University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong or the Fragrance Harbor as it literally means in English is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. Over the years Hong Kong has emerged as a kaleidoscope of life with the East and the West mingling in a perfect blend. There is diversity to the city where the new meets the old at every turn and a unique experience of the past which looks forward to a brighter future. The old traditions and customs coexist with the more modernistic lifestyle and values.

This is particular true in terms of the education and the general outlook towards life. There is a greater thrust on learning and gaining knowledge. This is very clear from the fact that the University of Hong Kong was built way back in 1912 and is considered to be the oldest university in the region.

Among its list of the prominent students who have graduated from here are the names like Dr. Sun Yat sen, who was the founder and acting First President of the Republic of China. The history of the institution goes back to almost 90 years and over the decades it has grown and evolved with the city after which it assumes its name.

The foundation of this prestigious institution was laid on March 16, 1910, by Sir Fredrik Lugard who was the Governor of Hong Kong at that time. It signified the birth of the first tertiary institution in the area.

The University launched its official opening on March 11, 1912 with the Faculty of Medicine which had evolved from the Hong Kong College of Medicine, founded in 1887. The institution held its first congregation in December 1916 with the first batch of 23 graduates. For the first ten years of its existence, women were not allowed to take admissions for any of the courses. Before the Second World War, the University was operating with four main faculties  Arts, Engineering, Medicine and Science.

After 1945, HKU underwent structural developments as a part of the post war reconstruction efforts. The university is located on the hillsides above the Western District and is best approached through the Mid Levels. There is a University Museum and Art Gallery on the campus which is the oldest in the SAR and houses Chinese art & antiquities in ceramics and bronze and also some paintings. The bronze collection is the world's largest collection of Yuan dynasty Nestorian Crosses.

Over the ensuing decades, HKU has grown in a dynamic, comprehensive and an institution of world class repute. There are nearly ten faculties and departments apart from the various research centers which are affiliated with it.

The various faculties of the University of Hong Kong are
• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Architecture
• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Business & Economics
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Law
• Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences

Apart from this there is the Graduate School and the School of Professional and Continuing Education which imparts world class knowledge.

The university attracts a lot of students and faculties which come from all parts of the globe. There are many hotels and hostels near the institution which provide an excellent accommodation and services which are both comfortable and light on the pocket of all.

Definitive Guide to the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is one of the premiere universities in the world. It is one of the original eight "Public Ivy's", placing it in exclusive company as a university on par with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. It has 3 campuses the main one being in Ann Arbor, with the others in Dearborn and Flint. U of M has one of the largest research expenditures of any university in America, and has the largest number of living alumni at almost half a million. This large base of support has contributed to U of M having the 9th largest endowment in the United States at over $5.5 Billion.

The university was originally founded in 1817 in Detroit, and was moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 when the city offered up free land to entice the school to move there. It was the first major university to enroll women, beginning in 1870. The University of Michigan also has a place in history as the location of the historic speech where President John F. Kennedy proposed what became to be known as the Peace Corps. More recently, it was the defendant in two court cases that were heard by the United States Supreme Court involving the use of affirmative action in their admissions policies. The State of Michigan also passed a law banning the use of affirmative action in university admissions.

The University of Michigan has around 40,000 students enrolled in over in 600 academic programs. Students come from all 50 states and over 100 countries. U of M ranks very highly in every college ranking system, with more than 70% of their 200 programs being ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Ross School of Business is considered to be one of the best in the world, and the Medical School is as well. These high rankings and national reputation has led to extremely high tuition rates for students not considered "in-district". Tuition for Michigan residents is very reasonable considering the prestige of the university and quality of education. However, if you are an out of state student, expect to pay roughly what you would pay to go to Harvard or Yale.
U of M recently joined with Michigan State University and Wayne State University to create what's been dubbed the University Research Corridor. The purpose is to highlight the capabilities of Michigan's three major research institutions in an effort to help spark the transformation of Michigan's economy away from the fading automotive industry.

Aside from being one of the world's most prestigious universities in terms of education, U of M has a long history of athletic dominance in most major sports. Known as the Wolverines and recognized by their trademark maize and blue colors, U of M has produced hundreds of professional athletes with several current and future hall of famers among them. It's also launched well over 100 Olympic medalists, including the most recent one Michael Phelps.

University of Pennsylvania

The famous University of Pennsylvania is situated in the city of Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania in the country of the United States of America. The University of Pennsylvania is one of the few universities of the US that came into being at about the same time the country was established. As a result, the University of Pennsylvania boasts of a rich history. It is a reputed University and is part of the prestigious Ivy League group of universities. Benjamin Franklin, who was an important citizen of Philadelphia when Philadelphia and Pennsylvania were in their earliest stages of development, is credited with being the founder of the University. He was a student of the University himself. Franklin initiated several progressive reforms in the College of Philadelphia  that was the name of the University then so that the College became one of the main seats of higher learning of the New World.

