold type. Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea clinton went there. And c'mon it's like STANFORD man !! :P:P
2. U Chicago - So quirky, so interesting. Everything about the uni screams "We're different and we love ourselves for it!" Plus the "Life of the Mind" prospectus thingy was FANTASTIC.
3. Brown - Preppy + individualistic. Combinations like that don't come that often.

I wonder if this thread will stay alive... :P

[chenchow]

I would look at it from the perspective of how much we utilize the advantageous that each university brings to us. It is not really the question of getting there, but more the question of how we are going to utilize it.

Each of us should set a target of what we hope to achieve in our tertiary education and try to stretch beyond it. It would be great if we could achieve what we desire. It is simply too sad for me, to see so many Malaysians or rather Asians who get to the States or whereever in the world for that matter and not making full use of the exposure and opportunities there.

Moreover, there are a lot of international exposure that you would be able to get irrespective of where you go to study. A lot of international conferences which are free or heavily subsidized are available and you just have to make use of it. The same goes to research, public lectures etc.

[el_empty]

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

[masterof_none]

Why do u/did u wanna go to oxford/cambridge/warwick/harvard/yale/UM/USM...where ever??? Regardless of country. OR better yet, if u didn't get into the uni of your choice (at time of application), where are u now and are u happy?

I figured this would be a good way to expose people to first hand info about institutions of tertiary education. And to what others have to say about where ever one may end up.

Here's my two cents.

I wanna go to :

1. Stanford - weather rocks. I'm the scared of cold type. Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea clinton went there. And c'mon it's like STANFORD man !! :P:P

2. U Chicago - So quirky, so interesting. Everything about the uni screams "We're different and we love ourselves for it!" Plus the "Life of the Mind" prospectus thingy was FANTASTIC.
3. Brown - Preppy + individualistic. Combinations like that don't come that often.

I wonder if this thread will stay alive... :P

Apart from academic experience, I think the decision to go to a specific college is arbitrary. For USC, I think we're first being seduced by
the fancy brochures and for the fact that we're in LA and Star Wars maker George Lucas was here, (or Will Farrel was here too).
Or maybe we're have a great football team etc.

I agree with the weather. But you forgot one more thing, you must love to stay at The Farm to go to Stanford :P .

Apart from the supply side economist preacher Milton Friedman, I know almost nothing about the U Chicago. I heard the economics department is great, rivalling UC Berkeley and MIT (or maybe Harvard).

Anyways, the decision is arbitrary. Some people like big campus, small campus, football team, weather, but I think the decision would be heavily influenced by the department (and overall) ranking of the school (or , the degree of coolness of the school).

If you give me one more chance to go to another school in the US, my top school is still a West Coast school . Maybe Cal Poly or UW in Seattle.

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

Brown is "preppy"? That's new to me. Did you perhaps confuse it with the Princeton?

[byzhanii_bogn]

okies, i might perhaps still 2 years from entering any university, but, i do have some choices in mind.

1. Moscow Medical Academy - it's the 2nd in the world (in medcine)
2. Harvard - (perhaps for some further education after my general degree) it's just got me so excited, even mentioning the name.
3. Oxford - man, who won't want to be there?
4. Irish Royal Medical School - Mahathir and his wife got a master here...
5. Cambridge - well, so far, there's only one from kuching enters medicine here, i might as well be the first guy from kuching to be there...
6. King's College - just love it

well, i know, i might sound erm - too ambitious, but as the proverb goes, aim for the moon, even if you didn't reach the moon, you land among the stars!

so, these are certainly my goals, although i know i couldn't possibly got them all... in fact, i might only end up in some unknown ukraine university... lol!

[digimushu]

...
Cambridge - well, so far, there's only one from kuching enters medicine here, i might as well be the first guy from kuching to be there...



Sorry to burst your bubble but I know a guy from Kuching that is doing medicine there. You wont be the first one.

I had dream schools, too but after visiting those schools, I find them to be overrated. Frankly, I'd rather achieve the best with where life or fate has put me.

:)

However, Good luck to those who aspire for their dream universities!

