myUface Blog

Moving to the state neighboring Colorado, let’s investigate the very much under-appreciated state of Utah (full disclosure:  I was born in Vernal, Utah, so I am a little biased).

Activities

Like Colorado, Utah has a very diverse array of activities, many of which are based in the outdoors.    It is a hiker’s paradise, with several national parks and thousands and thousands of miles of trails.  There are also opportunities to ski, mountain-bike, fish, kayak . . . the list goes on and on and on.  For more information, visit the Utah travel site.

Extracurricular activities

You can expect to find many clubs providing opportunities to explore Utah’s wonderful wilderness.  Because of Utah’s unique religious heritage, many extracurricular activities exist to serve local communities, and for public service and volunteerism in general.  Sports are also a key interest for many students.  Aside from the “normal” sports, Utah’s universities might offer some additional opportunities, like horseback riding, rock climbing, and so on.

Social Activities

The majority of Utah’s population is made up of adherents to the Mormon religion, which frowns on the use of certain substances, such as alcohol.  As a result, the social atmosphere on Utah’s campuses is a little different form that on most U.S. university campuses (NOT better or worse – just different!).  Salt Lake City is the only “major” city in the State, and it has all the major amenities.  Again, though, the level of what we might call “hard-core” partying is lower than in most cities because of the religious tradition of the state.

Tourist Sites

Utah has no less than six major national parks or monuments, all of which are unbelievably beautiful.  In fact, I’ll come right out and say it:  in terms of natural beauty, Utah is the best state in the union.  Don’t believe me?  Just go to the websites for Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, or Capitol Reef National Parks or Dinosaur National Monument.  If you want to experience natural beauty, you can’t go wrong with Utah.

Utah also has a number of wonderful ski resorts.  If you’re interested in dinosaurs or biology in general, Dinosaur National Monument is one of the world’s greatest repositories of prehistoric fossils.  Finally, Salt Lake City’s Mormon temple is a monument to one of the world’s fastest-growing religions.

Weather

Utah has two main climates:  it’s dry, desert climate, which covers most of the state; and a cooler, very unpredictable climate in Utah’s various mountain ranges.  Temperatures are extreme, with very cold winters and very hot summers.

Here’s a long, very detailed summary from Utah’s state climatologists.

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Salt Lake City, Utah is 44% less than in New York; salaries are 29% less than in New York.  Source is here.

Notable Universities

Here is Wikipedia’s list of Utah’s universities.

Posts in this Series

1. Choosing a University in the U.S.: North Dakota - 12 Sep
2. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Minnesota - 12 Aug
3. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Alaska - 31 Jul
4. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Utah (This post)
5. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Colorado - 21 Jul
6. New myUface Guide and New Series - 20 Jul

We begin our look at choosing a university in specific U.S. states with my home state, Colorado.

Activities

Colorado has a very diverse array of activities, many of which are centered on the Rocky Mountains, which roughly divide the state into two parts:  the eastern plains and the western, mountainous slopes.  If you like the outdoors and activities in them, Colorado is going to be a great place to study.  Hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, rafting, birdwatching, nature photography, camping, snowboarding, ice skating – the list is almost endless.

Extracurricular activities

Because of the wonderful natural setting of many of Colorado’s universities, there are a number of clubs that encourage students to involve themselves in the great outdoors.  In addition, clubs or volunteer groups that seek to protect or preserve the environment are very common.  Finally, because many students partake of an active lifestyle, sports are very much a large part of most students’ experience.

Social Activities

Many of Colorado’s universities are situated in medium-large sized towns such as Boulder, Fort Collins, Greeley or Colorado Springs.  Because these towns are somewhat dependent on their student populations, there will tend to be a large amount of student-oriented bars, clubs, and other businesses, serving to create good opportunities for a healthy social life.

Denver, the capitol, is a fairly large city.  It lacks the size and frenzy of mega cities like New York or L.A., but does have many, if not all, of the same amenities (clubs, mega-malls, stadiums for concerts, etc.)

Tourist Sites

The number one tourist site by far in Colorado is Rocky Mountain National Park.  The other main tourist attractions in Colorado are the ski resorts.  There are a number of other national parks and wonders to be seen, including ancient native american dwellings at Mesa Verde.  If you love natural beauty, you could spend years in Colorado and not even scratch the surface.

Weather

Colorado has a reputation for crazy weather.  It’s one of the few places on earth where it can be hot and sunny one hour and cold and snowy the next.  If you like predictability in your weather, Colorado is probably not for you.  Overall, though, the weather is quite good:  hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but without much humidity, with long falls and winters.  Here’s the summary from the Colorado Climate Center.

