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For the Students, By the Students: New College Ranking Methodology Relies on Student-Centric Data

Monday, August 16th, 2010

On August 11, 2010, Forbes.com unveiled its list of America’s Best Colleges, which ranks 500 public and private colleges and universities in the United States. In addition to the rankings, the 2010 list provides information on the location, cost, and total student population of the colleges and universities. The Forbes’ list, compiled in conjunction with Dr. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, is based on student-centric data.

The five categories evaluated to compile the 2010 top colleges and universities list include:

• Student Satisfaction
Student evaluations of courses and professors, as posted on RateMyProfessors.com and MyPlan.com.

• Student Success After Graduation
Post-secondary success measured by data on graduates’ salaries, as recorded by Payscale.com, number of alumi listed in Who’s Who of America, and industry leaders who are the CEOs and Board of Directors of prominent companies.

• Student Debt
Analysis of four-year debt incurred by student borrowers and loan default rate.

• Student Retention and Graduation Rates
Each higher education institution’s first-year to sophomore year retention rate and actual number of students who graduate.

• Student-Won Awards
Tally of prestigious national awards won by students such as Fulbright scholarship, Rhodes Scholarship, and the Nobel Prize.
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Top 25 U.S. Colleges According to Students

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Forbes.com released today a list of America’s Best Colleges from the students’ perspective. Do you agree or disagree with the list?

Rank & Name

1 Williams College

2 Princeton University

3 Amherst College

4 United States Military Academy

5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

6 Stanford University

7 Swarthmore College

8 Harvard University

9 Claremont McKenna College

10 Yale University

11 United States Air Force Academy

12 Wellesley College

13 Columbia University

14 Haverford College

15 Wesleyan University

16 Whitman College

17 Pomona College

18 Northwestern University

19 California Institute of Technology

20 University of Chicago

21 Carleton College

22 Harvey Mudd College

23 Vassar College

24 Centre College

25 Rice University

- Examville.com Blog Team

Bill Gates Says Technology is the Answer to Lowering College Tuition

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

When asked about place-based education versus online education during a presentation at the Techonomy Conference in San Francisco, California last week, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said, “[o]nly technology can bring [higher education tuition] down, not just to $20,000, but to $2,000,” noting the high cost of college tuition today.

Gates foresees that technology and the increasing move towards online learning activities will make brick-and-mortar learning five times less important for college and university level students.

While Gates does not predict a radical shift in the traditional K-12 place-based educational framework, he emphasized that technology could be innovative in allowing students in the same classroom to learn different things.

Are technology and online collaborative tools the key to reducing the soaring costs of higher education? How can technology change the way we learn? What are the pros? What are the cons? What do you think?
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Best Cities to Attend College in the US

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

The American Institute of Economic Research has released its list of the best cities to attend college. Do you agree with this list? In your opinion, what other cities should appear on this list?

New York, NY
San Francisco, CA
Boston, MA
Washington, D.C.
Seattle, WA
Los Angeles, CA
Baltimore, MD
San Diego, CA
Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota
Miami, FL

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Top 75 Universities in the World

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Below is a list of top 75 universities in the world as per Times Higher Education Group (UK).

Do you agree with this list?

School Name Country
HARVARD University United States
University of CAMBRIDGE United Kingdom
YALE University United States
UCL (University College London) United Kingdom
IMPERIAL College London United Kingdom
University of OXFORD United Kingdom
University of CHICAGO United States
PRINCETON University United States
MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology (MIT) United States
CALIFORNIA Institute of Technology (Caltech) United States
COLUMBIA University United States
University of PENNSYLVANIA United States
JOHNS HOPKINS University United States
DUKE University United States
CORNELL University United States
STANFORD University United States
AUSTRALIAN National University Australia
MCGILL University Canada
University of MICHIGAN United States
ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Switzerland
University of EDINBURGH United Kingdom
University of TOKYO Japan
KING’S College London United Kingdom
University of HONGKONG Hong Kong
KYOTO University Japan
University of MANCHESTER United Kingdom
CARNEGIE MELLON University United States
École normale supérieure, PARIS France
University of TORONTO Canada
National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore
BROWN University United States
NORTHWESTERN University United States
University of CALIFORNIA, Los Angeles (UCLA) United States
University of BRISTOL United Kingdom
HONG KONG University of Science and Technology Hong Kong
ÉCOLE POLYTECHNIQUE France
University of MELBOURNE Australia
University of SYDNEY Australia
University of California, BERKELEY United States
University of BRITISH COLUMBIA Canada
University of QUEENSLAND Australia
École Polytechnique Fédérale de LAUSANNE Switzerland
OSAKA University Japan
TRINITY College Dublin Ireland
MONASH University Australia
The CHINESE University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
SEOUL National University Korea, South
University of NEWSOUTH WALES Australia
TSINGHUA University China
University of AMSTERDAM Netherlands
University of COPENHAGEN Denmark
NEW YORK University(NYU) United States
PEKING University China
BOSTON University United States
Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) Germany
TOKYO Institute of Technology Japan
HEIDELBERG University Germany
University of WARWICK United Kingdom
University of ALBERTA Canada
LEIDEN University Netherlands
The University of AUCKLAND New Zealand
University of WISCONSIN-Madison United States
AARHUS University Denmark
University of ILLINOIS, Chicago (UIC) United States
Katholieke Universiteit LEUVEN Belgium
University of BIRMINGHAM United Kingdom
LONDON School of Economics and Political Science United Kingdom
LUND University Sweden
KAIST – Korea Advanced Institute of Science Korea, South
University of YORK United Kingdom
UTRECHT University Netherlands
University of GENEVA Switzerland
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore
WASHINGTON University in St. Louis United States
UPPSALA University Sweden

