American universities

The most prestigious universities are the oldest private universities like Harvard (founded in 1636), Yale (1701), Princeton (1746), Pennsylvania (1740) and some others. They are called Ivy League (from ivy climbing over the brick walls of the old university buildings). Private universities are generally smaller, and therefore, very competitive; tuition fees are much higher, and academic standards are also very high; the most famous professors teach at them, and the wealthiest students attend them. The quality of education is always better, and an Ivy League University diploma gives much better career opportunities. So, it’s worth all the money that goes into it. Americans believe that the more schooling you have the more money you will earn when you leave school.

State universities, unlike private colleges are partly subsidized by state governments, so the tuition is lower. They also bring in money for research being done at the university. On the whole, they are about the same as private universities: the same classes, similar faculties, roughly the same courses. Of course, the professors won’t be so famous, or the students so rich. Young people usually go to the university in the state they live, for they have to pay less in their own state and don’t have to compete, because some public colleges and university accept nearly all applicants. However, many state-supported universities have very good reputations, and the best of them, like the University of California at Berkeley, or State University of New York (SUNY) are rather competitive, and have many students from other states and countries.