Aim, Goal, Motto 

The University used the great Roman poet, Horace's work to devise its motto. The English translation of the Latin words  the University represented in its motto were of what avail empty laws without good morals? These words were changed gradually over the years. The present motto is laws without morals are useless. This is only a slight modification of Horace's original words. As the University of Pennsylvania, also known as the University of Penn, proudly proclaims that  laws without morals are useless, it should examine its own laws and morals thoroughly. Can the University be so cocksure of its own laws and morals?

 

Studies

The University of Pennsylvania is celebrated for its many departments or schools such as its School for Engineering and Applied Science, School of Nursing, College of Arts and Sciences and The Wharton School, the well-known B-School of the world. The University of Pennsylvania is eminent for encouraging its students to pursue multidisciplinary careers. The University urges its students to study for more than one degree at a time and to pursue majors in subjects that are not commonly studied. It also allows a great degree of flexibility in its course curricula so that students with children and working students can study comfortably at the University.

The University of Pennsylvania is home to several graduate schools as well where students pursue graduate courses, professional courses and research programs. Some of these schools are the University of Pennsylvania Law School, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, and other schools.

Admissions

The University of Pennsylvania observes very strict admission procedures just to show that it is a great university and that it admits none but the best. It generally admits only 16% of the total number of applicants who apply to the University. It ensures that those it admits have secured top places in their respective high schools. Only 60% to 65% of the admitted candidates actually get through the stiff courses of the University and receive degrees. The University of Pennsylvania is ranked as one of the first 10 most difficult universities to secure admissions in, in the whole of the US.

On the whole, the University is also a seat of egotism apart from learning and higher education. Because it ranks within the top ten universities of the country, it thinks the world of itself. It automatically infuses its vanity into its students who think greatly of themselves when they graduate from the University. The students of the University of Pennsylvania feel that they have the right to demand respect from people who are ordinary and who are not so successful. It is sad that the more meritorious students are, the more haughty they become.

Life at the University of Penn

There is no doubt about the fact that the campus of the University is well-laid-out and beautiful. Apparently, the architects of the University had copied the architectural styles of Oxford and Cambridge, famous universities of England, when designing the University of Pennsylvania. The entire University campus comprises imposing Gothic edifices. However, some modern looking buildings have also cropped up in the campus during the last couple of years. The University of Pennsylvania boasts of some fifteen libraries and millions of books. The museum of the University of Pennsylvania showcases countless relics and artifacts to all its visitors. These exhibits are extremely ancient and belong to the Egyptian, Chinese, Mesopotamian, and Persian civilizations. Some of the statues and objets d'art on display also belong to the Latin American civilizations. The museum employs the talents of scientists in order to decipher inscriptions on and find out the ages of its various exhibits. The Institute of Contemporary Art in the campus of the University of Pennsylvania hosts several expositions throughout the year.

Like most American universities, the University of Pennsylvania allows students to lodge within its premises during their freshman year. Once, they become juniors and sophomores, they move out of the University campus and take up residences in the vicinity of the University.

Students of the University of Pennsylvania are typically impertinent but brilliant in their studies. Several Asian students apply to the University of Pennsylvania to secure seats in the University's undergraduate and postgraduate programs, year after year.

The students are members of various student bodies, most of which espouse causes that appeal to the students.

Like most American universities, the University of Pennsylvania encourages its students to participate in sports and sporting activities such as soccer, rugby and basketball.

The University of Pennsylvania is pretty illustrious for being a seat of action. The University of Pennsylvania is one of the few universities of the US that is known for its liveliness and verve.

The University of Pennsylvania is a really good place to study and do research in. Hats off to the University of Pennsylvania for being one of the best universities of the United States of America!

Damien Ghosh is a prolific writer of articles that focus on technology, places and people. Damien has worked in different industries such as the information technology industry, the travel and tourism industry and the retail industry. He has worked in several projects for blue chip companies, that are part of the IT, travel and tourism and retail industries. His work and his passion for traveling has made him journey throughout the world. He has led large work teams to accomplish business goals successfully. His rich experience undoubtedly helps him to write extensively. Damien writes for magazines, the web and for newspapers. His articles have received lots of accolades from critics and readers.

Universities And Colleges In Chicago

The metropolitan area of Chicago is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago, and the Northwestern University. All three of them are world renowned for their contribution to research in various fields. It was J. Stanley Brown and William Rainey Harper who pioneered the concept of junior colleges at Joliet Junior College, Chicago. The city therefore occupies an important place in American education history.

