About original Ivy League Universities, read this first. Public Ivies are a set of 8 universities known for academic excellence. In 1985 author Richard Moll coined the term “Public Ivies” in his book The Public Ivies: America’s Flagship Undergraduate Colleges. At that time, Moll identified eight universities as public institutions that “provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price”. In addition to academic excellence, other factors considered by Moll include visual appearance, age, and school traditions as well as certain other Ivy League characteristics. The eight universities Moll identified:

• The College of William and Mary


• Miami University of Ohio


• The University of California at Berkeley, **


• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor


• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


• The University of Texas at Austin


• University of Vermont


• University of Virginia.
  

Several schools considered as “Public Ivies” are consistently ranked among the top schools in the multitude of surveys on American colleges and universities undertaken by U.S. News & World Report. For instance, half of the top 12 ranked national universities for undergraduate teaching in U.S. News and World Report are of the original Public Ivies listed by Moll. Public Ivies can be found in the top ten ranked graduate schools in business, education, engineering, law, and medicine. Howevr, just in the case of main or private Ivy Leagues, it must be understood that this is a classification based on certain academic and non academic criteria. This does not suggest that these are absolutely the best 8 public universities in the US.

The College of William and Mary is the second oldest college in the US, now a cutting-edge research university. According to W&M website, “We’re highly selective, but also public, offering a world-class education without the sticker shock….We believe in original, hands-on research, something that’s missing from most liberal arts educations. That’s why our undergrads-from their very first class-are given unprecedented opportunities to work with peers and experienced faculty mentors on projects that inspire them.

To highlight The College of William Mary, we shall publish an interview with former student (class of 1965) and incoming Chancellor, The Honorable Robert Gates, former secretary of defense. Dr. Gates is the first defense secretary in the nation’s history to serve under presidents from different political parties. He is also the first and only entry level CIA employee to rise to the position of Director Central Intelligence. He also served as the president of Texas A&M university from 2002 to 2006.

[Based on an article by BY Christopher Vaughn, April 28, 2011]

Last month, Stanford University decided to create the first PhD program in the world in stem cell science dedicated to regenerative medicine. The new doctoral program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine is also the first interdisciplinary doctoral program created by the School of Medicine in recent years. Creation of new PhD programs are rare as it requires lots of resources and prolonged commitment of funding.

Prospective students can begin applying in fall of 2011 to begin the program in the fall of 2012. The first class will be composed of three to six students, although the program will eventually enroll six students every year, for a program total of 24 students. Students will be required to take prescribed courses, pass a qualifying exam and write a dissertation. One of the distinguishing features of the PhD program is that all students will be required to undergo an immersive clinical rotation in which they will shadow attending surgeons, physicians, residents or fellows.

For furhter details, refer to the original article.

Dr. Renee Reijo Pera, professor of obstetrics and gynecology shall be the director of the new PhD program. app2us.com will carry an interview with her in the near future, this has been confirmed with Stanford university.

1. Most of the top hundred universities are in USA
2. US Universities have star professors in most of the fields.
3. Highest number of Nobel Laureates work at US universities
4. US universities have a lot of funding opportunities
5. It is much convenient to adjust to a new country where English is spoken, rather than a country where courses are taught in other languages
6. For those who wish to work, there are laws to support that, example, OPT, CPT, Green card, etc etc
7. In no country you can expect to be treated at par with its citizens, but in USA there are hundreds of examples of immigrants and international students to have risen to top positions. The new Dean of Harvard Business School Nitin Nohria is the latest example.
8. A degree from a US university has worldwide recognition.
9. In USA you can find people from all parts of the world, including from your own country.
10. Some people can call it welcoming, some may call it tolerant, but despite growing intolerance, US laws and society is relatively more welcoming/tolerant of international students.


Having said that, there are great universities in many developed country you may consider. But the combination of quality and quantity that USA offers along-with funding, cultural and fringe benefits makes her the most preferred destination.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 was awarded to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak “for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase”. Elizabeth H. Blackburn is a Professor of Biology and Physiology in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. Carol W. Greider is a Professor of Molecular Biology & Genetics and Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. Jack W. Szostak is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009 was shared by Charles K. Kao “for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication” and Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith “for the invention of an imaging George E. Smith earned his PhD from the University of Chicago with a dissertation of only 3 pages.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 was shared by Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome” Venkatraman Ramakrishnan got his Ph.D. in Physics from Ohio University in 1976 and then spent two years studying biology as a graduate student at the UC San Diego while making a transition from theoretical physics to biology. Thomas A. Steitz is a Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2009 was awarded to Herta Müller of Germany “who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed”.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 was awarded to the US President Barack Obama “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” Barack Obama earned his and BA from University of Chicago and JD from Harvard Law School.

It is not very uncommon to receive admission offers that mention some academic conditions. The conditions either relate to proficiency in English or lack of academic preparation. A student may be asked to take TOEFL test again or clear some other English speaking test. If you have other admission offers then rather avoid this hassle because you cannot improve your English overnight.

The academic conditions or the requirement to take many prerequisite courses is rather complex and cause a lot of hassles and expenses. Let us consider some examples to understand the implications.

Case 1: Student is changing the field of study
In such cases students are admitted on the basis of academic promise, great GRE scores and not on the basis of knowledge of the new field. Obviously their preparation is lesser than those joining with a prior degree in the same field. 4 to 8 courses are normal to be on the list of prerequisites. The idea is after successful completion of these courses the student will be at par with other students and shall be able to perform well in the degree program. 4 courses will take a minimum of one semester and 8 courses will take minimum of two semesters. This can drag longer because not all courses are offered in all semesters or quarters.

