Sunday, February 5, 2012

University of Pennsylvania

Founded by Benjamin Franklin, Penn should not be confused with Penn State or a public university. The University of Pennsylvania holds its own against the best of its Ivy League brethren. From Penn’s location in West Philadelphia, Center City is an easy walk across the Schuylkill river. With nearly 12,000 undergraduates and a similar number of graduate students, Penn has a diverse and bustling urban campus. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Penn was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and its strength in research has earned it membership in the Association of American Universities.

Brown University

Often considered the most liberal of the Ivy League schools, Brown is well known for its open curriculum in which students craft their own plan of study. Like Dartmouth, Brown has more of an undergraduate focus than other top-ranked universities. Brown is situated in Providence, the capitol of Rhode Island. Boston is only a short drive or train ride away. The university has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and it is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Dartmouth College

As the smallest of the Ivy League schools, Dartmouth provides the curricular breadth of its larger rivals with a feeling more like a liberal arts college. Dartmouth’s picturesque 269-acre campus is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, a town of 11,000. Dartmouth's strong programs in the liberal arts and sciences earned the school a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Dartmouth leads the Ivy League for the percentage of students who study abroad. The college has 48 off-campus programs in over 20 countries. Dartmouth students are also active in athletics -- 75% of students participate in athletics of some sort. If visiting campus, be sure to check out the Hood Museum of Art, the Hopkins Center for the Arts, and the impressive Orozco mural in Baker Library.

Cornell University

Along with its excellent faculty and facilities, Cornell University boasts a beautiful location in the Finger Lakes region of central New York. The huge hillside campus overlooks Lake Cayuga and is crisscrossed by deep gorges and bridges. Cornell is unique among the Ivy League universities in that its agricultural program is part of the state school system. Cornell is well known for its schools of engineering and hotel management. Its strengths in research and instruction have earned it membership in the Association of American Universities, and Cornell can also boast of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Columbia University

If you want an Ivy League education in a truly urban setting, be sure to take a look at Columbia. Its location in upper Manhattan places it right in the bustle of New York City. Columbia has extensive graduate programs—of its 22,000 students, over two-thirds are graduate students. Like all the Ivy League schools, Columbia's high level of research and instruction has earned it membership in the Association of American Universities, and its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned it a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Yale University

You are invited to view an illustrated timeline of Yale’s history in addition to reading the brief overview on this page.
Yale’s roots can be traced back to the 1640s, when colonial clergymen led an effort to establish a college in New Haven to preserve the tradition of European liberal education in the New World. This vision was fulfilled in 1701, when the charter was granted for a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts and Sciences [and] through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church and Civil State.” In 1718 the school was renamed “Yale College” in gratitude to the Welsh merchant Elihu Yale, who had donated the proceeds from the sale of nine bales of goods together with 417 books and a portrait of King George I.

Harvard at a Glance

Established

1636

Faculty

About 2,100 faculty members and more than 10,000 academic appointments in affiliated teaching hospitals

Students

Harvard College – About 6,700
Graduate and professional students – About 14,500
Total – About 21,000