The Catholic Theological Union, the largest theological seminary in the world is located in Chicago. The city is also home to the Loyola University Chicago, the world's largest Jesuit University. The University however has other campuses in other cities in the US. There are a number of other private universities in Chicago that offer theology major programs, even though theology may not be the main focus of the institutions.

Rush University houses the Rush Medical College, which is one of the earliest medical schools to launch west of the Appalachian Mountain Range. It was also the very first school of higher learning to be chartered in Illinois.

Saint Xavier University in Chicago is the oldest university in Illinois, founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy at the request of Bishop William Quarter. It is also the oldest chartered college in the city.

Chicago has a number of colleges and universities devoted to the arts. Columbia College Chicago has almost 12000 students enrolled in 120 different graduate and undergraduate programs. It is one of the biggest colleges of arts in the country. The American Academy of Art and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are other famous institutions devoted to the areas of Fine Art and performing arts.

The city has a number of music colleges as well. The VanderCook College of Music is devoted exclusively to training music instructors. It shares its campus with the Illinois Institute of Technology. The Roosevelt University in Chicago is home to the Chicago College of Performing Arts. The college was founded in 1867 and it currently houses the Music Conservatory and the Theatre Conservatory. The college has played a huge role in educating musicians and developing the cultural life of the Midwest.

The various educational institutions in Chicago offer a great opportunity for students to pursue a new line of interest or to become specialists in their current occupation. The Internet is a good place to start searching for good colleges in the city of Chicago.

Yale University School of Medicine

Yale School of Medicine is a private medical college situated in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Although the Yale school of medicine was founded in 1810, it started functioning in 1813. Yale encompasses of wide array of centers and programs, libraries, museums and administrative support offices. Yale University mainly conducts three major courses for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and for the professional schools.

Academic Programs at the Yale University 

Yale University runs more than 2000 academic programs for undergraduate students. Thus, the undergraduate program is known as the heart of the university. To start your studies at Yale University, you need to make a direct application to the college or the school regarding the program in which you want to get enrolled. Yale offers College of arts and science for graduation courses. Regarding professional school courses, the University offers divine courses like school of architecture, art, management, medicine, music, nursing, public health and many more. Other extra programs running inside the campus of the college are non degree programs, summer sessions and world fellowship programs.

Health and Medicine at Yale 

Yale is the home to a world class medical centre which holds more than a dozen institutions, including the School of Medicine which is school for learning and for educating leaders, caring for patients and for investigating things related to health or diseases. The School of Medicine is in existence for more than 200 years now. The health and medicine centre also organizes school of nursing which trains the students with extraordinary skills in nursing practice, research and in education. There are more than 27 departments in health and medicine centre. This centre also has one of the nation's oldest schools related to Public Health and a Child Study centre that was founded in 1911. This Child Study centre has achieved recognition from all over the world.

Benefits Provided By Yale for the Students and Staff

Yale University is beneficial in numerous ways, whether it is for students or for the staff. The university is not only enriched in imparting education but also by rendering services in different field. Yale is comprehensive in providing health commitments to their staffs and students. Along with the health care, it provides financial aid to the students by different methods like pension plans for the employees, day care, tuition assistance, insurance policies. Along with all the monetary facilities, the University offers fun inducing environment that encourages enjoyment through means like museums, art performance, libraries, sports events and the likes. Thus, there are never ending benefits enjoyed by all the students and staffs associated with the University.

Princeton - Seat Of Learning

Non sectarian Princeton University in New Jersey is a revered seat of learning, part of the elite Ivy League conglomeration of eight colleges, and has a long and rich history. Founded in the town of Elizabeth in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, this premier educational establishment was relocated to Princeton ten years after its formation, but didn't change its name to reflect its new location until some 150 years later.

The original university's building the Nassau Hall  forms the centre point of today's campus. It has been added to and changed function many times over the years, but still retains its original façade. During the college's 150 year anniversary in 1896, Princeton adopted the title of Woodrow Wilson's keynote speech "Princeton in the nation's service" as its informal motto. Wilson was then a faculty member, but six years later became the University's 13th President and immediately set about enlarging and improving the college. Plans for a graduate school were finalized during his term of office and Wilson also doubled the size of the faculty. His vision and plans formed the basis of the university's expansion and development for the remainder of the 20th Century. Indeed, during 1996-97 Princeton celebrated its 250th birthday, expanding its motto to include "and in the service of all nations" reflecting the worldwide distribution of its alumni.

