Top of Universities in the World to Study Abroad

According to latest ranking of universities, Cambridge has pulled back Harvard in the race and gained number one position. This has happen for the first time in the history. Since seven years, Harvard has been on the top position. QS World university ranking is based on measures of research quality, graduate employability, teaching standards and on counting of international faculties and student bodies.

On the basis of 5000 employers voting Harvard is still number one, but Cambridge was voted best for research quality in the survey of 15000 academics and hence manage itself on first position in overall ranking. These rankings also depend on extract academic publishing databases.

Let us see 10 top of universities in theworld based on QS Table:

1.     Cambridge University UK: Cambridge is the second oldest university in England after Oxford. University of Cambridge is a public research university located in the city of Cambridge, England, UK. It has a great list of alumni including Sir Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon. Cambridge is also famous for Noble Prizes; researchers from University of Cambridge have won more Nobel Prizes than those of any other institution. It becomes a dream destination for students who want to study in UK.

2.     Harvard University USA: This prestigious American university is located in Massachusetts. Harvard, established in 1636 is the oldest institution of higher learning in USA. It was the number one university for last seven years, currently is on second position across the globe. Eight US presidents, Martin Van Buren have graduated from Harvard University. It has largest academic library in the United States. Harvard has been dream destination for years for students across the World, willing to study in USA.

3.     Yale University USA: Yale is one of the most prestigious universities in the world and third oldest institution of higher education in USA. Yale University is established in 1701 and situated in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale is the first US school to award the Ph.D. in 1861.

4.     University College London UK: UCL, the first university in London was established in 1826. It was the first secular institute founded in England. University College London stands for ideas that are radical, bold and amicable to the needs of the world.

5.     Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA: One of the best technical institutes in the World, MIT is a private research institute located in Massachusetts, USA. With five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, it is best known for a strong emphasis on technological and scientific research.

6.     University of Oxford UK: Oxford is the second oldest surviving university in the world and oldest in English speaking world. It is also known as the pride of United Kingdom. According to National Student Survey 2010, Oxford had an on the whole satisfaction rating of 93 per cent.

7.     Imperial College London UK: Currently ranked on 7th in the world this university is located in London, UK. It is a science based university known for excellence in research and teaching. Imperial College attracts students across the globe who wants to study in UK. It is also known as largest medical school in Europe and has 14 Noble prize winners till now.

8.     University of Chicago USA: UC is a private research university located in Chicago, USA. It is famous for scientific research and has 85 Noble prize laureates. Currently resides on 8th position in ranking this University enrolls around 5,000 students in the College and about 15,000 students overall.

9.     California Institute of Technology USA: Private research University California Institute of Technology, commonly known as Caltech is located in Pasadena, California. Caltech has six academic divisions known for excellence in science and engineering.

10.   Princeton University USA: It is a private research University located in Princeton, USA. Princeton provides undergraduate degrees in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Main campus has 180 buildings on 500 acres. Princeton is known for academic excellence in undergraduate degree and attracts students across the world who wants to study in USA.

As you can see above that Top 10 universities in the world are from USA and UK, this is the only reason for students choosing these two countries to study abroad.

Top Universities of the World

It's not about the money-it's all about getting the best quality education. And when it comes to earning your university degree, you may want to set your sights on the following top  universities of world first (please note that course fees are just estimates).

University of Cambridge United Kingdom

Description: One of the oldest universities in the world, it has established itself as the hallmark for academic excellence. It has received a lot of commendations from a variety of world-renowned education organizations, such as the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Students learn not just by lectures and seminars but also by hands-on experiences.

Famous For: Their age-old buildings, plethora of museums and libraries Course Fees: £3,375 for the first year How to Apply: Submit UCAS and Supplementary Application Questionnaire online. Depending on the department, take a test and undergo an interview.

Harvard University United States

Description: Harvard University is notorious for its law program, but in truth, almost all its departments are extremely popular. Besides being the oldest institution in the country, Harvard is also the alma mater of well-known figures such as John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Al Gore. The university strives to continuously push its students to innovate, learn more, and challenge themselves. Like Cambridge, Harvard is also peppered with libraries and museums, including Museum of Natural History.

