Founded on July 4, 1881, by Booker T. Washington, in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University is one of America's best known historically black college or university.

What do they have to offer? According to their Web site, "Tuskegee, through its five colleges and Centers of Excellence, offers a curriculum for success that includes courses in engineering, the natural and physical sciences, the health sciences, business and computer science, aviation science, the social sciences, liberal arts and education, and the fine arts."

What started as the "normal school" for training teachers in a small shack borrowed from a church, has grown into a major black university, covering 500 acres of land with 3,000 students on campus each year.

Tuskegee's National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care is the first in the country devoted to "engaging in the sciences, humanities, law and religious faith in the exploration of the core moral issues which underlie research and medical treatment of African-Americans and other underserved people," according to Wikipedia.

Although Tuskegee, like MIT, is a private university, tuition is nowhere near as high. For out of state students, the tuition for one year is a reasonable $14, 740. For families who want their children to have a good education but can't afford the creme de la creme like MIT or Cornell, might want to consider Tuskegee. But be warned, Princeton Review ranks Tuskegee ninth out of its list of 20 schools with the least happy students, ninth on the list of 20 schools with dorms like dungeons, and twelfth on its list of 20 schools with less than stellar library facilities.

If you're looking for an affordable, quality education, Tuskegee University is the way to go; if you're looking for college with all the trimmings, you might have to look somewhere else. You'll probably also have to get used to a chronically empty wallet.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 29, 2008 at 2:03 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the country and, according to the Princeton Review, one of the toughest to get into.

MIT's mission statement reads as follows: "The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century."

Undergraduate admission to MIT is based on "academic potential, strong personal qualifications, and outstanding interests, activities, and achievements." Potential graduate students are judged based on "previous performance and professional promise by the department in which they wish register." In short, you have to bring your A-game if you're looking to attend this particular university. Out the 12, 445 students who applied in 2007, only 1,553 were invited to enroll.

Established in 1861 by natural scientist, William Barton Rogers, MIT didn't officially open its doors until 1865. Situated on 168 acres of land along the Charles River in Cambridge, MIT becameco-ed in 1870 when Ellen Swallow Richards enrolled as the first female undergraduate student.

With both classic and ultra-modern architecture, MIT is an aesthetically pleasing, though intimate campus.

Should you meet all the criteria for acceptance, you'd better have deep pockets, a great financial aid package, or loads of scholarships. Tuition for out of state students is
$34,750 per year. That's $150 more than Cornell.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 29, 2008 at 10:46 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

College students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have a problem transferring credits. "New Web Site Shows What College Credits Will Transfer in PA," by Bill Schackner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reveals a solution.

Not all credits are accepted between Pennsylvania's numerous institutions of higher education. As a result, students are forced to take the same course over again. One way around this is through CLEP or DANTES tests. But what happens when those options aren't available? Students drop out, reducing the overall graduation rate.

In an effort to correct this, Pennsylvania law makers created a law in 2006, and now there is a Web site, the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center (PA TRAC). Thirty-two colleges and universities - including the mandatory 14 community colleges and 14 state-owned universities - participate. The state is hopeful that other schools will follow Lincoln University, Seton Hill University, St. Francis University, and Lackawanna College as voluntary participants. By the fall of 2008, 1,100 courses with transferrable credits will be posted on the site.

Although many Pennsylvania colleges and universities have transfer agreements with each other, participation in PA TRAC will greatly increase students' options and, in turn, help increase the state's college graduation rate.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2008 at 8:29 AM | Leave a Comment (0)