College Fun Facts

Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and alumni include seven United States Presidents. Applicants for the Class of 2008 included almost 3,000 high school valedictorians. More than 57% of the class of 2008 plans to participate in recreational, intramural or intercollegiate athletics.

Yale University has the largest college community-service organization in the country, Dwight Hall. The Yale Daily News is the oldest college daily newspaper. Applicants were admitted from all 50 states and over 60 foreign nations.

Princeton University's American Whig-Cliosophic Society is the oldest college political, literary, and debating society in the United States, and was founded by James Madison, class of 1771, and Aaron Burr, class of 1772. Princeton is known for its eating clubs, which provide social outlets to undergraduate students, yet maintain no official association with the university. More than 15% of the entering class of 2008 are legacies.

Columbia University boasts the largest percentage of students of color in the Ivy League. Columbia undergraduates take the core curriculum, in which they study literature, philosophy, history, music, art, and science.

41.5 % of students enrolled at Stanford University are from California. Former Provost Condoleezza Rice once taught a Sophomore College class on the fall of communism.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology claims to offer more clubs and organizations than any other school, over 330.

Students at Brown University have the option to take courses pass/fail (satisfactory/no credit). Brown students can also cross register with nearby Rhode Island School of Design.

Students at Williams College have a tradition that at each Commencement, a watch is dropped from the 80-foot spire of the college chapel. The current tradition is that if the watch breaks, the class will be lucky.

One of the most popular courses at Amherst College is a course called Murder, taught in an all red room. January Interterm is a three week period, in which no formal courses are taught at Amherst. Students can use this time to travel with sports teams, extend community service projects, or undertake an internship.

The application to Dartmouth College includes a letter of recommendation from a peer. 34.1% of their students were valedictorians.

University of Pennsylvania was founded by Benjamin Franklin and still attracts students who embody Franklin's commitment to innovation, invention, and outreach. Penn alumna Judith Rodin was the first female president of an Ivy League institution. There were no early decision applicants for the class of 2008 from Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota, or Wyoming.

Washington University-St. Louis used to be named simply, Washington University. Trustees added the words "St. Louis" in 1976 in order to distinguish the university from the 20 or so institutions nationwide which share the Washington name.

Several major scientific achievements at California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) include the discovery of anti-matter by Carl Anderson in 1934 and Linus Paulding's determining the nature of the chemical bond in the 1930s, believed by many to be the single most important discovery in the history of chemistry.

The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University offers some of the best training in dance, drama, and film. The NYU mascot is the Bobcat, and the NYU nickname is the Violets.

Northwestern University is the smallest and only private school in the Big Ten Conference. Since 1975, Northwestern students have raised money through Dance Marathon, one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the country.

Cornell University accepts the largest percentage of applicants in the Ivy League. Cornell has both state and private programs, as well as liberal arts and pre-professional programs, including a world-famous hotel administration program; students enrolled in the schools that receive a state subsidy (Agriculture and Life Sciences; Human Ecology; and Industrial and Labor Relations) pay a lower tuition.

International Relations is the most popular major at Tufts University.

Smith College is the nation's largest liberal arts college for women. Every Thursday night Smith students eat dinner by candlelight. Once a year on a beautiful fall day, the president announces a surprise day off of classes by ringing the college bells.

Only 51% of the valedictorians who applied to Georgetown University from the high school Class of 2005 were admitted.  Georgetown is both the oldest Jesuit and oldest Roman Catholic university in the nation.

University of Southern California (USC) students became known as the Trojans in 1912 when Los Angeles Times sports writer Owen Bird likened the fighting spirit of USC athletes to the ancient Trojans. 60% of freshman at USC are from California.

Emory University's relationship with the Coca-Cola Company began in 1895 and continues today. In 1994, Emory changed the name of its business school to the Goizueta Business School in honor of Roberto C. Goizueta, chairman and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company.

By their senior year, 84 percent of George Washington University undergraduates have been involved in at least one employment or internship experience while attending classes.

Duke University is the most selective private university in the South. The Sarah P. Duke Gardens occupies 55 acres in the heart of the University's West Campus, and is one of the premier public gardens in the United States, each year attracting more than 300,000 visitors from all over the world.

Thomas Jefferson's tombstone lists three accomplishments: author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Statute of Religious Freedom in Virginia, and Father of the University of Virginia. Jefferson even designed the UVA campus himself. University of Virginia has a secret society called The Seven Society, and when a member dies, the chapel bell tolls seven times.