Top Universities & Colleges

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Years of human interference and negligence on this planet have interrupted the natural processes of the earth. Processes which restore, repair and sustain the resources and systems essential to the continued health of the many inhabitants of the planet are not functioning as they were intended. These interruptions of the natural cycles and resources have caused detrimental consequences. Now the inhabitants of the planet are relying on expertly trained earth scientists to discover solutions to these problems and effective methods to repair the existing damage already causing environmental hazards. Alternative methods of doing business are necessary to prevent further damage to the earth’s systems and resources. The methods of performing the tasks of manufacturing, waste disposal, of controlling chemical emissions, of developing property without damaging the ecology of the area and nearly every other task associated with the various business industries are affected by these necessary changes. And it is the earth scientists on whom businesses, governments and citizens are relying to direct and implement these changes.
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The field of landscape architecture is expected to experience significant job growth over the next several years. According the statistics reported by the United States Department of Labor, the employment rate for landscape architects is projected to increase by an astounding twenty percent. Populations around the globe are expanding. Growing populations are creating a need for development while the strain of development on the natural environment and resources is creating a need for trained individuals capable of balancing both facets without causing detriment to one for the other. Landscape architects are included among the professionals responsible for managing the two. The landscape architect works in collaboration with other professionals to create functional designs. However, while other professionals are concerned with the practicality of the project, it is the responsibility of the landscape architect to create a beautiful project design while ensuring the continued sustainability of the natural resources and ecology of the area being developed.
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If you’re looking to go to a school for political science, you are probably looking to go to the best. Unlike most other majors, a political science degree usually either leads to grad school or a career in government or law. Because of this, it is especially important to come out of a top program.

College Crunch has just unveiled it’s rankings list for the best political science programs. We’ve included the top 5.

1. Harvard University
2. University of California Berkeley
3. Yale University
4. University of Michigan
5. Stanford University

See the rest of College Crunch’s list of Top 15 Colleges for Political Science Majors In 2009

Forbes has ranked America’s Best Colleges. At the very top of the list there is a school that many might be surprised to see, but really they made an excellent choice. Here’s the top 10 of the Forbes rankings with a link to full rankings if you’re interested:

1. United States Military Academy
2. Princeton University
3. California Institute of Technology
4. Williams College
5. Harvard University
6. Wellesley College
7. United States Air Force Academy
8. Amherst College
9. Yale University
10. Stanford University

Click here for the complete Forbes list

One of the great things about higher education is the culture that forms around it. The atmosphere is unmistakable. Art and recreation opportunities abound. Not to mention coffee houses and pubs with free music.

Many people who have gone to such a college often decide to move near one later in life. They can be magical experiences.

We just came across this great post listing the 5 best college towns from Studenomics called Top College Towns To Consider This Fall. Make sure to visit them for more details, but here’s the list:

1. Amherst, Mass.
2. Berkeley, California
3. Montreal, Quebec
4. Washington, D.C
5. Boston

Although we really believe that Princeton, NJ should be on this list.

Most students like to do their due diligence before selecting a college or university as their school. But it’s often hard to find the best sites to look for good college reviews. Depending on what you are looking for, we’ve put together a list of the best college review sites that we could find online.

StudentReview – This is the leading site for student reviews. Not all of the reviews are great but there are enough reviews for most schools so that you can get a good feel of what students think. Keep in mind that when a student reviews a college, the student is most likely motivated to do so and this can skew their perspective. But, if enough students think badly or positively about a school it can be enough information to form an opinion.

US News & World Reports – These are professional rankings which include lots of statistical information. The reviews aren’t always representative of what you care about, but they will help you pick from only the best.

MyNextCollege Reviews – We love the forums here and the insight they provide into colleges in various states. Definitely worth checking out.

College Reviews by Teens – Looking for reviews from your peers? College reviews by teens is a fantastic place to get real reviews from real people just like you.

The Seattle Times published a useful article outlining 10 steps to get the best financial aid package when going to college. The tips were both helpful and practical and we suggest that you read through the article if you are currently deciding which school to go to and trying to work out the financial aid situation:
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College Crunch has released it’s annual list of the best online colleges. If you are considering an online education, you should definitely check this list out. It’s the best list we’ve seen online.

Here are there top 3 online colleges of 2009:

1. Devry University
2. University of Phoenix
3. Capella University

To see the rest of the rankings, click here.

In this post we asked Are College Rankings Reliable? and while people disagree on the answer to that question, there is no disputing that college students find such rankings reliable. Sure, the difference between and 1-10 might be indiscernible in actuality and thus the choice might be better left to some campus visits. Nonetheless, the schools in 1-10 are going to be great schools.

Anyway, we say this only because we like rankings. We think rankings cause colleges to strive for excellence. And while rankings aren’t perfect, they are useful. They serve a purpose.

UCSD’s Guardian newspaper makes the argument the most of the college rankings systems aren’t thorough enough and they often skimp on being scientific about their metrics.

As it can seem unnecessarily expensive and exhaustive to visit college campuses or do in-depth research outside of pamphlets and Web sites, rankings systems such as U.S. News and World Report’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” carry dangerous weight. But any prospective college kid — not to mention the general public — should take care to evaluate a publication’s methodology before letting those rankings affect their own opinion.

Notice that last sentence. How many students are really going to evaluate a publications methodology? Instead of doing that, we propose that there should be a watchdog group that independently evaluates the ranking systems for quality. That way students will know which publications to trust.

From: Top-College Rankings Oversimplify Research