From its humble beginnings based around Nassau Hall, Princeton has now expanded to a 600 acre campus incorporating over 160 buildings and boasting 1,200 faculty members. There are over six million books residing on over seventy miles of shelving in the prestigious Princeton 'Firestone' library, and although the university traditionally focused on undergraduate education it has latterly turned to also providing Masters Degrees and PHDs as it increases its graduate education prospectus.

The college became Co-ed in 1969 when women were first admitted to this prestigious seat of learning, and today there are close to 4,750 undergraduates and 2,300 graduate students studying at Princeton. Most of the undergraduates and close to two thirds of the graduate students live on campus. The university encourages parents to become actively involved with their children's progress at the school starting with Freshman enrolment where parents are invited to join their sons and daughters at Freshman Parents Weekend. It is normally held in the first weekend of October when, as you can imagine, it's virtually impossible to get a room at a hotel in Princeton.

Although in university terms it is a relatively small institution, Princeton is one of the nation's leading research educational establishments and continues to maintain its reputation for excellence and quality one that has endured over its 260 year history.

California Institute of Technology Displaces Harvard As Top Institution

Introduction

As is well known, ranking higher education institutions involves so much criteria and data, and even subjectivity and generalization. Ranking therefore is never an exact science, strengths and weaknesses of the colleges are never static, just as are aspects like availability and use of research funding, upgrading, qualities of instructors. Many colleges are slow at revolutionizing their curriculums, while others are rapidly innovative and easily embrace change.

This year, for the first time in a very long time, I recently perused some of the rankings of the universities all over the world. My impetus lies in the newsflash that California Institute of Technology, a powerhouse in Pasadena that is therefore not far fetched from where I live, has become ranked in Forbes magazine as the top research university in the world. California very much remains a flagship state, despite the economic woes and the "spoiled brat" image of Californians. There is a latent, sometimes blatant "East Coast West Coast" rivalry among Americans, that the displacement of Harvard by "Caltech" as the leading academic institution in the world is cause for Californians to roar it into the wild.

When I was at Texas' Baylor University in Waco, I marveled at the young Caltech graduate student from India who visited to witness the wedding of his sister Nivedita Sahu who was a classmate. Undoubtedly, he was a very brilliant and affable fellow. As I left Waco for Los Angeles, the director of the Department of Environmental Studies, a top national atmospheric physicist who additionally had a graduate degree in music, Dr. W. Merle Alexander told me that he routinely visited the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena at least once a year. Professor Alexander was to teach at Baylor for thirty years and was a long term member of the Waco Symphony Orchestra whereby he played the french horn. Long before I knew about Californian genius Steve Jobs, Baylor had introduced me to directly facing and interacting with the computer world, in the dense network of Apple Macintosh computers all over the campus.

I took interest in the "Times Higher Education" World University rankings which were established in collaboration with a data provider generated by the same agency, with Thomas Reuters, and with expert information from over fifty leading persons in the field from fifteen nations across each of the continents. "Times Higher Education" regards itself as the golden yardstick in the field in the area of university performance comparison. Among the factors considered and weighed in ranking the universities were innovation, citations generated, volume and reputation of the researching, the teaching-learning environment, and the international outlook of the institutions. The institutions were ranked universally, and by region.

World Top Institutions 2011-2012

(1) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (2) Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (2) Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (4) University of Oxford, UK (5) Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 6) University of Cambridge, UK (7) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (8) Imperial College London, UK (9) University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (10) University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (11) Yale University, New Haven, CT (12) Columbia University, Washington, DC (13) University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (14) Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (15) ETH Zurich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland (16) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (17) University College London, UK (18) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (19) University of Toronto, Canada (20) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Top North American Institutions 2011-2012

(1) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (2) Harvard U., Cambridge, MA (2) Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA (4) Princeton U., Princeton, NJ (5) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (6) U. of Chicago, Chicago, IL (7) U. of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (8) Yale U., New Haven, CT (9) Columbia U., Washington, DC (10) U. of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (11) Johns Hopkins U., Baltimore, MD (12) U. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (13) U. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (14) Cornell U., Ithaca, NY (15) Carnegie Mellon U., Pittsburgh, PA (16) U. of British Columbia, Canada (17) Duke U., Durham, NC (18) Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; (19) U. of Washington, Seattle, WA (20) Northwestern U., Evanston, IL.

Top African Institutions 2011-2012

(1) University of Capetown, South Africa (2) Stellenbosch University, South Africa (3) University of Witwatersrand, South Africa (4) Alexandria University, Egypt.