[Ic3b3rg]

Why do u/did u wanna go to oxford/cambridge/warwick/harvard/yale/UM/USM...where ever??? Regardless of country. OR better yet, if u didn't get into the uni of your choice (at time of application), where are u now and are u happy?

I figured this would be a good way to expose people to first hand info about institutions of tertiary education. And to what others have to say about where ever one may end up.

Here's my two cents.

I wanna go to :

1. Stanford - weather rocks. I'm the scared of cold type. Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea clinton went there. And c'mon it's like STANFORD man !! :P:P
2. U Chicago - So quirky, so interesting. Everything about the uni screams "We're different and we love ourselves for it!" Plus the "Life of the Mind" prospectus thingy was FANTASTIC.
3. Brown - Preppy + individualistic. Combinations like that don't come that often.

I wonder if this thread will stay alive... :P

1. stanford rocks....period...... weather.....still cold compared to malaysia.... but yeah i love the weather here.....sometimes more than the one in malaysia.
2. "we are different" ? hmm stanford likes to scream that phrase too . A LOT. even more than that....... students here like to scream "I am different."
3.
i wanted to go to oxford. like ...its my dream uni.....don't know why. ..... just felt that it is my grand desire. until i realized that engineering students for JPA go to america.....not UK....sighs.....proof of my great ignorance.

hmm..... desire to make the most of the university? right now i am still trying to balance my time and energy.... making full use of the university's resources is important i suppose, but right now i am just trying to survive here......good luck to all those aspiring high-achievers.....

[gal_flower]

U of Chicago has a great economics department...even people who are not majoring in econs will take a class or two of econs just because it's good here...

I'm here...freezing my toes off...I wouldn't really say U of C is the best place to be...it really depends what you like and you don't like....I like it here but I wouldn't say that for everyone...=) anyone applying here can always drop me a line!

[el_empty]

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

Brown is "preppy"? That's new to me. Did you perhaps confuse it with the Princeton?

i guess it's a personal experience thing. there are the preppy kids and there are the hippy kids. how do you confuse rhode island with new jersey? haha.. btw to sidetrack i have a view of NJ from my office, and the sun sets over the cranberry state every evening. ahh..

[kucingbiru]

3. Oxford - man, who won't want to be there?

i wont.


4. Irish Royal Medical School - Mahathir and his wife got a master here...

and he became a politician.

[lyzzy]

Yale is awesome. I can't vouch for much about the science department, but the History and English departments are to die for. Like, really. Even if you are not majoring in any of these subjects, even if you are a hard-core science or engineering student, you have to take courses in this field. It's really that good; people not majoring in these fields aim to take at least one of the courses offered by the *superstar* professors before graduating. Ever heard of the poet Louise Gluck? Or the critic, Harold Bloom? They teach English classes at Yale.

The best courses in History as well as English incite a whole new level of excitement. It's spell-bounding. It's magical. It, I think, sums up the whole point of education for me, which is not about the prestige, or the career opportunities, or success, but about learning, and being extremely excited about learning.
________
Chrysler Firepower (http://www.dodge-wiki.com/wiki/Chrysler_Firepower)

[derlaine]

From a practical perspective:

1. Stanford - North California/Palo Alto is one of the most expensive places in the United States, rent there is minimum USD1600 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment. Raising kids is even more expensive but I don't think anyone here is interested in knowing that, except maybe for shock value.

Water quality in California is ....not so great. Aquafina is your friend. Great weather though! When those midwest hicks are freezing their beards off you'll be tanning in sunny 60F.

2. U Chicago - Midwest is COLD. Lows of -20 celcius but on the plus side, you get a much lower cost of living and less pollution. Water is cleaner and doesn't taste so weird. You get to see the 4 seasons in all its glory, something those Californian yuppies don't get to see.

3. LA - Unless you happen to like living downtown, Los Angeles sucks for the most part. Most of my native Californian friends hate LA and I don't like it either. Hobos everywhere, traffic is bad, dangerous for pedestrians and the drivers are crazy. If you MUST see LA, stay somewhere suburban and safe then drive to LA.

