College of the Day: UC-Berkeley

University of California-Berkeley

Quick Facts:

Location: Berkeley, CA

Established:1868

Students Enrolled: 32,354

Applicants: 49,333

Male/Female Ratio: 45/55

The University of California at Berkeley is located on 1,200 acres on a hill over looking the San Francisco Bay.  The beautiful park-like location in an oasis in the busy area.  Berkeley has previously been known for it's political activism in the 1960s, but today the school is a lot more tame, although there are still plenty of flower children.

Berkeley is one of the top ranked and hardest universities to get accepted to in the United States. Students who are accepted are the top in their high school class.  There is an intense academic climate at Berkeley.  Students say that it can be very stressful, but it pays off to be taught by some of the brightest minds in the country.

Berkeley offers six different undergraduate colleges all with different general requirements.  Most of the programs at Berkeley are renowned and many are the best in the country such as the engineering and architecture programs.

Student Life:

Berkeley students are guaranteed on campus housing for their first two years, but after that students find it hard to find rooms on campus.  The campus only has enough housing for twenty-six percent of the  student body.  There is plenty of apartments and student-housing projects for students to live in off campus for a decent price.

Students have easy access to San Francisco and the Bay area through the BART subway system, but students find that their is plenty of social life and entertainment on campus.  Berkeley is a quintessential college town; there are plenty of bookstores, cafes, and coffee shops for students to hang out in.  Greek life has started to grow at Berkeley, but still only ten percent of the student body participates.  

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the University of California at Berkeley you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 590-720 and a Math SAT Score of 630-770. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 27-33. Berkeley typically has at least 61,000 applicants each year with only 18% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to Berkeley, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "UC-Berkeley." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 90-92. Print

Stephen Colbert to Fund $800,000 to S.C. Teachers

Stephen Colbert to Fund $800,000 to S.C. Teachers

Comedian Stephen Colbert announced today that he would fund all of the 1,000 grant requests from public school teachers in South Carolina.  The requests were made on the crowdfunding website DonorsChoose.org.

Colbert announced that he used the proceeds from selling his "Colbert Report" set to help fund some of the grants. The organizations Share Fair Nation and ScanSource matched his donation to fund a total of $800,000.

He announced his large donation in a live video stream to an elementary school in Greenville, S.C. Watch his announcement here.

College of the Day: UC-San Diego

University of California- San Diego

Quick Facts:

Location: San Diego, CA

Established:1960

Students Enrolled: 27,761

Applicants: 60,807

Male/Female Ratio: 51/49

 

 

The University of California at San Diego is located on the beautiful cliffs of La Jolla, California.  The close proximity to the beaches give UCSD students a place to relax between their rigorous course schedules. Seeing surfboards and skaters on campus is a common occurance, but don't let students' laid back appearance fool you, students at UCSD are intelligent, hard workers.

 

UCSD has six different undergraduate colleges, but students do not apply to the individual colleges; they just apply to UCSD and indicate which college they would like to participate in.  The university is globally known for it's successful science programs.  The sciences, engineering and computer science are all very well renowned and very rigorous.  

The university also has a very excellent marine science and oceanography program.  The Scripps Institute of Oceanography benefits from the close proximity to the Pacific Ocean. 

 

 

 Student Life:

The majority of UCSD students hail from California with only four percent coming from out of state.  Because of the high prices of the neighboring city of La Jolla, many students choose to live on campus.  Students are guaranteed housing for their first three years at UCSD.  Forty-three percent of students choose to live on campus.  Juniors typically find housing off campus and commute to the university for classes.

Alcohol is technically banned on campus for underage students, but many find that it is easy to get around this because of lax RAs.  Most students find their social life off campus.  San Diego offers students plenty of social events to choose from.  Greek life is not very popular at UCSD with only 10 percent of students joining a fraternity or sorority.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the University of California at San Diego you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 550-650 and a Math SAT Score of 620-730. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 26-31. UCSD typically has at least 60,000 applicants each year with only 38% of applicants being accepted.  

