It can be tough to choose a college, given the enormous amount of them in the United States. Prospective students must look at not only their academic track, but the college’s location, environment, and extracurricular offerings.
From the heart of the south to the farthest flung coast on the west, there are many great options to choose from.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
More fondly known as MIT, this Cambridge institute is a private land-grant research university that has played a major role in the development of modern technology and science. It is often ranked among the top five universities in the country.
MIT graduates have gone on to invent new technologies, launch industries, and create thousands of jobs through their dedication to research and discovery. The curriculum is rigorous and the faculty is top-notch: three Nobel Laureates and 33 National Medal of Science recipients are currently or have been previously affiliated with MIT.
While it is common for professors to work with graduate students, MIT the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, or UROP, where students can work with brilliant faculty members on cutting-edge research as early as freshman year.
Clemson University, South Carolina
Clemson is a leading public research institution, a great school for students who want to make an impact on the world and actually see it happen. Founded in 1889, Clemson has seven colleges that cover even colleges: Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts and Humanities; Business; Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences; Education; Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; and Science.
It offers more than 80 majors and more than 90 minors, with approximately 21,000 undergraduate students. It also has over 130 graduate degree programs.
Not only are academics a high priority, so is real-world experience. Clemson’s Career Center helps students find internships, polishes resumes, and gives preparation through mock interviews.
Clemson is nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains, and brings with it a Southern charm. There are beaches and other bodies of water nearby to enjoy, a perfect complement to the year-round warmer weather. While you’re in town touring campus, head south to take a look at Charleston houses for sale, which are nestled into beautiful historic neighborhoods.
University of California, Berkeley
This west coast college was born out of a part of the State Constitution that denoted a university that would “contribute even more than California’s gold to the glory and happiness of advancing generations.”
These contributions started as early as 1887 with alumni contributing to advancements in earthquake science, carrying on to the invention of the wetsuit in 1952, the creation of the first biotechnology company in 1971, and the first synthetic antimalarial drug in 2013. UC Berkeley is rich in both technological and social change at large.
There are over 350 degree programs at UC Berkeley that range from Anthropology to Chemical Engineering. The Haas School of Business is the first of its kind to be founded at a public university in the country. Alumnis hold 32 Nobel Prizes, four Pulitzer Prizes, and over 200 Olympic medals.