4. San Francisco - Parking sucks. Rent is high (see 1 about NoCal rent) and driving up those hills generally is not a great experience. It kind of looks like Melbourne in some ways.

[kucingbiru]

if californians want to see real 4 seasons, they can always visit those places during the winter break. i doubt that the majority chicago people love the weather. snow is not something to brag about.

i dont think the main attraction of LA is the downtown. some parts are nice, some are just ...... . but i love LA. i'd rather be in LA thn any other big cities (except SF).

[derlaine]

if californians want to see real 4 seasons, they can always visit those places during the winter break. i doubt that the majority chicago people love the weather. snow is not something to brag about.


visiting at the right time might let you catch it right when autumn is at its glory, but the peak of the seasons when everything is at its best is really fleeting (lasts a few days, especially for autumn.) Sometimes you might catch it, sometimes you won't. (This year's autumn where all the trees were in yellow/red/gold/orange lasted less than a week, during the school term)

There are also things you can't get just by visiting, such as going through all that snow and then seeing Spring's first bird or the first blooming flowers. It's quite something. I hate snow, but it's interesting in the fact you feel went through something harsh and then lived to tell about it.

[kucingbiru]

that sounds fantastic. but i wouldnt live 4 years at such a place. i can't study when it's cold.

[el_empty]

that's why apartments are heated and jackets/boots were invented. and then there's hot chocolate...

[DecentMerson]

that's why apartments are heated and jackets/boots were invented. and then there's hot chocolate...

i agree... dun really need boots, just a pair of ACG will do the trick on snow. if it does snow heavily, with those 6 inches - 1 foot snow storm, even boots don't really help much...

gloves and ear muffs are more important...

and a hot cuppa is always most welcomed...

well, just that it will be quite uncomfortable to switch back to Malaysia weather... darn, i'm so use to the cold here.... that i can walk around in shorts at 0 degree celcius after sports... or when there's a day at about 5 degree celcius... i can hear some of my frens from Malaysia complaining that it's hot... see how amazing human body is...

if u throw me back to Malaysia now... with the humidity, the hot sun...it will be pretty hard to get use to the weather in a short time... and the torturous 20+ hours flight...

i will rather stay in the cold... but when springs come, our body will be able to adapt to slightly higher temperature... and it won't be that bad...

Sometimes you might catch it, sometimes you won't. (This year's autumn where all the trees were in yellow/red/gold/orange lasted less than a week, during the school term)

true... still remember how the tree right outside my window changes dramatically from green til orange & yellow within 3 days....

sorry for digressing...

about #1 Uni... i think it is rather important to get a good degree from one of those prestigious Ivy or 1st tier college.... not just think of anything in the Ivy league is better... for certain Major like CS, other Uni like CMU is noted better than most Ivy school...

well... if u dun get into ur dream school for undergrad... u can always go for a 2nd shot for ur Master... u are just down but not out... work harder for ur 2nd chance...

[byzhanii_bogn]

[quote=byzhanii_bogn]
4. Irish Royal Medical School - Mahathir and his wife got a master here...

and he became a politician.

i don't care if he became a polititcian, i was just mentioning the school, not him. he's just a side thingy, not the main reason...

[kucingbiru]

well, it's just that i dont see the connection between a medical school and politics.

[kucingbiru]

that's why apartments are heated and jackets/boots were invented. and then there's hot chocolate...

the fact that they dont really need those stuff in LA makes things easier.

well, it's a matter of preference. i personally dont like to wear more thn one layer, and i really really hate to wear more than 2. i hate hot drinks. and there's not much u can do to avoid the cold wind from blowing to your face.

[etcmp]

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

ur right..about this..to some extent..

[chenchow]

From my experience in Cornell, if you like diversity, Cornell would be a great place. 3200 international students from 126 countries, certainly give you a great edge in what you are learning. It is about diversity that is very much talked about here. You can take courses in more than 40 languages up to advanced levels, take courses from more than 100 departments, more than 4000 choices of courses each semester. There are about 1000+ students organizations, including about 250 international students organizations that represent each group of people.

