Absolutely Unique Features About Colleges?

[mythmom]

<p>Williams: Entry system.</p>

[pmrlcomm]

<p>

There is only one “national” (federally-supported) arboretum; it’s in Washington DC. However, there are literally hundreds of college campuses that have absolutely gorgeous campuses with open space and lots of trees, flowers, and other plants. Many of these are “official” arboreta – i.e., registered as members of the AABGA – so I would not consider that to be a “unique” qualification.

</p>

<p>I never said it was THE national arboretum (the only federally funded one as you point out correctly) but it is designated as a national arboretum. I don’t know how many others colleges, if any, have that distinction. What is unique about is it has one of every indignous tree species in Tenessee on campus. Just clarify, which definition of unique are we using?</p>

<ol>
<li> being the only one : sole</li>
<li> being without a like or equal : unequaled</li>
<li> distinctively characteristic : peculiar </li>
<li> unusual</li>
</ol>

[StitchInTime]

<p>Cornell has:
[ul]
[li] [Waterfalls[/url</a>][/li][li] [url=<a href=“http://www.birds.cornell.edu/]An”>http://www.birds.cornell.edu/]An</a> Orinthology Lab](<a href=“AOL Video - Serving the best video content from AOL and around the web - AOL.com”>AOL Video - Serving the best video content from AOL and around the web - AOL.com)[/li][li][A</a> particle accelerator below the campus](<a href=“http://www.lns.cornell.edu/Research/AP/CESR/]A”>CLASSE: CESR)[/li][li][4,000</a> acre botanical garden](<a href=“CornellBotanicGardens”>http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/)[/li][li][Bowling</a> Lanes](<a href=“http://bigred2.athletics.cornell.edu/bowling/]Bowling”>http://bigred2.athletics.cornell.edu/bowling/) right on campus[/li][li][The</a> Suspension Bridge](<a href=“http://florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/photos/142515259_aGZg2-M-1.jpg]The”>http://florisvanbreugel.smugmug.com/photos/142515259_aGZg2-M-1.jpg)[/li][/ul]</p>

[interesteddad]

<p>Swarthmore’s **Honors Program **has been unique since its inception in the 1920s. Honors students do preparations in three topics in their major and one topic in their minor – usually honors seminars. Before graduation, a panel of outside experts gives them written and oral exams in each topic. </p>

<p>The panel of visiting experts determines whether they graduate with honors, high honors, or highest honors, which then determines their grade for their honors preparations. The outside experts are not permitted to discuss the student with the Swarthmore professors during the evaluation process. </p>

<p>Most students find grad school easy after Swarthmore’s Honors Program.</p>

[Phead128]

<p>Unique features…Caltech manages NASA’s JPL and Johns Hopkins manages APL.</p>

<p>UChicago has Fermi Lab and the Teletron, and Stanford has its SLAC Linear Particle Accelerator.</p>

<p>It seems ppl’s definition of ‘Absolutely Unique’ is all over the place lol.</p>

[Phead128]

<p>

@nocousin

Well, unique is a term of art. It doesnt necessarily mean “the only one in the country (world).” It means something special, which may be similar to somewhere else. Something to remember it by.

</p>

<p>If everyone takes that definition, instead of the OP’s “ABSOLUTELY INDISPUTABLY UNIQUE”, then this thread can might just well turn into an all out brag feast. :)</p>

[dntw8up]

<p>“We already know that the WSJ cribs its articles from other sources, often using the web to find stuff. They are shameless. They are often very wrong…”</p>

<p>Research using Internet data isn’t “crib[bing].” Data doesn’t exist in a vacuum and is actually compiled to be used to support various contentions. Publishing data, in hard copy or electronically, does not preclude said data from being used by a journalist to make a point. As to the WSJ being “often very wrong,” their incredible daily circulation numbers and dozens of Pulitzer Prizes suggest otherwise.</p>

[Jimmymac2010]

<p>The baseball team of Holy Cross remains the only team from the northeastern part of the United States to have won the NCAA Division 1 College World Series.</p>

[ilovebagels]

<p>Penn is probably the only school with a class taught by the sitting governor of the state.</p>

[nocousin]

<p>I think absolutely unique can be defined many ways. The OP did not suggest any particular category: athletic, academic, aesthetic, arts, administration, architecture. So THAT is why I took the liberty of suggesting perhaps it was a search for more generally unique, or what is perceived as special, about any particular school. Its not a “brag fest” by the way. If there is interesting information, then this website and this thread is indeed the appropriate place to post it for people’s reading enjoyment or perhaps to consider for admission. I am of the opinion that ALL colleges offer something unique, and its not about pitting one school against another in a pejorative or defensive manner. I would recommend a LOT of schools to different people for relatively “unique” qualities that someone may be looking for, or even just people who have curiosity about different schools but arent going to apply there.</p>