Top Oceania Institutions 2011-2012

(1) U. of Melbourne, Australia (2) Australian National U., Australia (3) U. of Sydney, Australia (4) U. of Queensland, Australia (5) Monash U., Australia (6) U. of Auckland, New Zealand (7) U. of New South Wales, Australia (8) U. of Western Australia, Australia (9) U. of Adelaide (10) U. of Otago, New Zealand (11) Macquarie U., Australia (12) Victoria U. of Wellington, New Zealand (13) U. of Wollongong, Australia (14) U. of Newcastle, Australia (15) Queensland U. of Technology, Australia (16) U. of Canterbury, New Zealand (17) Charles Darwin U., Australia (18) U. of Tasmania, Australia (19) U. of Waikato, New Zealand (20) Curtin U., Australia.

How Stanford University Got It's Name

Stanford University, the private research university located near Palo Alto, California, is known around the world for the first class education it provides to roughly 6,800 undergraduate students and about 8,300 graduate students every semester. Interestingly, while the institution of higher learning is a place that literally hundreds of thousands of students dream of one day attending few know the back story that explains how the Northern California school came to be known as Stanford University.

The university, founded in 1891, shares its name with former California governor Leland Stanford, but the story does not end there. The school that now sits in Stanford, California was founded by Leland Stanford and his wife Jane Stanford in the late ninetieth century as a memorial to honor the untimely death of their son Leland Stanford Junior who died at the age of fifteen.

While traveling with his parents in Italy Leland Jr. was stricken with typhoid  which is a form of food poising in which ingested bacteria makes its way through the intestinal wall and into an area of the body where it can cause severe damage to multiple organs. While trouble with Salmonella or typhoid is still prevalent in much of the developing world at strongly endemic rates  for the illness to cause death in the developed world in the twenty first century is extremely uncommon. Unfortunately for young Leland Stanford Junior the circumstances surrounding his infection did not include the ready access to life saving antibiotics that are common today. The end result was the death of Leland Junior about two months shy of his sixteenth birthday. Today Leland Jr. rests in peace on the Stanford University campus alongside both his mother and father who were eventually put to rest at the Stanford family mausoleum as well.

In addition to serving as a predecessor to eventual famed California governors Ronald Regan and Arnold Schwarzenegger Leland Stanford Senior sat as a United States senator from 1885 until his death at the age of 69 in 1893. It was during his final years alive that he formally founded Leland Stanford Junior University while serving as a US senator from California, an event that took place seven years after the death of his young son. The first student that was admitted to Stanford University in 1891 happened to be Herbert Hoover who would eventually become the thirty first President of the United States in 1929.

Although nearly everyone refers to Stanford University by the shorted title that simply includes the two previously mentioned words the official full name of the school is Leland Stanford Junior University. In a somewhat clever, albeit insensitive manner, rival schools have been known to jokingly refer to Stanford University as a junior college as a play on the full title and the United States junior college system that prepares students for four year universities.

Stanford graduates are known for being a proud group that has never shied away from letting anyone know where they got their diplomas. This group of proud alumni make no effort to hide their credentials by showing off Stanford University wallpaper on their computer screens at home and more importantly at work. Kim has a number of friends who used to call the Palo Alto area home and it was at the request of those dear friends that she provides Stanford University desktop wallpaper options on her website for free.

Boredom Can Shorten Your Life According to Research by University College London

Boredom can shorten you life, according to research carried out by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.

The specialists from the department looked at data from 7,524 civil servants between the ages of 35 and 55 during the period between 1985 and 1988. Those civil servants who said that they were bored were nearly 40% more likely to have died by the end of the study than those who said they were not.

It was also found that there was sufficient evidence to link heart disease to boredom.

But why do some people claim that they are bored to death?

    This may be due to the work they are doing being not challenging enough. They need to find something more challenging and stimulating to do at work or else they'll really be bored to death.
    Sometimes boredom could be the result of depression. If you're depressed, you usually lose interest in what you are doing. Depression interferes with your work, social and family life.
    People have too much time on their hands. These people include retirees and wealthy people with not very much to do to keep themselves occupied.
    People with high intelligence are grouped with people with average intelligence. Take the case of a very intelligent child being in the same class as children of average intelligence. The intelligent child picks up information very quickly and is ready to move on to a new topic. They are unable to move on because the rest of the class is still learning the topic. As a result the intelligent child very quickly gets bored with lessons.
    There is a lack of change in the environment. If you've been in the same environment for too long you'll soon get bored with your surrounding.

Some people who are bored to death turn to drinking and smoking to combat their boredom. They get addicted to drinking, smoking and other drugs which are detrimental to their health.