Being the largest ivy league and the easiest ivy league to enter, Cornell provides a large source of networking. Cornell may not have the smartest in the world, but it has a lot of very high-talented people. Most Cornell students do not work in the field that they graduate from. For instance, its engineering graduates, only 14% end up having their first job in some technical field. Cornell cares more about your learning, analytical skills and thinking process.

There is ultimate flexibility in what you can take and what you wish to take. I am an electrical and computer engineering major, but the following are the classes I am taking next semester: Microcontroller, Global Conflict & Terrorism, China Economy under Mao Zedong & Deng XiaoPing, Human Resources Management, Managerial Finance, Sales Under Entrepreneurship and French. And of course, that is just what I choose to take, everyone caters what they wish to learn, based on their personal interest.

There are Malaysians undergrads here who have designed robots to participate in Robocup, there are Malaysian undergrads who are designing Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, there are Malaysian undergrads who have work on the design on hybrid electric vehicles, many undergrads are doing research (At any point in time, more than 7000 positions of research is open to undergrad, with currently Cornell has 13000 undergrads.)

One thing here is that it is so diverse and so flexible, you need to take your own initiative. No one cares whether you go to class, no one cares whether you do well or not, no one cares whether you try your best to participate in tons of stuff here. But the opportunities are plenty.

Just a short recap in my past 3 years. I have beamed my voice to International Space Station (some 240 miles from earth), in the board of director of Cornell Engineering Alumni Board, speak to and discuss with people like Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Janet Reno (Former US Attorney General), many presidents/prime ministers of country, some Nobel Laureate, CEOs/COOs/CFOs/SVPs/VPs of multinational companies. The opportunities are just there, and it is open for us to grab.

Opportunities are available everywhere and we just need to make full use of it.

[lyzzy]

ERmm... I think that talking about the weather as your deciding factor for choosing/liking a university is a teeny bit superficial. Yeah, weather is important, but to the extent of picking your university? I really don't think that it makes a big difference, except unless you are serious athlete whose sport is outdoors. Running really sucks in winter. But of course, there are indoor gyms.

Why not talk about academics? Why not talk about extra-curricular life? Why not talk about the quality of the professors? Why not talk about the atmosphere there? Or is it simply because.... there is nothing good about your university besides the weather?

Well, sorry if I'm offending anyone, but that's how the conversation seemed to me...
________
Ferrari California specifications (http://www.ferrari-wiki.com/wiki/Ferrari_California)

[theT]

My university that I go now is technically wasn't my 1st choice. I fall for whether , hip atmotsphere as my deciding factor at first. I chose USC but Jpa rejected my choice. So now I'm at Pitt and couldn't be more happier.

The whether might be sucks here. But I just get used to it, and it actually can be a good way to start a conversation. "Bad day, huh" or "I hate Pittsburgh wheather", yet I'm still here.

Well, as some post said before that we should utilize what the university (and the city) has to offer.

Well I have great friends here. From Punkers to Jocks to Nerds to Class Clown to Frat boy and sorrority sisters. I have my close circle of friends, yet I befriend to many people to get many perspective of life.

i joined some extra curricular activity too. I helped organizing open mic night , some coffeehouse shows, and 2 big event of year (fall fest and bigelow bash). They had big bands coming to our school i.e Queen of The Stone Age, Phantom Planet etc

we also have lotsa on campus activity such as homecoming carnival, bornfire night, Day at Spa, finals week events (free movie plus free pop corn and soda, oxygen bar, cookie making, etc) and a lot more. You just gotta make full use of it.

Another thing I like bout this school is they always have a lot of successful people in entertainment industry who are doing indie movie coming to our school. i.e. Susan De Larentis(director for 10th and Wolf starring Val Kilmer, Giovanni Ribbissi), Gary Striener (producer for Comedian starring Jerry Seinfield), Lyold Kaufman (Troma owner). Jon Steward had come to our school too.

But mostly, I love the music scene and social life that I have here. I got to see bands that I never thought I ever watch for $5 (Yo La Tengo performed a record store show 2 blocks away from my apartment). I also spend hell lotsa money on other bands such as Muse, Fuel, the Killers. I love to check out some local scene too, and most of the time the show is free or just $5. As for social life, i do go to some party once in a while and I really enjoy it. I used to go to lotsa party back in freshman years and most of it are crappy, yet I don't regret it. That's one way to meet people. The school also have some formal dance and some clubs sometimes has some social events such as dessert social, wine and cheese social etc. These are good time to dress up and have some fun.