Famous For: reputable degrees, such as law and medicine Course Fees: $48,000 a year, including health services, student services, room, and board How to Apply: To be accepted, you must be on the top 10 percentile in your high school class. You should also have a score of 2,080 to 2,370 (SAT) or 31 to 34 (ACT).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) United States

Description: When it comes to science and technology, MIT should be first on the list. For hundreds of years, it has dedicated itself to the growth and development of science and technology, among others, primarily through lecture and research. The campus is composed of 34 departments and 5 schools.

Famous For: computer science and engineering programs, research laboratories, and nearness to Harvard Course Fees: roughly $50,000 a year, including books and personal expenses, and room and board How to Apply: Less than 15 percent of the applicants are accepted here. To enter MIT, you have to go through rigorous tests including demonstration of academic competence. You can apply for early decision, wherein you submit your application months before the actual application process.

McGill University Canada

Description: One of the oldest universities in Canada, it is the seat of medical studies and degrees in the country. It has its own hospital and offers a wide variety of medical science-related courses such as occupational health, emergency medicine, diagnostic radiology, anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, and human genetics. Some of the institutes are Bioinformatics, Biomedical Ethics, Bone and Peridontal Research, and Centre of Genomics and Policy.

Famous For: affordable fees, medical and engineering departments, and highly diversified students and staff Course Fees: C$ 24,000 including insurance, food, lodging, and books How to Apply: Each college or department has its own requirements for admission.You can apply for your chosen course online.

ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Switzerland

Description: The continental Europe takes pride of ETH Zurich. Located in the bustling metropolis of Zurich, the university marries science and technology successfully, eventually producing more than 20 Nobel laureates through the years like Wolfgang Pauli, Felix Bloch, Fritz Haber, and Richard Ernst.

Famous For: graduates who became Nobel laureates and 400 teachers who are experts in social sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences Course Fees: CHF 580 per semester (this is tuition only) How to Apply: You need to have a good command of German and/or English language. Requirements include recommendation from your professor, a pre-proposal of your thesis for master's, and application form.

University of Tokyo Japan

Description: One of the top 10 universities in the world, University of Tokyo is constantly visited by several business and science experts all over the world for lectures or researchers. The university also nurtures its students by giving them due recognition. It has just introduced the President's Award, given to students highly recommended by their professors. Since 2000, the university has established relationships with the international community via UT Forum.

Famous For: President's Award given twice a year, UT Forum, Komaba Festival and Gogatsusai events. Course Fees: ¥535,800 for undergraduate students, excluding certification fees How to Apply: Since a lot of lectures are conducted in Japanese, you have to know the language by heart. You also have to know if you want to be a research student or a regular student. For enrolment, you can undergo a special screening for international students or a general entrance test.

Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris France

Description: One of the true-blue best international universities, ENS takes you into the same league as Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Pasteur, to name a few. It is one of the top best schools in Europe, according to Times Higher Education Supplement. Students are also subjected to a very strict application and learning process, eventually earning an advanced MA by the time they graduate. Depending on the department, the university also offers one-on-one teaching with students.

Famous For: competitive enrolment process (there are less than 3,000 students in ENS), ENS diploma, representation of almost all academic disciplines Course Fees: N/A How to Apply: Though it's difficult to get into ENS, the university offers plenty of enrolment options, such as International Academic Exchange and International Selection. It's recommended you know how to speak French.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong

Description: Definitely one of the well-commended universities for international students, CUHK is the only institution in the country to have Nobel laureates as facilitators or teachers. It is also home of Chinese Overseas Collection, Hong Kong Studies Archive, and CUHK Art Museum. The school continue to work and improve their curriculum, making it student-centered. Moreover, as international students, you can enjoy the local charges for health care services and don't have to pay for hospital insurance.

Famous For: focus in Chinese studies, economics and finance, earth sciences, and information sciences; credit unit system for undergraduate studies, Course Fees: HK$ 140,000 per year, including books, caution money, and hostel fee How to Apply: This is a trilingual school-English, Mandarin, and Cantonese-so you should know how to speak one or all of them fluently.

