Tracy Said:

what is the difference between a private school and a montessori school?

We Answered:

A montessori school is a private school, so perhaps you're asking how a montessori school is different from other private schools.

First of all, montessori is a teaching method and is generally done for small children ages 3 to 7 - at least here where I live. I've never heard of a montessori high school.


Here's something from www.montessori.edu

Q. What is the difference between Montessori and traditional education?

A. Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. Montessori classes place children in three-year age groups (3-6, 6-9, 9-12, and so on), forming communities in which the older children spontaneously share their knowledge with the younger ones. Montessori represents an entirely different approach to education.

Douglas Said:

where can i find canada's private high school ranking list?

We Answered:

i dont know about the private schools but i know you can take the IB program at some public schools. i dont know the toronto district very well i know more about the peel board.

Brian Said:

What universities in the US offer communication, TV/radio production for undergrads and postgrads?

We Answered:

pretty much all universities offer communications/media/production of some variety. Your best bet, because there are so many and are scattered all over the US is to get a book of colleges. a lot of time they sort by specility or what the school is known for. after that and after you pick a few, you can ask around to see whihc ones are the best. another good way of determining the college is deciding where you want to live. for example, i used to live in singapore and decided to try going to school in boston, massachusetts. i hated it there! it was cold, dark, and the winters lasted like 8 months. due to this, i now live in the southern part of the US due to the warmer weather. this is another part that you will need to think about. Unfortunately, most of the better schools are up north where its cold. However, California has some great community colleges for media stuff. community colleges are basicall 2 years and then you transfer to a regular university and finish the last 2 years of your degree. But as stated before, pretty much any college in the US offer some degree of media, so you do need to be more specific.

Rebecca Said:

Your thoughts on college rankings?

We Answered:

First, your question is well presented and shows you have put a great deal of thought into this. I think that your own insights are correct. School rankings are highly flawed and influenced by many factors that may have little to do with your personal experience. This is sort of the "one size fits all" approach that never really fits anyone well. For example, some students cherish a smaller liberal arts environment where they get to know their professors on a personal level and the administration goes out of its way to create a friendly and inspired environment. Yet, many of these same schools do not rank highly, in large measure because they are so obscure, have less alumni endowments, have less major research, etc. I'll tell you a personal insight of my own: While rankings largely rely on macro factors (like endowments, research, "big name" professors), these very same "prestige" factors are RARELY relevant to an undergraduate. Sure, they matter, but have you noticed this peculiarity? I had a Nobel Prize laureate as my physics professor at a highly ranked Ivy. You would think that the class was much better than average? Wrong. There is little connection between a big name professor and teaching ability (Einstein was a notoriously "bad" teacher, although of course he was a genius). So what does really matter is what is important to you. Most students value a social life, professors who are willing to listen and be helpful, and an administration that is not completely impersonal or inept. State schools may be quite prestigious, but most have very distant professors (not all are like this) and administrations that are poor at handling students' needs. They have a social life, by and large, but you often feel like you are one of a million students (not one IN a million). Large private schools are not much better. It just so happens, however, that about 80% of those "top ranked" schools are large public or private universities.

Another insight: unless you intend to go out into the workforce right after undergrad, I suggest actually choosing a school not based on its macro prestige (i.e. the top-ranked schools on something like US News) but a smaller, yet very focused school that is competitive in an area you like. Here's why I say this. If you go to a smaller school that fosters a better student academic environment, you are likely to learn more and do better academically. This will be a big plus when you apply to a graduate program, because, frankly, graduate programs place very little emphasis on where you went to undergrad (Side note: The undergrad institution;s prestige is important, to varying degrees depending on the graduate program, but between a great GPA and a great undergraduate college, the great GPA far outweighs the latter). Where you go to school is important, to be sure. But you would potentially sacrifice your academic and social life for a "name". The question then is, how important is a name to you? If you go straight to the workforce, maybe that great undergraduate institution's name might give you an edge. And to some extent that also helps when you apply to a graduate program. But there's much more than just that prestige factor. As you said, some of the lower tier colleges and universities get some great reviews from alumni. (Of course, there are great highly ranked schools and crappy lower-ranked ones too).

Your approach- to look to a wide variety of sources, including student reviews and even college blogs- is much more helpful in giving you the bigger picture than just some off-the-stand magazine that focuses too much on factors that often have little to do with your own experience.

Alberto Said:

What states rank the highest in University standards?

We Answered:

Compile the stats from this link if you wish (http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreview… ) .. I think they would be California, New York, Massachusetts Texas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

If you are looking for best professors based on salary that they are rewarded with (very related to quality of professors and willingness to teach)....check up at http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/index.ph… or http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/… (summary).

Ramona Said:

What are the rankings of private schools in NJ?

We Answered:

click here for names and some ratings http://www.greatschools.net/search/searc… use the names to put in here to compare them http://www.privateschoolreview.com/compa…