I would talk about the academic here, but it won't be what I like about my school :D

Located in an Amish state, Pittsburgh might not be a hip city. But I love the experience I have here.

[tmnt007]

I would gladly like to say, I love studying in the University of Leicester, situated in the Midlands, Leicester, United Kingdom, and staying there, because:
1) Weather goes to no extremes throughout the year.
2) though student accommodation is off-campus, it is 5mins to Uni, 25mins to Town, 5mins to nearest supermarket, 10mins to cinema.
3) within the uni, most major departments are within walking distances
4) it is one of the cheapest cost-of-living cities in the UK
5) it has one of the best aikido instructor in the UK
6) Not a busy or noisy place as in London and other major cities.
7) Uni of Leic has the genetic department which first developed the use of DNA fingerprints

Yet, of course, as most people have mentioned, depends on how individuals utilize their time, and lifestyle in their respective Uni and city. Should take the chance to explore more, and interact more with the people. joining some sports or neutral societies is a good start.

I must say that, coming all the way to a foreign country to study and wanting so badly to meet with some fellow malaysians is really a bad attitude. Yes, indeed, meeting up with fellow malaysians again would be good, but don't just stick only to malaysian groups. Socialize more with people of different ethnicities, a lot you can learn from their life and get inspired too. Otherwise, might as well stay back home in Malaysia and not come out. :)

All the best to all, and have a wonderful life.
God bless

[JAE]

Whatever it is...do choose your university wisely...Just don't regret later on for not making your slection of uni wisely, or it'll be just merely a waste of your papa and mama' funds, which i think it's a major problem for parents nowadays to actually fork out thier hard earned money for the sake of thier children further edu.

It's more likely that the individual himself/herslef should take the initiative to find out more about college or university that he/she decided to study. ( well all those basic stuffs such as the recognition of the courses, bla bla bla). Look out for more options around as to whether there are better colleges or universities around that offer similar courses , better facilities, affordability, teaching environment, the effectiveness of lecturers communicating with students, the school environment and well basically it's up to the individuals to choose thier desired unis or colleges based on what they actually want from thier tuition providers.


Do consider about your parents' money when it comes to choose your place of studies. Plan properly and carry out more analysis before deciding on your desired uni or college.

Yea...Be smart

[pandaboy]

Those who wants to go to those prestigious university...watch this movie first ---> "Orange County".

Especially if you want to apply to Stanford University.. :wink:

[naoj]

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

Brown is "preppy"? That's new to me. Did you perhaps confuse it with the Princeton?

No i didnt.

[qedx]

3. LA - Unless you happen to like living downtown, Los Angeles sucks for the most part. Most of my native Californian friends hate LA and I don't like it either. Hobos everywhere, traffic is bad, dangerous for pedestrians and the drivers are crazy. If you MUST see LA, stay somewhere suburban and safe then drive to LA.
LMAO, sounds like KL

[lintwhite]

i've met SO many people from brown who hate it there. besides, a "preppy" school isn't exactly a great thing, since prepiness comes with superficiality, elitis, arrogance, and all your other stereotypes that could be quite true.

Brown is "preppy"? That's new to me. Did you perhaps confuse it with the Princeton?

No i didnt.

First of all, I LOVE Brown. Do I need to say that again? I LOVE Brown

Secondly, if stereotypes are just stereotypes. They don't paint the whole picture

Thirdly, naoj, I'm glad that Brown's on your list. Brown's a great place to be. You are right, it is VERY individualistic. I mean, where else can you create your own education? Prepiness...don't really know what you mean by that. But the entire experience is what you make of it, not merely the school's characteristics. But Brown's cool though, and I enjoy it here. So i wish you good luck in this mess of admissions, and hope you get to go to your dream school!

[zAiTsEv]

Being the largest ivy league and the easiest ivy league to enter, Cornell provides a large source of networking.

it may be the easiest to get in, but from what i heard from many people, it's the hardest to get out.