 

Interested in applying to UCSD, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 

 

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of California-San Diego." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 102-105. Print

 

 

College of the Day: University of Hawaii-Manoa

University of Hawaii-Manoa

Quick Facts:

Location: Honolulu, HI

Established:1907

Students Enrolled: 14,784

Applicants: 6,810

Male/Female Ratio: 46/54

The University of Hawaii (UH) covers 300 acres in the Manoa Valley in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The beautiful location and laid-back Hawaiian attitude may seem like paradise for many students considering UH, but the coursework is fairly extensive. 

UH offers bachelor's degrees in almost 90 different fields.  The most popular being the marine and ocean-related programs.  Besides the marine programs, the astronomy, Asian and Pacific area studies, languages and the arts, ethnomusicology, and tropical agriculture are the best programs at University of Hawaii.  UH also prides itself on its programs in engineering, geology, geophysics, political science, and business.

Hawaii stands out from other American universities because of it's diversity.  Forty-one percent of students at UH are from Asian descent.  UH prides itself in connecting the East and West.  Because of this, International Business is one of the top programs at UH.

Student Life:

Because of limited student housing, less than 25% of students live in on campus dorms.  Although, once you receive on campus housing, it is easy to continuously live there.  Students who come to UH from the mainland also get priority in housing.  Frear Hall is the largest dorm building on campus; it features two 12-story towers that are interconnected.

Social life takes place mostly off campus.  Students say that after 4 PM, social life on campus is basically nonexistent.  Only one percent of students participate in Greek life.  Alcohol is not allowed in dorms, but a few local hangouts near campus provide options for upperclassmen. 

UH is near many of the world's most beautiful resorts, so many students visit them regularly.  Also, many students are able to take trips to Hawaii's other beautiful islands, such as Maui and Kauai.  Students wanting great surfing and warm weather get their fill of it at UH. Students also look forward to the Kanikapila every year, which is a Hawaiian festival with music, dance, and culture.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to University of Hawaii you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 480-580 and a Math SAT Score of 500-610. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 21-27. UH typically has at least 6,500 applicants each year with 81% of applicants being accepted.  

 

Interested in applying to University of Hawaii, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 

 

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Hawaii-Manoa." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 309-311. Print

College of the Day: Gonzaga University

 

Gonzaga University

Quick Facts:

Location: Spokane, WA
Established:1887

Students Enrolled: 5,564

Applicants: 6,991

Male/Female Ratio: 46/54

 

 

Gonzaga University is a medium-sized, private university located just outside of Spokane, Washington.  The university has become to be known for it's successful men's basketball team since it's quarterfinal's appearance in 1999. 

 

The lush campus is located on 131 acres along the Spokane River.  It features many walking and bike trails and is only a short 15-minute walk to the downtown area of Spokane.  The area is considered by students to be a college town and many businesses give discounts to students.  Spokane typically has 260 days of sunshine a year, but the other 105 days can be dreary for those not used to Washington's wet weather.

 

Gonzaga offers 75 different major programs in five different undergraduate divisions: the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, Education, Engineering, and Applied Sciences.  The best programs at Gonzaga are the engineering and business. The university has fairly small class sizes with 37 percent of classes having 19 or less students. 

 

 

 Student Life:

Freshmen and Sophomores at Gonzaga are required to live on campus and buy a meal plan.  The university has 24 on campus residence halls with a variety of living styles from co-ed to single-sex.  fifty-seven percent of students live on campus.  

Because of the university's Jesuit affliation, there are no fraternities or sororities at Gonzaga.  Students still feel as if there is plenty social life on campus even without the Greek life.  Alcohol is not allowed on campus, and underage students caught with alcohol may be fined or have to attend a alcohol awareness class.

Students feel as if they are part of a community at Gonzaga.  The successful basketball team brings the students together and revs their school spirit each season.  

Applying:

 

If you are interested in applying to Gonzaga University you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 540-640 and a Math SAT Score of 550-650. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 24-29. Gonzaga typically has at least 6,500 applicants each year with 67% of applicants being accepted.  

