Brown

Brown University is a private liberal arts college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1764 and is the seventh oldest college in the United States. Its motto is In Deo Speramus or in English In God we Hope. Brown's colors are brown, cardinal red, and white.

This year Brown accepted the lowest amount of applicants than ever before. 22,645 students applied this year which was a 21 percent increase from last year. Brown had the biggest increase in applicants this year out of all the Ivy League schools.


The fact that Brown is considered the least non conformist of the Ivy League schools is what appeals to most of the undergraduate applicants. Brown offers 100 undergraduate programs ranging from neurology to Egyptology. Brown encourages students to also create their own courses. This allows students to enjoy their learning experience and get the most out of their college experience in regards to their field of study. Brown offers 50 graduate programs. One of the most well known is their eight year, highly competitive, Liberal Medical Education program.


The tuition for Brown is $38,848 if one wants to live on campus. However, there are financial aid opportunities. 83% of current undergraduate students were awarded some kind of financial aid.

Brown has an impressive list of alumni including John Seely Brown the inventor of spellcheck, Richard Olney former United States Secretary of State, Scott Aversano President of MTV Films and Nick Movies, and Marin Hinklee actress in Two and a Half Men.

Princeton

Princeton, located in New Jersey, was created in 1746 and is the fourth oldest school in the United States. It provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate studies in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Today Princeton has 5,000 undergraduate students and 2,500 graduate students.

Their motto is Dei sub numine viget which means under God's power she flourishes in English. Their colors are orange and black. The cost to attend Princeton in 2009- 2010 is estimated at $50,620. This includes tuition, room and board, and miscellaneous expenses. However, Princeton has one of the best financial aid programs that can pay up to 100% of a student's admission based on their financial aid application.

Princeton has a 9.3% acceptance rate. 94% of the accepted students were in the top ten percent of their high school's graduating class, most have a SAT score of between 2050 and 2360, and an ACT score between 30-34. Princeton looks for students who achieve high academically and are involved in many extra curricular activities.

Princeton has one of the most reputable science departments. Research is carried on in many areas, including plasma physics and jet propulsion. The world today would be very different without Princeton's alumni from the science, mathematics, economics, and English departments. Alumni include, Albert Einstein, who spent the last two decades of his life at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, John F. Nash the Nobel Prize winner, Eugene O'Neill, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Toni Morrison.

Yale

Yale, located in New Haven, Connecticut, has about 11,400 students. This is a total number of students who attend Yale's three component parts. These three parts include Yale College for undergraduate studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and then ten professional schools which include the Schools of Art, Architecture, Drama, Engineering, Music, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Law, Management, Medicine, and Nursing, and the Divinity School.

Yale has one of the best school's of Art. Students are presented with expert guidance and the newest technology. Students can choose to major in art, take art classes on the side while majoring in another subject area, or choose to participate in art as an extra curricular activity. Art at Yale ranges anywhere from architecture to acting. Yale even has a professional theater.

Yale, being one of the toughest Ivy League schools to get into, had a 9.7% acceptance rate this year out of the 19,448 students that applied. Most students had an act score between 29 and 34. The majority of students accepted are in the top ten percent of their class. Tuition is $34,530 not including room and board.

Yale's school color is Yale blue and it's motto is Lux et veritas. In English this means light and truth.

It is no surprise that one of the most prestigious school's ,Yale, has some of the most well known alumni including George Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, and William Howard Taft. John Kerry, Dick Cheney, George Pataki, and Hillary Clinton also attended Yale .

Harvard

Harvard, a part of the Ivy League, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was established in 1636. The school color is crimson and Harvard's motto is Veritas which is Latin for truth.

This year Harvard accepted only 7 percent of it's total 29,112 applicants, making it one of the most highly selective schools. Harvard contributes it's record number of applicants to the new financial aid program that has been implemented. Students that never thought about attending Harvard in the past, due to the $48,868 tuition fee, are beginning to think it is possible. The 147 million dollar financial aid program offers students of families whose income is below $60,000 to be eligible for a full ride scholarship.

There is no academic formula for getting into Harvard. However, most students take four years of the core classes, including English, Science, Social Studies, and Math, and four years of a foreign language. Harvard looks for students who take full advantage of their high school and take the most rigorous courses available to them. Also, most students are in the top 10 to 15 percent of their class. Harvard students typically receive at least a 700 on the critical reading and math portions of the sat.

However, grades alone are not enough to get into Harvard. This year about 3,000 applicants scored a perfect on the reading and math portion of the sat and 3,700 students were ranked first in their high school senior class. Many of these applicants were rejected. Harvard looks for well rounded students who participate in a variety of extra curricular activities especially activities involving community service. Harvard looks to obtain a diversified group of students. These students should excel in one area whether it be academics or an extra curricular activity.

Harvard contains an undergraduate program, Harvard college, and also 10 graduate schools including the Harvard Business, Law, and Medical schools. A degree from Harvard, one of the most well known schools, almost guarantees one a job.

What are the Ivy League schools?

Thousands of students each year go through an application process in hopes of being able to attend an Ivy League school. However,with the small acceptance rate that these colleges uphold, as many as 93% of these aplicaants are likely to have their dreams crushed. We ask the question what sets these schools, that are seemingly impossible to get into, apart from the rest?

The Ivy League initially started out as a sports conference. These schools were said to bring together football teams instead of minds. While continuing to be known for their athletics, as time progressed these private schools in the Northeastern U.S. have become amongst the most prestige schools in regards to academics.

The eight Ivy League schools include Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale.



Each of these excellent schools specialize in certain areas of study. All of these schools however, maintain small class sizes and have tuition rates around $40,000 a year for undergraduate classes. The student to teacher ratio, 7:1 at Harvard, is what appeals to most students.

Attending an Ivy League school almost guarentees a student a job upon graduation. Employers all over recognize the names of these eight schools. Going to an Ivy League school also gives students access to a network of dedicated alumni that can be used to their advantage.