[naoj]

lintwhite,

YEAH!! I really really wanna get into brown, it's one of my top choices and the more i read about it the more i want to go. I find that people in brown seem to genuinely love the place so much..my alum interviewer enthused about the place so much more than the alum interviewers for other unis. He seemed so happy to have gone to brown... i hope to get in, because from the sounds of it, i haven't a doubt that i will be enormously happy there. :D

On another tangent i think it sucks to stereotype the ivies as "easy to get in" blabla...People always do the whole "Cornell, brown and penn (non wharton) are low end ivies..and it ticks me off. Just because it isn't called HARVARD doesn't make an education at any of these instituitions lesser than that of Harvard or Yale. Really.

[chenchow]

Being the largest ivy league and the easiest ivy league to enter, Cornell provides a large source of networking.

it may be the easiest to get in, but from what i heard from many people, it's the hardest to get out.

Frankly, you would need to work hard over here in Cornell, but its graduation rate has been at higher than 90% for most years, so I don't see a huge problem of being hard to get out....

[masdie]

Err....I was searching for 'comedian' and I ended up here. Hmmm.....weird.

Anyway, I like Seattle. I don't know why. So I like UW.

I also like Stanford (because it's in California) and Caltech (err because it's in California)

And Imperial College sounds cool too.

I actually don't know shit about these colleges but I like Seattle and I like California so there. Seattle is cool (as in ice) and California is cool (as in hip)

[jonnyl]

I believe too that the reputation of a university plays a major role of selection. If that university has been churning out quality graduates which do not find it hard to land jobs, it's my choice. If that university lands many good rankings and reviews, it may be higher in the application of universities list.

Good experience gained from the University also affects decisions. Is that university full of holistic approaches or just plain academic? What is the diversity found there? Diversification = A better view of the world.

Furthermore, about where the university is situated, i.e.countries, the characteristics of university experience differs. For instance, US universities are known to make a better person out of an individual. They teach more broadly and encourage the students to be more outspoken and willing to change, being dynamic, that is.

Just my two cents worth.

[gal_flower]

Almost a year and this forum is still running, naoj!

Reading back all the comments, I just realized that I never knew where I wanted to spend my college years.

I didn't know anything about ASEAN, but applied anyways when the application was in the papers and got myself landed in Singapore for A-levels. All I knew is that I DO NOT want to do Form 6 and private colleges were an absolute NO for financial reasons.

I didn't know anything about JPA, other than that everyone applies for it after SPM results come out. My dad did my application for me since I was in Singapore. By the stroke of luck or blessing, I got straight A1s and I got JPA and I was 'forced' to leave Singapore.

I didn't know anything about the US, because I didn't CHOOSE to go there. My choices were Australia and NZ...but I've come to agree that US is the best place for me. Even when I was making my choices about which universities to apply to, I didn't know any shit. OMG, I chose University of Chicago because 1. It was a Ivy League-standard school and 2. It has amazing GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. I mean, what was I thinking!?

University of Chicago is sort of a nerd school, with an awesome reputation for economics, math and etc etc, with a motto 'where fun comes to die'. It suits me in a way, but it is definitely not what I had expected out of an American college.

Now, my dream college is Yale. Possibly just because I was waitlisted...you know, the so-near-yet-so-far idealism makes you hold on to something longer and tighter.

[kimsiang]

Hello,it seems that no Japanese University was mention here.Ok,i`ll be the 1st 1.

I dreamed of to enter a university which i dun hv to attend the class always(means attendance is not compulsory),no "kiasu"ism,no ranking in result such as in high school.Quite impossible rite?

But,yeah,i am in that kind of university - Kyoto University.
The main ideology of Kyoto university is Freedom in study.Study watever u like.Hence,in my university,we hv more than 1000 of subjects to choose from.And there is no limit for the credit hour you wan to take.Some crazy guys took around 100credit in 1 year.(for graduation 132credits normally)

And then,since u dun hv to fulfill any requirement when u wan to choose particular subject,you can even take the hardest subjects(normally last year) if u dare to.So,in the lecture room,people from various depertment will study 2gether no matter which subject.

bUt then,the most important part is that they dun emphasis on english and all subjects are conducted in japanese(even english language subject).haha.
If u wan to know more about japanese university,pls.
________
Washington Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (http://washington.dispensaries.org/)

[Thirdshifter]

Location, location, location..