Some of the ways to cure boredom are,

    If you find the work routine too repetitive and boring, speak to your manager and ask if the work of the department can be rotated. For example, if you work in the accounts department, one person may be dealing with the accounts receivable, another person may be dealing with accounts payable, yet another may be dealing with asset ledgers. If you're dealing with only one area of the departmental work, then it will get rather boring after a while. You may feel that you can do the tasks blindfolded. It is not challenging enough to keep you stimulated. A job rotation every 3 to 4 months will help to stimulate you and your colleagues because you look forward to doing something different when you rotate to another task within the department. The departmental workload is still done and it's good for the department as you'll be able to cover for each other during holiday period or when you or your colleague is on sick leave.
    Once you recognize the signs of depression and if you are bored as a result of it, you should ask for help and support. Speak to your family and friends and let them know what you're going through. Tell them you need their support and understanding. Don't shut them out as your depression might get worse in isolation. The signs of depression include feelings of helplessness, feeling bored with daily activities, feeling tired and physically drained, change in the sleep pattern or appetite and having problems with their concentration.
    If you have too much time on your hands, you can sign up as a volunteer worker. There are many charitable organisations looking for the services of volunteers. You'll feel great within yourself knowing that your contribution has helped to make the lives of other people better.
    If you feel bored because you're not in the right learning group, make a request to get transferred to a more advanced learning group. You may have been accidentally put to a beginner's class instead of an intermediate or advanced class. You may be happy and feel that the pace of this class is well within your comfort zone but the price you've to pay for this comfort is boredom.
    If you're bored with your environment, make changes to it. If you're bored with the colour scheme of your room, change it to a different colour scheme to please your senses. If you're bored with your surrounding, take a short break away from your surrounding. Go away for a few days and visit a relative or friend in another location.

Boredom is a state of mind and should be tackled as soon as possible. The mind needs to be challenged and stimulated before you're bored to death. A change in your lifestyle can also open up new interests to keep you from being bored.

Applying To International Universities

Who does not want to go to a famous University like Oxford, Harvard or the Sorbonne? As the world gets more competitive, the quality of University you get your degree from can determine a lot about your future. Getting a University degree from a high quality international University can give you that edge over top graduates from a University in your own country.

What many applicants do not realize is that applying to a University, especially an overseas University, is not just a matter of going through the application process. Anyone can do that, and, at prestigious Universities, many more do than get in! To paraphrase the Bible "many knock at the admissions office door, but few are allowed in".

Even when English-speaking students apply to English-medium Universities overseas, there is an element of culture involved. Culture means, to make it very simple, "how people think and behave in a certain country". Americans, Britons, Australians, New Zealanders, and Canadians, for example, speak the same language but have different cultures. We think that they are the same because the differences are so much less than the differences from countries where English is not the first language.

Even countries which use the same examination system do not necessarily have the same culture, and that leads to surprises. Each year, millions of Nigerians, Indians, Kenyans, Pakistanis, Malays, and west Indians, who went through "British system" schools with good marks, fail to get into good British, Australian, and Canadian Universities when they try. Getting a high grade point average in a public high school in Nebraska may not get you into Cambridge either. Nor will an Ivy League University in America necessarily give your British public school  the credibility that Universities in your country would.

Of course, you need to be smart. Yes, you need a good education. The best strategy in the world will not get a moron into a top University. Yet most of those who do not get into the University of their dreams are not morons at all they are quite smart and have done well at school. Thus, the greater the heartbreak when they fail. They just cannot understand why!

The cultural side of University admissions involves things like perception and value. You may well have to "sell" your secondary school to your prospective University, just because they have not heard of it before. Remember one thing the top Universities stay at the top because they only admit students who are almost sure to succeed, both in their Universities and in their careers. They do not like to take chances. Yet telling the admissions office how great your school was will not even begin to sell it.

British students may have to give information to American Universities that they never thought of to get in, and they may not always be asked for it. Similarly, American students may find that the things they think are their strongest points are of no interest at all to British Universities: at least unless they are presented in a certain way. To generalize  American Universities are more interested in the student as a person, while British Universities are more interested in the student's academic excellence, standing apart from other applicants.

African and Asian students who top their class in English-medium schools in their countries often learn methods that make them fail in western Universities, and never learn methods that will make them succeed. That is not a matter of bad education: it is education for the wrong culture. One clear Ex,  in Africa or Asia, if you memorize the textbook, you are a good student and will get top marks. In Britain or America, if you memorize the textbook, you have no creativity and will fail the examination. That sort of thing will show up in the application process, and the University admissions committees know just where to look: unfortunately the students have no idea about any of this and just fill in the forms in their customary way.

Confused yet? Hopeless? Does it all sound impossible? Here is the good news it is nowhere near impossible! Thousands of students get into the overseas Universities of their dreams each year, succeed and go on to great things. It is very possible, but those who succeed have the right strategies, the right information, and the right advice.