 

Interested in applying to Gonzaga, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "Gonzaga University." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 277-280. Print

 

 

 

 

 

College of the Day: University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky

Quick Facts:

Location: Lexington, KY
Established:1865

Students Enrolled: 24,975

Applicants: 18,802

Male/Female Ratio: 49/51

The University of Kentucky (UK) may be most well-known for it's basketball team, but the school is also making steps to be renowned for it's academics.  The college has recently initiated a plan to become one of the top research universities by 2020.  UK is also the leader in efforts to support first generation students.  

UK's campus is a mixture of old and new buildings set on parklike grounds.  The campus is in the middle of horse country; the Gluck Equine Research Center is a popular school for UK students hoping to help research into horse diseases.  The university also offers many other programs, such as Patterson School of International Diplomacy and the Gaines Center of the Humanities.  

Students at UK feel as if the academic climate is somewhat laid-back, but that doesn't stop students from competing to get the top grades.  Some classes are overcrowded and quickly fill up making it difficult for students to get the classes and times they need, but students agree that the professors show a genuine concern for their students and their grades.

Student Life:

Since students are not required to live on campus, only 26 percent of students choose to do so.  Dorms are located on three sections of campus: north, central, and south.  North campus is closest to campus, but offers small dorms.  Central campus has the largest dorms, but South campus has the newest dorms with air conditioners. 

Lexington is not really a college town; the city has over 250,000 people, but it offers students plenty of social activities, such as theaters, bars, clubs, and shopping. UK also provides many events for students to enjoy; the most popular being basketball games.  UK is consistently one of the best basketball programs in the nation, so students get crazy and hyped for all games.

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the University of Kentucky you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 500-620 and a Math SAT Score of 510-630. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 23-28. UK typically has at least 18,000 applicants each year with 67% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to UK, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Kentucky." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 394-396. Print

College of the Day: University of Southern Califonia

University of Southern California

Quick Facts:

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Established:1880

Students Enrolled: 34,236

Applicants: 46,104

Male/Female Ratio: 49/51

The University of Southern California (USC) is located adjacent to downtown Los Angeles. The park-like, 226-acre campus is an oasis from the busy city of LA.  USC is the only major private college in the region.  The university has previously been called "the University of Spoiled Children", but recently, the university has become more known for it's leading programs in business, media, and arts.

Classes are challenging, but many students join the school's learning communities, where students with common academic interests get together to study. USC offers students seventeen different professional schools they can join besides the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.  The university strongly encourages students to take double majors or have minors.  

The majority of USC students hail from California, but the campus is one of the most diverse in the country.  USC consistently has the highest proportion of foreign students in the country. Even with all the diversity, most students consider other students to be outgoing and friendly.

Student Life:

Dorms are fairly nice and comfortable at USC.  Dorms feature microwaves and refrigerators, which is uncommon for universities to provide.  Freshmen are guaranteed housing on campus, but upper classmen usually have to find housing off campus due to a shortage of space.  Some dorms even feature swimming pools and tennis courts.

Greek life is very popular at USC.  Forty-six percent of students participate in either a fraternity or sorority.  The Greek houses are located a short walk for campus, so many students choose to live in these houses.  

Sports are a huge event on campus.  There is a fever that runs through the school every football season. USC's football team is usually top in the nation.  The team won two consecutive national championships recently and 11 total championships.  Students pile in the courtyards of the campus for every game to tailgate and root on their team.  

Applying:

If you are interested in applying to the USC you should have a Critical Reading SAT Score of 620-720 and a Math SAT Score of 650-760. ACT Scores for all sections should be at least 29-33. USC typically has at least 46,000 applicants each year with only 33% of applicants being accepted.  

Interested in applying to USC, but need to boost your testing scores? Click here to access our various 1-on-1 tutoring and college admissions consulting packages.

 Source: Fiske, Edward B. "University of Southern California." Fiske Guide to Colleges. Vol. 2015. N.p: 648-651. Print