Running Head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS GROUP PROJECT 1

College University Project

By: Francesca Hernandez
Victoria Ereng
Christopher Jones
May 16, 2014

CRITICAL ANALYSIS GROUP PROJECT 2
As most high school students are aware, picking a college to attend can be a very difficult
task. There are so many possible choices and possibilities, it can be hard for adolescents between
the ages of 14 and 18 to make such a substantial decision at this time in their lives. In this
presentation, our group hopes to enlighten these students with information from three
universities of our choice.
Harvard University
Harvard University is the first school we will discuss. At Harvard, students will find
small classes, fascinating course topics, personalized degree programs, and unsurpassed research
opportunities across a diverse field of subjects. These students set the course and pace of their
studies, and advisors and faculty will be there to support them every step of the way. Along with
this very comfortable environment, Harvard University is also well known for being an Ivy
League school. This means it is part of a group of private Northeastern colleges known primarily
for their academics.
Harvard is also well known for its large library system which is actually the third-largest
in the country and its $30 billion endowment. Students come from all 50 states and from over 80
countries to attend here, making this campus a diverse experience for students. Along with this,
there are plenty of other reasons to attend this excellent university such as; the student-faculty
ratio at Harvard University is 7:1, the school has 81.2 percent of its classes with fewer than 20
students, 59.6 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid,
nearly 80 percent of the students are involved in some kind of athletics, and much more.
Harvard can be found in Cambridge, Massachusetts which is a wonderful location for such a
highly esteemed school. The crime rate is lower than the national average crime rate and in
addition to the Cambridge Police Department, the city is patrolled by the Fifth (Brighton)
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Barracks of Troop H of the Massachusetts State Police. Along with being an extremely safe city,
it is also a very popular tourist attraction. With nearly four centuries' worth of compounded
history and the gorgeous Charles River to wake up to, every day, each moment in this city should
be enjoyed.
Stanford University
The next school we will be discussing is Stanford University, located in Serra Mall,
Stanford California. Stanford has a great enrollment. They have an Undergraduate rate of 6,980
and a graduate rate of 8,897. About 38,000 applicants from 49 states and 67 countries attend this
university.
Stanford was established in 1891, it was founded in 1855 by Leland Stanford former
governor of and U.S. senator from California and leading railroad tycoon. They had named
Stanford after their son Leland Stanford Jr. who died in 1884 just before his 16th birthday from
cancer.
They have many degrees to offer such as a B.A., B.S., B.A.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D.,
D.M.A., M.D., M.B.A., J.D., J.S.D., J.S.M., LL.M., M.F.A., M.L.S., M.L.A., M.P.P., ENG.
They have seven schools which are; Business, Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering,
Humanities and Sciences, Law, and Medicine. The majors with the highest enrollment are
Computer Science, Human Biology, Engineering, Science Technology and Society.
Stanford is located in Stanford California, they have a population of 13,809. Stanford is
an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County and is adjacent to the city of Palo Alto. The racial
makeup of Stanford was 7,932 (57.4%) White, 651 (4.7%) African American, 86 (0.6%) Native
American, 3,777 (27.4%) Asian, 28 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 263 (1.9%) from other races.
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California is also full of many things to do such as visit the Golden Gate Bridge,
Chinatown, Pier 39, The Walt Disney Family Museum, Sutro Baths, Alcatraz Island Exploration,
Japanese Tea Garden, the Coit Tower, and very much more! Residents may also visit Los
Angeles which is about 5 hours away from Stanford. Once in Los Angeles, one may visit the
Hollywood Sign and the Hollywood walk of fame. Stanford is also far from El Paso which is an
advantage if you are wanting to get away from home. By car it takes approximately 17 hoursw
and by plane its 2 hours.
Texas Tech
The third university we will be talking about today will be Texas Tech. Texas Tech
doesnt really fit in with Stanford and Harvard but we want you to get a broad sense of all of
your options. First off Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas.
Texas Tech was founded on February 10, 1923 and was originally known as Texas
Technological College. The university offers degrees in more than 150 courses of study through
13 colleges and hosts 60 research centers and institutes. Texas Tech University has awarded over
200,000 degrees since 1927, including over 40,000 graduate and professional degrees. Texas
Tech has been noted for possessing a public art collection among the ten best in the United
States.
Texas Tech is of course located in the beautiful city of Lubbock, Texas. Lubbock is a city
in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas United States. The city is located in the
northwestern part of the state, a region known historically and geographically as the Llano
Estacado and ecologically is part of the southern end of the Western High Plains. Lubbock has a
population of 236,065 people and an all around mild, semi-arid climate. There are plenty of cool
spots to visit while staying in Lubbock like the National Ranching Heritage Center, American
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Wind Power Center, Joyland Amusement Park, Silent Wings Museum, Cactus Theatre, and so
much more.
In conclusion, as much as choosing a college might feel like an imposition to some
students, it doesnt need to be such a difficult task. These are just three possible colleges to
attend, but there are many more options. With a little bit of research students, such as yourself,
can narrow down their options and pick the university that feels right for them.

Bibliography
Graves, L. L. (2014, April 22). Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved from tshaonline:
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kct32
Sopko, J. (2014, April 13). The List: Top 10 facts about Harvard University. Retrieved from The
Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/4/list-top-10-facts-
about-harvard-university/
University, S. (2014, May 2). Education Colleges. Retrieved from USNews:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/stanford-university-1305