How do I know? I know because I have been helping students to get into overseas Universities for years. I remember one Malaysian student, when I was teaching at Victoria University of Wellington, who wanted to get into a British University to become a Barrister. Her English was good enough, but her confidence was not. She knew little about the British Universities, even which ones to apply to. I just answered her questions at every step of the way, and I think I gave her a letter of reference. Just that was enough help for her.

Another Taiwanese student was snowed under by the UCAS system of application to British Universities. English was part of the problem, but the biggest problem was just total unfamiliarity with the whole system. I just stayed with him through the process, checked his forms and advised him on options, and kept his spirits up. I was so happy, some 4 years later. when he came back to thank me, Commerce degree in hand.

Either one of them, or many others whom I tutored on their IELTS or TOEFL examinations or helped them to improve their writing and reading skills to succeed in college, could easily have failed if no one had been there. You do not just need an application essay editor or a high school guidance counsellor. You need a professional advisor who can help on EVERYTHING that is, whatever you, specifically, need to get into the University of your dreams. It will not be a 1day, or 1month process the earlier you start, the more likely you are to succeed.

One important tip the application process does NOT start when you get the application form A successful application to a major University starts YEARS in advance in the school you choose, the subjects you choose, and the activities you participate in. After that, the form-filling process is either a matter of good strategy or disaster management to succeed.

Harvard University

Harvard University is the oldest and, arguably, the most prestigious university in the United States. In 2005, the Times Higher Education Supplement and the Academic Ranking of World Universities both ranked Harvard University first among the universities of the world. In addition, the US News and World Report rankings placed Harvard at the top of the list in a tie with Princeton. Moreover, with a financial endowment of $25.5 billion in 2005, Harvard is considered the wealthiest university in the United States and in the world.

Located at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard was founded in 1663, incorporated as "The President and Fellows of Harvard College." It was named Harvard College in 1639 after John Harvard, a young clergyman and the institution's first principal donor. John Harvard, a product of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, left in his will several hundred pounds and a few hundred books to the college, which formed the foundation of its college library collection. On record, the first known official reference to Harvard as a "university" rather than a college was in 1780 in the Massachusetts Constitution.

During his tenure as Harvard president from 1869 to 1909, Charles Park instituted a number of radical changes that made the university into what was then known as the modern research university. Among his reforms were elective courses, small classes and entrance examinations. Owing to its successful implementation of these reforms, Harvard served as the model that influenced the American educational system greatly, both at the college and secondary levels.

In 1999, Radcliffe College, which was originally founded as the "Harvard Annex" for women, was formally merged with Harvard University to form the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

Today, Harvard has the fourth largest library collection in the world and the largest financial endowment of any academic institution. It lists over 6,000 undergraduate and 13,000 postgraduate students as well as a staff of 2,300. Its well-known motto is "veritas" or truth. Since 1875, the official school color is crimson and that's also the name given to Harvard sports teams as well as the daily school newspaper, The Harvard Crimson Tide.

Fire Alarm For Deaf People Installed at Imperial College London

Imperial College London, rated the fifth best university in the world for 2009, is the latest college to install Deaf Watch the Fire Alarm for Deaf and Hard of hearing people developed by Wireless Alert Solutions.

Fire Alarms for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People 

Imperial College is a science based institution with such a superb reputation for excellence in teaching and research that it attracts 13,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest quality. The innovative research at the college explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, so naturally they would insist on the highest quality products and systems to be used in and around the Imperial College Campus. When such systems are to be used to help protect students and staff, then such a prestigious college places paramount importance on choosing the right systems.

Coverage Problems

Imperial had previously looked into fire alarm solutions for Deaf and Hard of hearing people in the past, but the large scale buildings of the South Kensington Campus meant that paging licenced and unlicenced systems always encountered coverage problems. Poorly licenced options required multiple transmitters to cover just a single building, while the size and complex nature of the laboratories and dense materials contained within them made full coverage difficult.

Further Testing

For Deaf Watch, the scale and variety of the Imperial College buildings proved less troublesome. A single fire alarm and a single Deaf Watch transmitter achieved complete coverage of whole buildings from the ground floor using only a low power five inch antenna. Imperial College earned its place as the fifth best university in the world by detailed investigation, testing and problem solving. One problem occurred when Deaf Watch was used in conjunction with Imperial's sophisticated central control system for identifying fire activations and co-ordinating the management. The system operates over a variety of cabling, the correct method for information only services that are operating and performing well. Appending Deaf Watch to this system would make it part of the fire alarm system, so non fire retardant cable was inadequate. This meant that the college buildings would have to be considered individually or in clusters.