Cost of Living

One quick note on how I’ll be providing this information:  I’m going to use New York City, one of the most expensive places in the U.S. (and the world), as a baseline.  I’ll then tell you:

a)  how much less it costs to live in another place; and

b)  how much less employers pay

I’m including the data on employer’s pay because it gives you an idea of the overall quality of life there.  If, for example, the cost of living is 10% less but the average salaries are 25% less, it probably means people living in that location have a lower standard of living than in New York (at least in financial terms).  If, on the other hand, the cost of living is 25% less but people make only 10% less, the standard of living is probably higher than in New York.  Does that make sense?  If not, let me know.  Anyway, onto the data for Colorado.

The cost of living in Denver, Colorado is 39% less than in New York; salaries are 12% less than in New York.

Notable Universities

Here is Wikipedia’s list of Colorado universities.

Posts in this Series

1. Choosing a University in the U.S.: North Dakota - 12 Sep
2. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Minnesota - 12 Aug
3. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Alaska - 31 Jul
4. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Utah - 24 Jul
5. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Colorado (This post)
6. New myUface Guide and New Series - 20 Jul

I’m pleased to announce the release of our newest international student guide, “Looking for a University in the United States:  A myUface Guide.”

The guide is based on a series from May, with some editing and some additional material included.  Donwload it, share it, comment on it, draw on it, rip and up and use it to stuff your pillow . . . whatever!

Also, starting today, we’ll be elaborating on the guide by taking a state by state look at universities, using the guide’s criteria for evaluating universities.  In other words, we won’t be looking at rankings, academics, etc; but rather at other factors like climate, tourist sites, nightlife, etc.

Obviously, since there are fifty states, the series will take at least fifty posts.  In between I’ll still want to talk about other things, like applications, interviews, etc. – so my goal is to finish by the end of 2009.

I hope you’ll join me for the journey!

We’ll start tomorrow – Tuesday – with my birth state, beautiful Utah.

Posts in this Series

1. Choosing a University in the U.S.: North Dakota - 12 Sep
2. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Minnesota - 12 Aug
3. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Alaska - 31 Jul
4. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Utah - 24 Jul
5. Choosing a University in the U.S.: Colorado - 21 Jul
6. New myUface Guide and New Series (This post)

Give then we just celebrated July 4th, Independence Day here in the U.S., I thought I’d take a break from discussing the ins and outs of financial aid to talk for a moment about something which U.S. universities value very highly:  independence.

In most countries around the globe, the university system has some type of formalized relationship with the central government.  Often, this takes the form of a Ministry of Education providing funding (and rules) for the national system.  Thus, in many countries, if the president or prime minister says, “You know, I really think our universities should do X,” there is at least a good chance those universities will be required to do so . . . by law.

U.S. universities, in contrast, are by and large completely independent from the central government.  They often receive funding of some sort for ongoing research, and so they are beholden to government support in that respect; but there’s no sense in which they are in the chain of command of the political leadership.

Although the U.S. is in now way unique in this regard, I would suggest that, for historical reasons, universities in the U.S. are perhaps more protective of their independence than universities in most countries.  And this in turn leads to the incredible diversity of educational institutions and programs you see in the U.S.  When there isn’t a central bureaucracy controlling the curriculum, individual schools are free to to determine their own path.

This is somethign to keep in mind as you look for universities and programs in the United States.  Don’t assume that one particular university – Harvard for example – is superior to other universities in every regard, as might be the case in a more centrally-controlled system.  Instead, remember that each university will establish programs based upon the needs of whatever it considers to be its “community,” and with funds that are secured from a variety of sources – not only the government.   This gives you the opportunity to look closely for a particular university to suit your needs – thereby exercising your own “independence.”

I received this question earler this week:  If I already know what university I want to go to, do I need to apply to more than that university?

Let me give you two answers, the long answer and the slightly-less-long answer:

The Slightly-Less-Long Answer is Yes, you should still apply to other universities, for a very simple reason:  you might not get into the university you want to go to.  It’s an unpleasant but important truth.  Even if you meet all of the requirements in terms of test scores, GPA, etc., sometimes, for whatever reason, a selection committee will reject your application.  And if that happens, you want to have a backup plan.

The Long Answer is that Yes, you do want to apply to other universities, and not only because you want to have a backup plan, but also, and more importantly, because you want to keep an open mind about U.S. universities.  You may have one university that you really like, but remember, there are over 4,000 U.S. institutions granting degrees of some kind, and chances are many of them would be a very good fit for you.  You don’t want to limit yourself to just one or two institutions!  You want to explore many different universities, with slightly different programs, perhaps in different parts of the country.  Those universities may offer different financial aid packages, different housing options, different services for international students, and all of this should obviously factor into your decision.  When you focus on only one university you lose the ability to weigh all these different factors.