Tsinghua University China

Description: Tsinghua University is heralded as one of the greatest universities in the world, not just in mainland China but the rest of the world. It is part of LAOTSE composed of the best college institutions in both Europe and Asia, as well as C9 League, Chinese's counterpart to U.S.'s Ivy League. It always ranks no. 1 in China, and within the top 50 among top university rankings. It usually invites international keynote speakers, such as Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, and Henry Paulson. The university also implements rigid rules in admission that only 15 percent MBA applicants get accepted.

Famous For: operating inside the Qing Dynasty's Imperial Gardens and within the China's capital Beijing, EQUIS and AACSB accredited School of Economics and Management Course Fees: RMB 10,500 per semester (not including accommodation and insurance fees) How to Apply: You have to possess Certificate of Graduation and Certificate of Chinese Proficiency Test. You also have to fill out a foreigner's application form, as well as a letter of recommendation, and undergo an intensive entrance examination.

Aarhus University Denmark

Description: Aarhus University is one that believes "All work and no play makes John a very boring and dull boy." In spite of being one of the most elite university in Europe, especially in Scandinavia, Aarhus encourages students to have fun via Friday Bars and performances in University Park. Academic-wise, its main State and University Library is accessible anyplace where there's Internet connection. Further, there are dozens of research centers in Aarhus, including Water and Salt Research Centre and Centre for Materials Crystallography.

Why Democracy Is Not World Universal

This writing is an attempt to explain, from a cultural point of view, why Democracy is not a World Universities "thing".

Democratic elections in Pakistan, Russia, Afghanistan, Burma? The list is far from complete.

In the western world we seem to be obsessed by spreading our Democracy. We deploy peace missions and other diplomatic initiatives to spread our Western contemporary "religion".

My point here is, that that will not work. Here's why not.

What is (Western) Democracy?

Without trying to come up with a suitable definition or one pulled from Wikipedia, I'd like to keep it simple and view Democracy from a Cultural point of view.

In actual fact, Democracy boils down to this: The ability/possibility for One man to cast his/her One vote.

In addition what is important here is that this One man, is not coerced, forced or otherwise manipulated by anyone else in determining his/her One vote (in the broader sense of the word this is called Vote Rigging).

So fundamentally our (view and practice of) Western Democracy hinges on Individuals voting for themselves.

This word "Individuals" is important here. It emphasises, again, One man, One vote.

Prof. Hofstede came up with 5 dimensions defining national culture (describing general trends in societies). One of these dimensions is called Individualism (the others are Power-distance, Masculinity and Uncertainty avoidance).

This Individualism is crucial into making (Western) Democracy work. Because Hofstede's dimension Individualism answers the question: "to whom are you loyal?" On the two extremes of this dimension there are two answers possible: "my loyalty lies with me first" (= highly Individualistic) versus "my loyalty lies with the group first" (called Collectivistic). I do need to stress that individuals in Collectivistic societies do have an opinion of their own. It is just secondary to the opinion that the group holds.

High scoring cultures on the dimension Individualism use/have a Democracy that the Western world is trying to spread so bad.

Examples of high scoring Individualistic cultures are: North America, Australia, New Zealand, Western Europe. That's it! And... that's all! All other countries in the World (!) are Collectivistic (with a score of less than 50 on Hofstede's dimension).

This means that, to the majority of the world (about 80%), the Western concept of Democracy does not mean the same thing as in the minority of the world (the self proclaimed "first world").

In collectivistic societies people are loyal to their group, more than to themselves. This means (in short) that One man, One vote, translates into "I'll vote for the One my peers (in-group) votes for". There is nothing good or bad about either Individualism nor Collectivism. It is just different.

The danger lies in the fact that the Western world thinks it can take the blue-print of its own Democracy and simply spread (or better force) it around other parts of the world. More often than not, much to the resentment of the local population.

To summarize: Democracy in Iraq is an illusion. It always will be.

Ending it here with the, not so surprising, historical quote from Winston Churchill: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

2011 World University Games in Shenzen - Delays To Flash Drives Possible

The World Universities Games also known as Universiade (the name is a combination of the words "University" and "Olympiad") is the second largest international multi-sport event. Only the Olympic Games themselves are bigger.

