The oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, Harvard University is one of a handful of US universities to practice the House System, wherein freshmen who’ve completed their fall term are randomly assigned to one of the university’s twelve Houses. These Houses "serve as the foundation for the undergraduate experience at Harvard College" and form "a small academic and social community within the larger context of the College."
Yale University not only practices a similar house system to Harvard (which Yalies call "residential colleges"), but they’re also home to the oldest college daily newspaper still in existence, The Yale Daily News. In fact, Yale is known for its firsts: The Wiffenpoos, the "world's oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group" was founded in 1909 and, traditionally, sing every Monday night at Mory's, Yale’s famous members-only tavern.
The application to Dartmouth College is a unique one and requires a letter of recommendation from a peer (whom they define loosely as "someone your age who knows you well"). But the Big Green’s uniqueness doesn’t stop there—Dartmouth, whose motto translates to "a voice crying out in the wilderness," was actually designated as one of "The World’s Most Enduring Institutions" in 2004 for the school’s ability to reinvent itself (Oxford was the only other university included on the list).
Students at Brown University work within the school’s New Curriculum, which gives the students "the right to choose, the right to fail, and above all the freedom to direct their own education." In other words, Brown students enjoy open curriculum and the option of taking courses pass/fail (among other cool perks, like cross registering at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design).
Princeton University is known not only for having the country’s oldest college political, literary, and debating group, the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, but for its eating clubs, just one of the school’s unofficial social outlets for undergraduate students.
Cornell University, a school that happens to have North America’s 2nd largest Greek system (but no official mascot), offers both state and private programs, as well as liberal arts and pre-professional programs (including a world-famous hotel administration program).
King George II founded Columbia University, once located in a schoolhouse in lower Manhattan, through a royal charter (hence it’s original name, King’s College). Today, Columbia "has the 2nd largest international student body in the country," with more students recently having won Fulbright Grants than any other university.
University of Pennsylvania was founded by Benjamin Franklin and claims to be America’s first university (as opposed to college), with the country's first "modern liberal arts curriculum," medical school (added in 1874), and electronic, large-scale, general-purpose digital computer (the world’s first, in fact). They also possess the country’s oldest working two-tiered collegiate football field, where students continue to throw toast onto the field after the third quarter of every home game.
Your Favorite Research Universities
Once named "Washington University before Trustees added the words "St. Louis" in 1976 to distinguish the university, Washington University-St. Louis happens to enjoy the country’s oldest and largest student-run carnival.
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University 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. Duke’s west campus, famous for it gothic buildings and gargoyles, is also known for a distinctive little structure tucked away behind a common parking lot—The Rigsbee Graveyard.
New York University, often cited by Princeton Review as America’s #1 "Dream School, offers some of the best training in dance, drama, and film. In fact, the Tisch School of Arts boasts more Academy Award winners as alum than any other U.S. institution.
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. Mr. Jefferson even designed the UVA campus himself, one which would foster a wealth of tradition in the years since it’s inception in 1819—traditions that include it’s own language and various secret societies.
Northwestern University, the smallest and only private school in the Big Ten Conference, has hosted their Dance Marathon since 1975, which has raised over $10 million for various charities since its inception(with such success and over 1,000 participants, it’s one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the country).
Stanford University has been coeducation and nondenominational since it was founded by the Stanfords after Leland Standford moved west following the gold rush. Prior to opening day, New York newspapers predicted that "Stanford professors would ‘lecture in marble halls to empty benches, a statement that was as untrue then as it is today (the school’s freshmen classes are currently around 1,700, a great percentage of which are from California).
Lovely Liberal Arts
Smith College, the nation's largest liberal arts college for women, loves its tradition: every Thursday night Smith students eat dinner together by candlelight and, once a year, they're rewarded with a surprise day off, which the president announces by ringing the college bells.
Williams Collegeis truly proud of it's firsts, the most significant of which may be the world's first society of alumni, "founded in 1821 to save the college after its president…left to launch another college," Amherst College, Williams' greatest rival. Not surprisingly for a school with plenty of firsts, Williams also loves tradition and, at every commencement, students drop a watch "from the 80-foot spire of the college chapel. If the watch breaks, tradition now holds that the class will be lucky."
One of the most popular courses at Amherst College is titled Murder, which Professor Sarat, a politcal scientist, begins by asking students for their definition "murder." Amherst's open-curriculum makes it easy to take any course and January Interterm, a three week period in which no formal courses are taught, allows students even more time to experiment.
Swarthmore is a member of the tri-college consortium, along with Bryn Mawr and Haverford, and is also affiliated with U Penn, which means Swarthmore students can cross register at any of these schools. While there's a lot of academic opportunity here, there's little Greek life (2 fraternities and no sororities, as they were abolished in the 30s) and no official football team (eliminated in 2000).
Bryn Mawr, an all women's college and member of the Seven Sisters, began accepting men as graduate students in 1931. This slight change hasn't affected their famous traditions, though—Mawers still look forward to Lantern Night, Parade Night, and May Day, just to name a few.
Haverford, a school with its own recording school and record label, is the oldest US college with Quaker origins—maybe that's part of the reason why students have been permitted to schedule their own final exams since 1896 (the Honor Code is huge here).
Middlebury is nationally known not only for being a top liberal arts college (with a superb program in environmental studies), but for the renowned programs Middlebury hosts during the summer. Considering that "the central purpose of a Middlebury education is precisely to transcend oneself and one's own concerns," it's no surprise that the school annually offers its Green Mountain Campus to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, "the oldest and most prestigious writing conference in the country."
Over the years, Wesleyans have had much to be proud of, including an undefeated football team from 1946 to 1948 and one of the first (possibly the first) completed forward pass in college football's history. Wesleyans also appreciate the saga surrounding their own Douglas Cannon, one which began in the 1860s with a few freshmen attempting to fire it (while sophomores worked to thwart them) and transformed into an elaborate game of a hide and seek (due to which the cannon has been missing since 1997).
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