Now, some good news: by filling out a profile here on myUface you’re in effect applying to a number of different universities at the same time, since our university partners will have access to your information and will be able to invite you to apply if they think you’d be a good candidate.  This does NOT mean you should not apply to other universities independently, but it will help you in the application process.

Over the past two weeks or so we’ve looked at a lot of factors you might use in your decision of which U.S. universities you’d like to attend.  We’ve tried to focus on some things that students often ignore:  things like proximity to cool activities or sites, the style and skill of actual professors, the climate, and the social atmosphere.

A complete listing of the posts in this series can be found at the bottom of this post.

In this concluding post I want to hammer home an important point:  do not let other people tell you what is important FOR YOU in a university. You are the world’s foremost expert on you.  No one else knows your preferences, your dreams, or your goals nearly as well as you do.  So make sure that you take control of your education and research U.S. universities according to your criteria.

If you are a person who really cares about the weather, then pay attention to the climate of your prospective universities.  If you love basketball, make sure you understand the sports and clubs your university offers.  If seeing a lot of tourist sites is important to you, make sure your university is well-situated for you to do that.  Do not, do not do not simply download a list off rankings and make your decisions based on those.  When you do that, you’re letting someone who knows absolutely nothing about you tell you what your priorities are.

Going to study at a U.S. university is a serious decision.  We’re talking about several years of your life here.  You owe it to yourself to spend some time researching possible schools and coming up with an institution that fits your own needs.

Now get out there and research!

Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University (This post)
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U - 26 May
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May

When researching U.S. universities, it’s a good idea to learn about activities that are available in the geographic area around the university’s campus.  These activities will serve as yet another key component of your U.S. experience, and every university will have vastly different activities available.

This is not about tourist sites.  We covered tourism activities in a previous post.  This is about things you can do together with the friends you’ll meet at your university – things like bowling, skiing, surfing, going to the beach, hiking, camping, waterskiing, etc.

Now, generally speaking, I don’t know of any one website that has great information on every city and town in the U.S. A decent job is done by Citysearch, although it does tend to focus on bars, restaurants, and that sort of thing.  I find the best way to find out about the local scene is to simply google the name of a city, and then look for websites associated with it.  If you’re looking for specific activities, you can also locate the city in google maps, and then use the “Search Nearby” feature to look for anything.

For example, here is a map of bowling alleys located around Harvard University, obtained by entering “Harvard University Boston, MA” in google maps, and then “searching nearby” for “bowling alleys.”

This is also an area where Facebook can be helpful.  Community groups on Facebook are an excellent source of information about activities nearby campus.

Finally, this is another subject which you can ask the university about.  Most universities will have information about activities in the surrounding area.  If they don’t, it may be because there isn’t much in the surrounding area.

Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus (This post)
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U - 26 May
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May

Many U.S. universities have put a large number of their classes on iTunes.  This allows you to listen to actual lectures by actual U.S. professors, on subjects ranging from physics to the historicity of religious figures.  This service is called “iTunes U,” and it is a potentially great resource for international students, for a few reasons:

1. You can use iTunes U to get a sense of what classes are like at U.S. universities.
2. iTunes U has hundreds of universities participating.  There’s a good chance one of the universities you’re interested in has an iTunes U page, allowing you to listen to actual classes at your prospective university.
3. iTunes U will show you how differences in the reputation of schools don’t necessarily translate into differences in academic quality.  Some of the lectures you’ll listen to from so-called “second-tier” schools will far exceed, in the quality of instruction, lectures from so-called “elite” schools.
4. The lectures themselves are incredibly interesting and educational.

To use iTunes U you’ll need to download iTunes itself.

Happy listening!

Other Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U (This post)
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May

The most important people in terms of your university education in the U.S. are going to be your professors  – the men and women who will guide your academic program.  Yet, when it comes time to research possible universities, most international students spend absolutely no time researching the professors at the departments in which they’re interested.

Now, there are some good reasons for this.  Researching individual faculty members is difficult, a lot harder than researching an institution as a whole.  And of course there’s no guarantee that you’ll take classes from a particular professor.  But if you’re seriously considering a particular university – or, better yet, a department within that university – it’s not a bad idea to look into their faculty, particularly if the department is fairly small.  At the very least, doing so will give you an idea of the kind of topics you might learn at that university and in that department.

So, here’s how you can do some basic research about the faculty at a particular university.  I’m going to use my own alma mater – Pomona College – as an example.