Case 2: Student is admitted to same field
You should be highly concerned if you are asked to take more than 2 prerequisite courses. There could be many reasons why you are being asked to take the courses. Most common reason is lack of clarity in your transcripts. Your courses may be vaguely named, say Mathematics-1 and mathematics-2. This gives no idea of the content therein. The university may assume you do not know any calculus and ask you to take a calculus course. Another reason may be rather poor or no knowledge of your university so the US University may not be sure of your academic preparation.

We at app2us.com advice you to prefer those offers where you have unconditional admission. Do not forget that it is a huge financial burden to take prerequisite courses, not to mention the time involved. If you feel that you really need knowledge in those areas then it is good, otherwise you can try to get those waived. Prerequisite courses are not set in stone. You can meet the graduate advisor on your arrival and convince him that you know the area based on your past courses or experience. If needed carry details of the courses that you took at college. The advisor may ask you some questions so treat that meeting as an interview. If you answer questions to his or her satisfaction, you are likely to get the waiver. However if there is no misunderstanding of your transcripts then it is in your own interest to take the courses and build a sound academic foundation as you approach your higher education at US universities.

An economic recession, shrinking job markets and horror stories of financial mess. It is natural to ask, does it make financial sense to study for an MS in US? The answer depends on your reason to pursue higher education from USA. If you wish to pursue a research based degree from one of world’s top universities, nothing has changed. After a degree from the top university, you can expect to get a top job in your field – What is changing is that the best job may no longer be readily available in the USA at least in the near future.

For some prospective students the idea is to somehow get into USA -in whatever university one can easily get admitted to and somehow graduate – and then look for a high paying job. If that sounds like you then you are in for trouble.

In an increasing flat world you need to look at your educational plan and career goals from a fresh perspective. US Education or any good quality education from any country is a solid step towards a better career. There is a cost associated with any higher education and some expected benefits. For a better career and growth a good education is still needed, more so than in the past. Lot will change in next decades and those with highest adaptability along with best skills will survive and thrive.

Till the nineties, mostly bright students from various countries used to aspire and apply for a US education. There are enough openings for these bright students including funding opportunities at top universities. In the 21st century there has been an increasing trend for not so bright students coming to USA with an ambition to make it big. Many of them have succeeded due to expanding economy in the past. But when economy is down it becomes very tough for these types of students, there are simply not enough jobs and opportunities. Also spending thousands of dollars for an education does not make sense if you are unable to recover even a fraction of your investment.

Risk is part of any venture into the land of unknown. From Columbus who accidentally set foot in USA to modern day explorers (you) all are risk takers to some extent. If you are coming to USA on some sort of funding, then there is minimal risk – and the chances of the decision to study in USA turns out to be a bad one are very low. If you are taking a huge loan or are spending an awful lot of money and getting a degree from top 10 US University – that is still Ok. Worst case you will not find a job and return to your own country. A MIT or Stanford degree will make you one of the most employable candidates in any part of the world and you will eventually recover your investment. So it is obvious that the remaining people are taking a big risk – those who are planning to study at a mediocre university – without any funding. Again if you are a risk taker, and have done the homework and understand the consequences you may even be successful taking this route. The economic ups and downs are part of any country and most likely the current recession will be over before you graduate.

Planning for MS or other degree from a US university in worst economic times can still make a lot of sense if you plan carefully and set your expectations right.

At US Universities with semester system, the minimum course load for the undergraduate students is four courses and for the graduate students it is three courses. MBA students are on a fixed schedule and do not have to worry about this.

It is easy to get tempted to register for more courses than the minimum load, especially because in your own country you might have taken 5 or 6 courses in one semester. At US Universities each additional course can add a lot of stress specially because you are trying to adjust in a new country and also probably working 20 hours per week.

We strongly recommend taking the minimum number of courses in the first semester. Depending on how well you perform you may consider additional courses in subsequent semesters. This will also help maintain a good GPA. If you get all A grades in the first semester you will have a 4.0 GPA and then can hope for some funding etc in the second semester. On the other hand if you take more courses and are unable to maintain a good GPA then it will become difficult to improve your GPA later.

Many US Universities like MIT have 2 long semesters, Fall and Spring and one shorter semester in Summer. In these Universities most courses are offered in the two long semesters. Students typically do research or take paid internship on a full-time basis during the Summer semester. Legally international students have to take a minimum of 3 courses per long semester so that the US Govt. is assured that you are really spending your time in full time studies.

Many other Universities, specially in California have 4 semesters of 3 months each, known as quarters. One of the 4 quarters is summer, the other three semesters are known as Fall, Winter, and Spring. Even in the quarter system, enrolment rules are relaxed for international students and very few courses are offered in Summer.

The Summer semester in either system is comparable. But the key difference is that in Semester system you have 2 long semester spanning four and a half months. In the quarter system you have three main semesters (excluding summer) of two and a half months, discounting 15 days for exams, break, etc. As a student, it impacts your schedule and the pressure under which you operate. Even a 4.5 month semester is very fast paced, but in a quarter system the semester is over as soon as it starts! Professors teach at a fast pace and deadlines for assignments are closer. As a student you have no room to relax, waste time or miss any class or assignment.

You should apply to those US Universities which you otherwise would irrespective of the semester or quarter system. After you get many admission offers, and two of your offers are very close, you can use this information as a tie breaker.

Example Calendars for either system:
Fall, Spring and Summer schedule at MIT (2007-08)
Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer at UCLA (2007-08)