The differences between going to university

The British are quiet, sarcastic, and stiff upper lipped, while Americans are gregarious, friendly, casual. Penn State is located in State College, Pennsylvania, the quintessential college town, and is known for football, agriculture, and one ugly scandal. LSE is located in the dead center of London, the quintessential cosmopolitan city, and is known for Nobel Prizes, the social sciences, and one ugly scandal.

Today, I want to explore a bit about what the mission is for large research institutions. Research Universities The prime mission of private and state flagship research universities is to generate research and produce graduate students. Undergraduates foot much of the tab for these expensive graduate programs and for star professors who rarely ever teach.

And guess who ends up interacting with these undergrads the most? Particularly in the sciences, grad students often get their degrees for free and in return they teach undergraduates. Does this arrangement mean that students who attend large universities, particularly state institutions, will be corralled into large lecture-style classes for four or more years?

Getting Personal Attention at a Research University How do you get personal attention if you attend a research university? Honor colleges within state universities can be another way to avoid some monster lecture-hall courses for the brightest students.

Here is where you can learn more about honor colleges. You should also contact faculty at a university — email is probably your best bet — and ask what is the average class size for introductory classes and what is the average class size once you get into your major.

They would have no motivation to buffalo you. One of the first things that I asked him was how many students were in his English classes. While the young man said his professors were smart, he shared that he had been frustrated because the class sizes were too large.

Even his upper-division English classes had at least students in them. Consequently, he never got to know his professors. He took a senior English seminar class with just 15 students. He said he worked so hard in that class and thoroughly enjoyed it because of the intimate setting. I begin my book, The College Solutionwith a story that appeared in The New York Times that focused on a movement at Harvard to improve the undergraduate education.

Here is the link to the story: One student, who was interviewed, suggested that undergraduates ought to know that professors are too focused on research to put much effort into what happens in the classroom. You come to Harvard to be around some of the greatest minds on earth.

Follow her on Twitter.Choosing a college is never easy, but before you pick the specific school you want to attend, you must first decide whether you want to pursue an education at an online university or a brick-and-mortar college.

The end result is the same — a diploma that will help you find a job in your field — but the learning environment is very different between the two platforms. If you are wondering whether to attend a community college or a university, you should have a solid understanding of the major differences between the two.

Based on information in each of the tables, there is a significant difference in the cost of in-state versus out-of-state tuition. For example, the largest difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition was $26, at the University of Virginia.

Typically, a community college is nonresidential and supported locally, regionally, and/or by the state government. They offer two- and/or three-year programs and award associate degrees. Many community colleges have articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities.

Difference #2: Cost. Alongside degree programs, cost is probably the biggest difference between community colleges and universities--and one of the main factors when it comes to choosing a school!

In the United States, colleges and universities are often discussed interchangeably with little to no realization of the difference between them.

In fact, you'll likely consider yourself a 'college student' no matter which type of institution you attend.