- Examville.com Blog Team

Are Universities the Newest Export?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

The concept of “global universities” is taking shape rapidly as many U.S. universities are setting up campuses in foreign countries and offering American degrees.

Notable among such universities is the New York University campus in Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled to open this Fall. N.Y.U.’s $50 million campus is a full-fledged liberal arts university. Similarly, in Doha, Qatar, students can study medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell, Engineering at Texas A&M, International Politics at Georgetown, and business and computer science at Carnegie Mellon. George Mason University has a campus in Ras al Khaymah.

Georgia Tech offers degree programs in France, Italy, South Africa, Singapore, and China, with plans to expand into India.

In addition to U.S. universities, Australian and British institutions are also offering instruction in English in India and China.

Proponents believe that foreign campuses of U.S. universities not only benefit the institutions, but also students worldwide. International students can now have access to American education and at the same time, cut down on expenses and minimize culture shock. Universities can increase their international presence, help the U.S. build diplomatic relations, and earn revenue by tapping into the global market.

Opponents stress that establishing campuses abroad dilutes the American higher education system and creates a competitive disadvantage. Many criticize the bona fides of the “American” degrees as most educators at these foreign campuses are local recruits.

While historically study abroad/exchange programs and collaborative research with foreign educational institutions have been part of U.S. colleges and universities, setting up overseas campuses is a novel experiment.

Are “global universities’ the wave of the future? Can universities really export American higher education system to countries that have different socio-cultural backgrounds? What are the pros? What are the cons? What do you think?

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Best Cities for College Graduates

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

According to Forbes.com (June, 2010), the following are the top 10 cities for college graduates:

10. Austin, TX
9. Atlanta, GA
8. Denver, CO
7. Seattle, WA
6. Dallas, TX
5. Boston, MA
4. New York, NY
3. Minneapolis, MN
2. Washington, DC
1. Houston, TX

Do you agree with this list of cities? What cities are notably missing from this list? Post your comments below.

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Do You Agree or Disagree with the Proposed New College Recruitment Rules?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

The U.S. Department of Education introduced a new set of proposed rules, which aim to stop colleges from paying recruiters or misleading prospective students about the costs and value of the institutions. In pertinent part, among other things, the proposed new rules mandate colleges to declare their graduate and job placement rates to potential applicants, to provide information to the federal government for analysis of student debt and income levels post-graduation, and to make sure students are progressing academically. The new rules would give the federal government more leg-room to take actions against colleges that engage in deceptive advertising practices to recruit students. Additionally, the new rules would set forth the courses which would be eligible for federal financial aid, as well as the specific amounts.

Are you in favor or against the proposed new college recruitment rules? What do you think?

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Should College Students Be Able to Take Exams Outside the Classroom on Their Own Time?

Monday, June 14th, 2010

According to a recent Reuters report, an US software company has developed technology which allows college students to take exams from anywhere, at anytime, without cheating on the tests. To prevent college students from cheating on exams, the software, among other things, asks for fingerprints, records test-takers via audio-video surveillance, disables connections to the Internet and all files not need for the exams. The software, which is already being used by some colleges in the United States, was developed with the goal of offering flexibility to those students with commitments beyond attending college and decreasing the stress associated with test-taking.

Should students be able to take exams from the comforts of their own dorm room, home, or elsewhere? Should this new software be integrated by all colleges and universities? Is there a potential for disconnect between students and faculty? What do you think?

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Guillaume Nery base jumping at Dean’s Blue Hole

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Is this scientifically possible?

Let us know what you think.

Interested in learning more about how science works? Try our study aids section.

Examville.com staff