Deaf Fire Alarm Solutions

With the infrastructure of Imperial College meaning some buildings are securely interconnected, twenty six buildings could be secured by only nineteen DeafWatch transmitters, which meant that, along with the bulk purchases for such a large project, significant savings were possible. The flexibility of the Wireless Alert Solutions approach meant that a strong working relationship was built with the in situ electrical sub contractor, simplifying the installation. Having local engineers on site with resources and facilities in central London also proved a significant cost saving.

Imperial College London has the legal title 'Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine' and this is reflected in department after department of sophisticated technology. The laboratories of Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautics, Biochemistry and Electrical Engineering all threw up unusual and difficult challenges. A combination of different small antennas and a maximum power output of 5W meant that DeafWatch could securely cover all buildings.

Within the college Halls of Residence, DeafWatch utilized its daytime and night time programming protocols, ensuring that daytime messages would not be received by sleeping students, while those still awake would still receive Fire Alarm for the Deaf coverage.

Cost Effective Conclusio

 Imperial College London provided an excellent example of a cost effective Fire Alarm for the Deaf solution despite the challenging circumstances. Even though the inter building infrastructure was not able to be exploited in most cases, a flexible approach meant that a cost effective solution was possible in Central London. This resulted in Imperial College London considering a comprehensive approach to their Fire Alarm for Deaf and Hard of hearing people system within a year's budget.

After a successful expansion from the original two transmitters, Imperial College have already expanded the DeafWatch Fire Alarm for Deaf people system two a total of twenty two transmitters, covering a total of twenty nine buildings across the whole South Kensington Campus and other sites besides.

    "DeafWatch has turned a potential risk into a thorough success within six months. We have achieved complete coverage at a reasonable price. Their flexibility with our strategic partners and their approach to corporate responsibility has been crucial. We are very pleased with the results. For their size, Wireless Alert Solutions Limited punches comfortably above their weight."

Andrew Hammond, Support Services, Imperial College London.

Chris Durham is an expert in the supply and installation of radio-based fire alarm for Deaf and Hard of hearing people. He is the director of Wireless Alert Solutions Limited. If you would like more information .

The University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge, informally called as Cambridge University or Cambridge, is one of the famous universities in the world. It is the second oldest University in England and is considered as the fourth oldest in the world.

The legend has it that The University of Cambridge was founded in the year 1209. During that time, there were scholars who were escaping Oxford due to a fight they had with the locals. In 1231, King Henry III gave them a teaching monopoly.

The University of Cambridge produces famous writers, scientists, and politicians in Britain. The University has 31 college institutions. The first College is named Peterhouse and was founded in the year 1284 by the Bishop of Ely Hugh Balsham. During the 14th and 15th centuries, many other colleges were also founded. These colleges acted as independent institutions that are separated from Cambridge itself. These colleges have the autonomy to decide who to admit, have the responsibility when it comes to the welfare of their students, and over small group teaching.

In 1869, the first college institution for women was created the Girton College. Three years later, another college institution for women was founded  the Newnham College. At first, only male students were admitted to Cambridge. In 1882, attempts were made to make women as full members of The University of Cambridge however, this failed. It was only in 1947, that women were made full members of Cambridge.

More than a century later, The Cambridge University is still considered one of the best universities in the world. It continues to produce famous students in the field of politics, science, and the arts.

It is Comforting to Know That There Are Minds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thinking

It is comforting to know that there are minds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology thinking up ways to commercialize many new renewable energy technological developments for the solar, hydrogen, and energy storage.

The 2010 MIT Energy Conference was an open house to all of the research projects being conducted by both faculty and students of the institute. The main goal of the research according to MIT Energy Initiative director, Ernest Moniz, is to work with the renewable energy and power industries to commercialize groundbreaking technologies. He noted that their energy technology ideas cannot be commercialized in a garage like you can with Internet Technology .

Exactly 20% of the MIT faculty is involved in some form of energy research. Energy is a big business at MIT. The 2010 MIT Energy Conference was not just some science fair. MIT has been very involved in the energy sector having already formed companies in the industry. The most notable of which is 1366 Technologies.

MIT is also home to one of the 40 nationwide Energy Frontier Research Centers that are solely funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through stimulus funds.

Of their many research projects, developing storage technologies may be one of the most important to the industry. Large scale or utility scale energy storage systems must be commercialized in order to ensure national energy security. Only 2.5% of the American energy grid capacity can be stored compared to 10% in Europe and 15% in Japan. This could be a foreshadowing of further energy troubles for the U.S. if the proper technology is not developed. Energy storage is vital for incorporating solar and wind energy into the grid which are renewable but intermittent energy sources.

The 2010 MIT Energy Conference is a bright spot in the timeline toward our energy independence and security. We can also be sure that there are other academic institutions, companies and organizations that are putting forth the same level of effort in bringing the best possible ideas on energy to fruition.

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