College Research Results

1. College Research Results Jordan Phillpott

2. The Three Schools Stanford University Duke University University of Florida (also referred to as UF or Florida)

3. The Reasoning Behind the Schools The reasons for choosing these schools are not based on academics; rather, they are based on personal curiosities. However, each reason is enough to hold my interest in the school. Stanford: A friend of mine is going to a summer studies class this summer. I also wanted to learn more about the school that one of my favorite characters (Sam Winchester of Supernatural) attended. Duke: I’m going to a summer studies there this summer through the Duke TIP program and wanted to learn more about the school. UF: I’ve been going there for football games since I was little and have always considered this school at the top of my list of potential colleges, so it was an obvious choice.

4. Basic facts Stanford: A co-ed, liberal arts private school in southern California. Stanford also has a focus on research. Its year is divided into four quarters that more or less run with the seasons. There are 6,800 undergraduate students currently enrolled. Duke: A co-ed, science-inclined, research private school in North Carolina. Its year is divided into two semesters, like AJHS, but with two smaller summer sessions. There are 6,244 undergraduate students enrolled. UF: A public school in south Florida with focuses on sciences and research but a more general course of study than Stanford or Duke. Its year is divided like Duke’s. There are over 32,000 undergraduate students enrolled.

5. Pictures of Stanford’s Campus I haven’t ever been to Stanford, but it looks pretty.

6. Pictures of Duke’s Campus Honestly, Duke’s campus creeps me out a little bit. Most everything is old and made of stone. However, these are my thoughts of two years ago; at the camp this summer, I may change my mind.

7. University of Florida’s Campus I am definitely more familiar with Florida’s campus than any other in this presentation. The campus is huge and very shady, but it thunderstorms every afternoon in the summer.

8. Costs Stanford and Duke, being the two private schools, will definitely be more expensive than Florida, which is a state school. And, if a person was a Florida resident, their tuition would only be about $20,000 per year. Estimated yearly budget: Stanford: $56,000* (Covers all four quarters) Duke: $59,000* (Covers the Fall and Spring semesters and, possibly, the summer sessions) UF: $42,066* (Out of state tuition, covers all three semesters) *Numbers were taken from the university websites showing the yearly budget estimated by the schools.

9. Admissions Surprisingly, both Stanford and Duke were more friendly about giving out their application information than Florida. Both Stanford and Duke clearly listed their application requirements, and both use applications like the Common Application, which is easily available for perusal and printing. Florida, on the other hand, was closed up about its application information. That part of the website gets shut down when potential students cannot apply. The application is also closed up: Florida requires applicants to enter a lot of personal information and set up an account on their website before they can look at the application.

10. Music Major I decided to focus on the music major when looking at the universities. I’m able to play several instruments, including piano, and I’m interested in pursuing a career in music. At both Stanford and Duke, the music programs don’t seem to be as huge a deal as their other programs. A fine arts/music supplement can be submitted with the applications to Stanford, and Duke doesn’t mention a single thing about submitting supplements.

11. Music Major Florida, however, has its own music school that requires an audition to get into. Florida also has various specializations within the major, including music theory and music history. All of the music major requirements include ear-training and keyboard classes. Also, each university requires auditions for private lessons and to be included in an ensemble.

12. Stanford Graduation Requirements Note: General graduation requirements are the “core classes” of universities. Stanford definitely seems to have the most credits required and the most specific general graduation requirements, as far as course categories go. Of the 180 class units that are required, 1/3 will come from the selected major (for the music major, 67 or more units). Most of the requirements are part of the GER (general education requirements), which includes programs focusing on humanities, writing, foreign languages, and various cultures.

13. UF Graduation Requirements Florida has a system that is similar to Stanford’s for measuring student progress. Upwards of 110 credits are required for graduation, with the major taking up a majority of those credits. There are 36 credits required for general education, which are well-rounded but focused on math and science. 120 credits are needed to major in music. So, for the music major, at least 156 credits are required to graduate.

14. Duke Graduation Requirements Duke has a completely different system than Stanford or UF. Its courses are measured in “course credits,” only 34 of which are required to graduate. 10 of these course credits go to general education while 12 go to the music major. However, there are a lot of graduation requirements outside of credits, like seminars and various programs. Considering this, Duke is probably a school that focuses more on experience and interaction than classes.

15. Voice Recording

16. What this Project did for Me If I had to choose today, I would probably go with the University of Florida. This is mainly because I'm very familiar with the campus and surrounding town. However, both Stanford and Duke are intriguing. Stanford offers a lot of out-of-the-box classes which would probably be very fun, but it's in a completely different part of the country. Duke is closer to home and is a good school, but I may not like the kind of school it is. All in all, it's far too early to make any decisions, but this information will be useful in the future. Essay: http://www.auburnschools.org/ajhs/lmhardee/studentresearch/research-phillpott.pdf