1. Go the main web site.
2. Find the page that deals with individual departments, often called “majors.”  It will often be under the heading, “Academics.”
3. Click on the major or department that you’re interested in researching.  Generally speaking, this will give you a link to more information about the major.  In my case, I’m going to choose my old department, English, and I am sent to the department’s own web page.
4. Look for a list of courses in order to see the subjects taught at the department.  Also look for a list of faculty to see the names of the professors.  Often the faculty list will include information about each professor’s interests.
5. At this point, you’ll already have access to a lot of information about the department in which you’re interested.  You’ll know what courses are offered and a little about the professors in the department.  If you want more, though, try Googling the name of a faculty member.  For example, if I Google a particular professor (one of my favorites from my own college days), I find a link to an article he wrote for the LA Times. Reading it gives me some insight into his interests, his style of writing and thinking, and his opinons.  For really advanced research, you might even go to Google Scholar and type in a professor’s name.  This will show you  publications a particular professor has written, and sometimes provide free links to those resources.
6. Finally, you can find out what students think of a professor at ratemyprofessor.com.

The bottom line is that, in this day and age, you don’t have to settle for only the most basic information about a university.  You can use the internet to do very detailed research about individual departments and even professors.  Doing so will give you a wonderful insight into the academic life at a U.S. university.

For your consideration: Do you know what subjects you are interested in studying in the U.S.?  Have you looked at the faculty and courses of that deparment at any individual U.S. universities?

Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U - 26 May
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors (This post)
6. Don't Forget Your Life! - 20 May
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May

Of course, the most important aspect of your U.S university experience is the academic program . . . but, for many students, a close second is social life. U.S. universities have a well-deserved reputation for fostering a fun and active social life, both on campus and off.  If having fun outside of class is as important to you as learning inside of it, then the quality of a university’s social scene is definitely something you should consider when researching U.S. universities.

Now, I’ll be honest:  I can’t offer much personal advice on this subject, because, well, back in college I wasn’t exactly the coolest student on  campus.   My inability to dance was indeed legendary.  BUT, because this topic is of importance, I’ve fished around on the internet for some resources that might provide you with some good information:

• Forbes magazine, which, as readers of this blog know, has a “Best of” series for pretty much everything, has a “Best Nightlife” feature.  40 cities are ranked according to their suitability for singles, and “nightlife” is one of the criteria.  This will give you a good idea of what cities are considered to have good nightlife, and why.
• The Princeton Review has several rankings that relate to social life, the most notorious of which is their “Best Party School” ranking.  The link I’ve provided shows only the top 20 schools in this prestigious list.  To get more than the top 20, in addition to other data, you’ll need to visit The Princeton Review site, and sign up for a free profile.  The rankings aren’t only about the best party schools.  You can see which universities have the happiest students, the best radio stations, the most beautiful campuses, and more.  This is important because for many students a “good social life” is about a lot more than just parties.  Remember, as you peruse these rankings,  how to use rankings correctly.
• The Students Review site has a “top social schools” ranking that is a little broader than the rankings that focus only on the “best parties.”  What’s more, you can click on individual universities and see actual quotations from students that study there.

Another great resource will be the admissions office of any university in which you’re interested.   Most university websites have resources explaining what social life is like on the campus and in the surrounding area.  If you can’t find this information on the web, feel free to write to someone from the admissions department and ask.

Finally, this is a great area for Facebook research.

Now, one important warning:  remember that in the United States it is illegal to purchase alcohol until you are 21 years of age.  Most clubs and bars will check your identification before they let you in.  Keep that in mind as well as you’re imagining what your social life might be like at a U.S. university.

The bottom line is that your social life will be a very important part of your university experience in the U.S., so don’t forget to spend time researching the different resources universities have to offer.

For your consideration: How do you imagine you will spend your free time in the U.S.? Do all universities have the atmosphere and resources to support the kind of life you’d like to live?

Posts in this Series

1. Conclusion - How to Choose a U.S. University - 02 Jun
2. Activities Around a University Campus - 01 Jun
3. Check Out U.S. Universities on iTunes U - 26 May
4. Extracurricular Activities - 25 May
5. Get to Know Your Potential Professors - 21 May
6. Don't Forget Your Life! (This post)
7. What Do You Want to See in the U.S.? - 19 May
8. How Many International Students go to your Chosen University? - 18 May
9. The Problem with University Rankings - 17 May
10. Using Facebook to Research Universities - 14 May
11. Look at the Surrounding Neighborhoods When Looking at a U.S. University - 13 May
12. How Weather Should Factor Into Your Search for a U.S. University - 12 May
13. Looking for a University in the United States: Cost of Living - 11 May
14. Looking for a University in the United States - 10 May