If 50 years ago yeah.. i would say go for the super-rated ivy leagues but heck..nowdays considering the standards that most instituion have i don't really see the huge difference between schools except the quality of your classmates.

Find the place which has everything. Good weather, good infrastructure.

MOst Ivy in USA are in the ghettos. For an example Yale., Even though its located in the second richest state in the USA.. Yale is located in the 4th most poorest city in USA... new haven.. the place is a dump! The school is great without a doubt but the place is to ghetto-ish.

Anyways my dream school would be Vrije Universiteit because it's in Amsterdam and Andrew Tanenbaum is still there!

[aquila]

Aaaah... the conversation about good schools in "ghettoish" cities.

It really depends on how you look at it. For example, I'm at Duke and we're at Durham, with a high poverty rate and huge crime problem. Still I must say I have grown to be a much less ignorant person because of my experiences working in Durham.

First, you learn that America is not that rosy of a place to pursue the American dream. If you are not white, college educated, well to do, then life can be real tough for you. Once in my ignorant state, I asked "so what's the problem about discrimination in America" and my friend replied, "look at the professors and then look at the housekeepers." The professors are almost all white and the housekeepers are almost all black.

Plus, we have a huge growing Mexican population, people who have come here without their families, sometimes illegally, and they try to earn money to send back. Many of them live in apartments in a few places where there is a huge concentration of refugees and recent immigrants. Some students who take Spanish get to volunteer to help the immigrants with ESL and other daily activities. Some students get involved in fair wage/labor movement for farmworkers, minimum wage earners, etc. REcently, a housekeeper was sacked from Duke for being too outspoken, joining a union, interacting with students. Students and faculty collected signatures and demanded meetings and explanations from the administration. In the end, the housekeeper got her job back.

I myself worked with Montagnard refugees from Vietnam. Before this, I had no idea they existed and the extent of Vietnam's discrimination against them. The Montagnards are of Malay-Fillipino origin and they are Christians; therefore the persecution from the agnostic/communist Vietnamese rulers.

Think of where I would be without these experiences. I'd still be the conservative, close minded, bigoted, naive student happy to have gone to the States. I'm not a raging liberal but I have definitely gone leftward since coming here (left in the US conservative-liberal sense). One of my best friends is gay and to think I was such a homophobic back then! I am still anti-abortion though. I see the change also in my other Malaysian peers who are here. My already activist friend became stronger in her beliefs and another guy whom you never would think would do community service is an ardent fan!

So, I say, universities are supposed to be centers of change anyways. And how better to start that change in students than to push them out into the community where they would see first-hand the results of discrimination, inequities and ignorance. I sometimes think of the deep rooted racism that exists in our country and wonder if our institutions of learning could not do the same for our students - push people to see the discrimination, hatred, paranoia and racism that is eating our society, bit by bit.

[Thirdshifter]

Aquila,

The reason you see all that in IL is because you are an immigrant yourself. You are in the shoe of an outsider and you become more observant.

Almost everything you said about people in USA happens in Malaysia as well. However you never realized it up till you become aware of it in the USA and went back and smacked your forehead saying Duh!

Malaysian don't care? Maybe. But truthfully speaking on the matter of choosing school.. i say that your better of at a school in the country side with less distraction.. However since you can't compare the two from experience i consider your opinion will always be a little biased towards Innercity College.

Talking about Ghettos and what greatness it has done for you. I would like to extend an offer. If your ever in CT while i'm there i'd be more then happy to show you all of the good side of America.. the country side with ignorant white fools farming without help from mexicans...

The only reason we rarely claim to have learn much more in Malaysia is because we chose to be ignorant.

Just because your in an Ivy right smack in the middle of a poor neighbourhood doesn't makes you more aware or more observent compared to students in university california- Davis.

