One of the most striking features of California Institute of Technology

is its unusually small size;

only around 1,000 undergraduates and 1,250 postgraduates are enrolled there. Caltech aims to foster an

interdisciplinary environment in which students learn about and tackle the most challenging and fundamental

scientific or technological problems. Among the unusual features ofthe university are the customary cookie break

taken every Thursday by physicists and their students, and the university’s status as a distributor of olive oil.

Stanford University

has generated many start-ups and entrepreneurs and was partly responsible for

the development of the surrounding Silicon Valley. The large campus is home to 97 per cent of undergraduates

and nearly 700 university buildings, alongside museums, gardens and recreational centres. There are just

under 7,000 undergraduates and 9,000 graduates at the university, with a 7:1 student-to-staff ratio. Research at

Stanford has a $1.22 billion budget and more than 5,000 of the projects are externally funded.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology

was founded mid-19th century and has always endeavoured

to provide financial aid to students on a needs basis. The first female student, Ellen Swallow Richards, was

admitted to the chemistry department in 1871. Just two years later, the first international student - from Canada -

graduated from MIT. Admission to the university is extremely selective; only 8 per cent o f applicants won a place

in the graduating class o f 2019. Graduates are employed by top companies, including Google, Amazon and Apple.

The University of Cambridge

operates a collegiate system, much like the University of Oxford.

Almost all ofthe 18,000 students belong to a college or hall, where they have the option to live, study and sleep

on site. There are 3 1 colleges and 150 academic departments at Cambridge. Every college has unique traditions

and all students matriculate in a formal ceremony when arriving at the university. Many famous politicians,

cultural figures and scientists spent time in Cambridge, including Isaac Newton and the founder of another the

most prestigious and well-known universities in the whole world.

The University of Oxford

is one of the oldest and the most prestigious university in the UK and

one of the best known in the world. There are more than 20,000 students at Oxford, with an almost equal

number of undergraduates and postgraduates. About 95 per cent of Oxford graduates are either employed or in

postgraduate study within six months o f completing their studies. The university employs staff from just under

100 different countries and foreign citizens make up about 40 per cent of the student and academic body.

Princeton University

is one of the world’s foremost research universities with connections to more than

40 Nobel laureates, 17 winners of the National Medal of Science and five recipients of the National Humanities

Medal. Princeton has also educated two US presidents, James Madison and Woodrow Wilson, who was also the

university’s president prior to entering the White House. Other distinguished graduates include Michelle Obama,

actors Jimmy Stewart and Brooke Shields, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad.

Montessori schools’ approach to the education is unique in that it is based on the observation of the child and following his or her abilities and interests. The method is based on the freedom of the child to explore and learn, mostly, through self-direction. The Montessori philosophy recognizes that each child learns in a different way, so every learning style is accommodated. Students proceed through the curriculum in their own time when they are ready. All this learning occurs under the guidance of the teacher who develops an individualized learning plan for every student.

The unique quality of a magnet school is that they usually have a special curricular focus. Magnet schools give students the chance to attend schools that focus on themes or career areas of special interest to the student. Common themes include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), the arts, and vocational or career paths. Each magnet school offers a unique and challenging curriculum as well as the supports that students need to expand their interests, talents and passions. Magnet schools emphasize an area of study or a method of teaching.

Boarding school students quickly learn how to perform many domestic chores and complete school assignments by themselves. They become experts at managing their time, money and resources. They can focus better on their studies because television, video games, phones and other distractors are limited. These young scholars usually perform better academically because they live in an environment that is conducive to learning. Boarding school students live and attend classes with people from a variety of cultures; therefore, they learn to appreciate and respect the differences in one another and live amicably.

Charter schools have the flexibility to teach students what they might need in the real world, especially those who are in high school. Charter schools can specifically look at trends and offer more targeted coursework on topics such as science, computer engineering or environmental studies that wouldn’t be offered at a traditional school. Other more holistic approaches to learning can be implemented as well, such as taking care of the environment and health-based curriculum to foster a child’s whole self and not just traditional types of learning.

Virtual Schools removed the limitation oftime and location, a common challenge in a traditional classroom. With uplift ofthese limitations, learners have the freedom to study and finish the coursework anytime, anywhere. Learners also have the freedom to engage with other on classroom topics, do the assignment, absorb class content, or take exams at a time or duration that best fits their schedule. Another virtual classroom advantage that many students find to be very interesting is the sharpening of one’s digital skills. While increasing your skills and knowledge in your area of study, you are the same time sharpening your digital skills on some of the most sophisticated online learning solutions.