Princeton University

Now I can say, “When I studied in the US, I went to the top school: Princeton University.”

I realized only after the trip how prestigious Princeton University is. It belongs to the Ivy League and is currently the top school in the US. The 2nd to 8th spots are taken by the following: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, CalTech, MIT, Duke. Ohio State University is 57th [3].

Wikipedia says Princeton has been at the top spot from 2001 to 2008. Worldwide, Princeton University can be easily spotted at the top ten [7].

In 2008, it has the 3rd most selective acceptance rate of 10%. Both Harvard and Yale have an acceptance rate of 9%. Other schools have these figures: Stanford, 11%; MIT, 13%; CalTech, 17% [2]

I never looked at this figure before. All I care about was visit the workplace of Lolo Albert.

While Lolo Albert contributed a great amount of fame to Princeton University, it is also true that this school is home to many other breeds of geniuses. In particular, my readings about Lolo Albert brought me to these three:

Sir Andrew Wiles. He is largely known for solving Fermat's Last Theorem in September 2004. (Actually, Pareng Jong introduced Fermat's Last Theorem to me a long time ago in Nueva Ecija.) Just imagine, this math problem has eluded the most brilliant minds for 330 years. Dr. Wiles, only 55 years old now, is the current chair of the Math Department [4, 1].

Dr. John Nash. This mathematician is the subject of A Beautiful Mind (2001, starring Russel Crowe). (Again, Pareng Jong introduced the movie and Dr. Nash to me.) In support of his application to Princeton University Mathematics Department, his adviser Dr RJ Duffin wrote a recommendation letter with one short sentence: “This man is a genius.” Later, Dr. Nash (along with two others) won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics for his game theory [6].

Dr. Edward Witten. He is widely acclaimed as the modern Newton for his leading role in superstring theory. He has numerous awards including the Fields Medal (1990) and Crafoord Prize (2008). [5] I have read part of his writings on string theory and it is the most easy to read and understand material that I have touched so far on advanced physics. Well, I don't pretend to have learned a lot so as to be able to teach it myself but at least, I feel I have progressed considerably about the subject (with only one such paper) compared to my struggles with several other papers on the same topic. Sometimes, a difficult subject is easier to face by going to the advanced source.

[more princeton pictures here]

With the amazing brains and elegant buildings around, I feel fortunate and dignified that at one point in my life, I breathed the same oxygen, walked the same path of Princeton grounds where Lolo Albert and the current geniuses of our time found home.



...
References:

[ 1 ] Princeton University. 2008. Faculty Directory. http://www.math.princeton.edu/directory/. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.


[ 2 ] US News and World Report. 2008. Lowest acceptance rates. America's Best Colleges 2008. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/webex/lowacc_brief.php. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.

[ 3 ] US News and World Report. 2008. National Universities: Top Schools. America's Best Colleges 2008. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.

[ 4 ] Wikipedia. 2008. Andrew Wiles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wiles. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.

[ 5 ] Wikipedia. 2008. Edward Witten. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Witten. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.


[ 6 ] Wikipedia. 2008. John Forbes Nash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.

[ 7 ] Wikipedia. 2008. Princeton University. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University. Last accessed: July 11, 2008.