[aquila]

Oh, I hope I didn't say I am more observant than someone in another school. I don't think I did and I didn't intend to either. All I'm saying is, don't stay away from a school in a ghettoish city just because, well it's in a ghettoish city. The students here complain all the time about poor town-gown relations, small number of city spots we would like to go, etc etc. It's no NYC abuzz with activity 24 hrs. It's not SF with your spread out suburb and big cars.

The tradeoff is something else. Honestly, few people stay in Durham after graduation but I think people who push themselves off campus really do learn a lot in the four years they are here.

About me being more observant because I am an immigrant. Well, I'm not an immigrant but a visitor. No green card, no American citizenship. But I do agree that being a visitor peering from outside helped me gauge things somewhat objectively. Nevertheless, you'll be surprised to find many liberals white and privileged. My friend who lives in the suburbs in Long Island, NYC is a good example. Her family is staunch Republican. I stayed over once and we had a big discussion about immigration and social benefits. My friend and I were the only liberals at the table.

From left and right, we fielded questions such as "How can you agree that homosexuals should be accepted?", "Why should we give handouts to poor, lazy, good for nothing social parasites?", "We should close the border with Mexico" and endearments such as "My Bush", "Bushy" that would make liberals like myself cringe in confusion, if not amusement. Don't get me wrong, I don't think either side is superior even though we disagree. It just goes to show that privileged and rich or not, immigrant or not, white people or not, you can be liberal and aware of stuff going on around you. Furthermore, as another friend commented, it's easy for us college students not having to work and pay taxes to complain about the "evils of capitalism" even though we reap benefits from it. :) True, it's funny to see some of my classmates do so with their big SUVs.

Ah, another thing, in my dorm of 50 people, there is only one Republican and he's gay. A contradiction yes! But again it shows that you shouldn't pigeonhole people.

[Thirdshifter]

Being a liberal doesn't mean you're oppressed and being a conservative doesn't mean your an oppresser either. Also what does liberal and conservatives has anything to do with city or suburbs?

--- you can ignore these few paragraph--

Also, What goes by the term "liberal" today, is nothing more than a kinder and gentler form of the same brutal capitalism and imperialism (corporatism/fascism) which has taken over USA. What passes for "conservative", is the more extreme, mindless, and violent expression of the same basic philosophy. The difference is in implementation, not in fundamental philosophy.

Where are the "conservatives"?.. by all known American "definitions", these are the people who should be fighting for smaller government, more power to the states, fiscal saneness, personal freedoms and privacy, Where are they in today's political landscape? They do not exist!

What goes by the label "conservative" is nothing more than mindless yahoo-patriotism, war-mongering, and ignorant parroting of whoever happens to be the emperor. Where are the conservative intellectual thinkers?

Where are the "Liberals"? by all known definitions, these are the people who should be fighting for social programs, like national health care, universal housing, child care, full employment, minimum wages, organized labor, peace and justice, no-wars. But where are they? They do not exist!

There was a time in US history, when these two elements not only existed, but were the main political forces in American politics. Corporate control and corruption of society, of the economy, of the media, and of the political process, has killed both, and now US is left with nothing more than two corporate-friendly (fascist) political camps. Neither fundamentally different from the other.

This is most starkly observed if you look at the Democratic and Republican parties; both have the very same corporate and political goals, with implementation of those goals being the only difference.

--- you can ignore these few paragraph--

Back to topic..

There is ofcourse benefits of studying in innercity schools but to what extent and is it such a positive criteria to consider when selecting schools? Beside the prestige and the elite status ivy-league schools offers much of the educatonal aspect are the same to the students.. However! Not all ivy-league schools are located in unfriendly and uninviting neighbourhoods but more than often you will hear students from schools in the city complain then the students in the rurals.

Also if you get urge to help poor neighbourhoods you still can and location shouldnt really be an excuse.

Just as a side note, I have nothing against ivy league school personallyconsidering i adore one myself :). But if you get the oppurtunity to select which Ivy your going to go to.. please avoid those in Poor cities.. its just bad for the overall mental health.. and if your really lucky choose one that doesn't come with a winter package.