<p>So if you want something REALLY unique, Phead, then how about this:</p>

<p>The University of Miami was the location of a covert CIA base in the 1960’s, used to house, manage, and train Operation Mongoose operatives, designed to overthrow Fidel Castro. It was the only domestic CIA station in the country and they skirted the law on “domestic operations” because Miami (city) was home to many Cuban intelligence agents and double agents and because it is close to Cuba and because they weren’t spying on Americans, but attempting to thwart a communist regime 90 miles away.</p>

<p>Unique enough for you?</p>

[nocousin]

<p>Or how about that the University of Maryland and The George Washington University share the National Archives, from where you can do research on your United States Government documentation essentially from its glorious inception to the present day, provided of course you possess the requisite security clearances.</p>

[barrons]

<p>Wisconsin–original home to the Onion and the best Student Union</p>

<p>[UW-Madison</a> Campus Slide Show](<a href=“Office of Strategic Communication – UW–Madison”>Office of Strategic Communication – UW–Madison)</p>

[gettinin]

<p>Union College- Minerva Houses–each student is randomly assigned to one, and it’s kind of like a cross between a living group/frat/learning group. Each group has their own house, with some upperclassmen living at the house.
[The</a> Minerva Houses](<a href=“http://www.union.edu/StudentLife/Minervas/]The”>http://www.union.edu/StudentLife/Minervas/)</p>

<p>St. Olaf College–Not sure of too many schools with a Norwegian Department
[Norwegian</a> Department| St. Olaf College | Northfield, Minnesota, USA](<a href=“Norwegian – St. Olaf College”>Norwegian – St. Olaf College)</p>

<p>Evergreen State College–The way I understand it, each quarter a student chooses 1 multi-curricular course of study.
[Frequently</a> Asked Questions at Evergreen](<a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/about/faq.htm]Frequently”>http://www.evergreen.edu/about/faq.htm)</p>

[ferryboat10]

<p>Boston College is not the largest Jesuit college. Loyola Chicago and Regis have more students, with Loyola holding the most undergraduates.</p>

<p>Texas A&M’s Corpus Christi campus is located on its own island.</p>

[nocousin]

<p>The New College of Florida is housed in the former mansion of Charles Ringling, the founder of Ringling Bros Circus.</p>

[nocousin]

<p>not to be a spoil sport, gettinin…but there are a few schools that offer Norwegian. Though it still falls in the “unique” category according to my books:</p>

<p>Colleges in the U.S. offering Norwegian Studies
This page presents a wide variety of sources relating to Norwegian-American Studies. Here you will find colleges in Northern America that nurture close ties with Scandinavia, providing Scandinavian Studies Programs, as well as non-academic organizations devoted to the promotion of Scandinavian-American relations. There is also information here on specific grants, and a list of films from Norway that are available to academic organizations upon request.</p>

<p>COLLEGES OFFERING NORWEGIAN STUDIES</p>

<p>Augsburg College </p>

<p>Augustana College </p>

<p>California Lutheran University </p>

<p>Concordia College </p>

<p>Luther College </p>

<p>St. Olaf College </p>

<p>Pacific Lutheran University</p>

[boysenberry]

<p>Besides eating clubs, Princeton also requires every senior to write a thesis. </p>

<p>I think Duke has a “campus” in Bermuda where you can study marine biology or something?</p>

[gettinin]

<p>Fine. I take it back and replace it with McPherson College, which claims to be “the only accredited four-year college that offers a degree in Automotive Restoration Technology.”</p>

[Barq45]

<p>Time for a southern school:</p>

<p>The University of Virginia
-founded by a United States President (Thomas Jefferson) and served by two other presidents (James Madison, James Monroe).
-only university campus to be protected as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.

• former school of Edgar Allan Poe</p>

[nocousin]

<p>Barq: So it was. But Poe’s poem, The Bells, was written about the bells at Fordham University as he lived briefly in a small home (still standing) in the Bronx, near Fordham and the New York Botanical Gardens and could hear the bells chiming all the time.</p>

<p>Ferryboat: I dont know the official admissions stats at Loyola Chicago or BC but according to collegeview.com, Loyola has 9950 undergrads and BC has 10650. Fordham has 7700, btw, with about 5000 of those at Rose Hill-Main campus.</p>