Shenzhen will host the Universiade in 2011 between the 8th August and the 18th of August. The city beat four other candidate cities - Kaohsiung of Chinese Taipei, Poznan of Poland, Kazan of Russia and Murcia of Spain. The region of Shenzen (China), located near Hong Kong, is a busy port, a major manufacturing centre for "High Tech" products and one of the fastest growing cities in the world

During the games around 7,500 athletes will take part in 306 events across 24 sports and they'll do this in 63 stadiums and gymnasiums, 22 of which are newly built, 36 have been renovated or upgraded, and five will be temporary venues that will be dismantled after the Games.

Team GB will be sending over 200 athletes to Shenzen to participate in the World University Games some of whom have already secured their place in the 2012 Olympics.

As tends to be the way when any country or city hosts a global event security is stepped up and the World University Games are no exception. So, whilst the games are going to be a fantastic spectacle the downside for any company shipping goods in or out of the Shenzen region over the next few weeks is the possibility of delays caused by greater security checks on all packages passing through customs.

Given that pretty much all USB flash drives in the world are manufactured by factories based in or around Shenzen anyone buying promotional or branded USB flash drives for a specific event just needs to be aware of the possibility of a delay.

Of course it won't just be flash drives that are impacted during the run-up to the event and during the event but pretty much anything that is manufactured in the Shenzen region. Given there are circa 30 million people living and working in Shenzen that's an awful lot of products!

Our recommendation is that you build a few extra days into your schedule "just in case" your order gets delayed. If your order has already been delayed and you're in danger of missing your event then don't panic because at USB2U we always hold emergency stock and we can get this printed and delivered to you in as little of 48hrs!

Ranking the World's Universities

A number of different systems exist around the world for identifying the world's top universities. The most popular academic rankings systems used in Britain are the 'Shanghai Jiao Tong University' Academic Rankings of World Universities and the 'Times Higher Education Supplement' (THES) 'Top Two Hundred Universities'.

The 'Academic Ranking of World Universities' is published by Shanghai Jiao University in China and ranks the world's universities using a weighted system that includes research staff being highly cited in twenty-one wide ranging subject categories (20%), academic staff winning Nobel Prizes and Field Medals (20%), past graduates winning Nobel Prizes and Field Medals (10%), articles published in 'Nature and Science' (20%), the Social Sciences Citation Index, Science Citation Index and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (20%) as well as the size of the university (10%). Because of its comparatively non-subjective method of analysis, the Academic Ranking University in world  have frequently been mentioned by The Economist magazine in grading the world's Higher Education Institutions. 

The Shanghai rankings are however criticised for putting too much weight on the Nobel prizewinners instead of emphasising the broader impact of a university's scientific and technological output. It is argued that this also results in skewing the rankings toward the scientific disciplines for which more Nobel Prizes are awarded. There are 3 Nobel prizes for the scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry and medicine), 1 for the social sciences (economics), 1 for the arts (literature) and the Peace Prize. Universities with faculty or past graduates who have won Fields medals for mathematics are also rewarded, but awards for similar accomplishments in the arts are not measured.

The THES World's Top Universities are produced by the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The ranking system is weighed according to the following formula; peer review (40%), citations in academic journals per staff member for the previous five years (20%), academic staff to student ratio (20%), recruiter review (10%) and internationalisation of the university (10%).

The peer review involves selecting academics of equal numbers from Europe, Asia, North America and the remaining world who are also selected in equal proportions from engineering and IT, arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and the life sciences. These academics are then asked to name the top thirty universities in their subject area. The peer review is formulated to find the most intellectually active universities.

The 'recruiter review' compiles questionnaire responses from 736 employers that have recruited from the world's top universities.

The internationalisation of the university is given half it's weighting from numbers of international staff and the other half from numbers of international students. Internationalisation frequently creates the most contention as academicians contend that it should not come down to university size, and the smaller universities lose points due to not having as many international faculty members or students.

No ranking system comes without its criticism. The growth of education as a worldwide marketplace and the resulting competition has created demand for a university rating system. A lot of universities around the world acknowledge the THES World's Top Universities rankings and actively strive to improve their own place within it.