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Admission In American Universities For Indian StudentsBefore the Standardised Test: Finding the Right FitThe most dominant factor is obviously academics; choosing the area of studies is the first step to identifying the universities and colleges keeping in mind your child’s interests and possible area of study. There are over 4000 colleges in the spectrum, and there are limitations to how many colleges we can apply to the internet is an ideal place to start exploring. Credibility is of paramount Importance a college known for academic repute usually ensures a holistic environment for development and growth.Understanding the Undergraduate SystemThe US has a vast system of undergraduate colleges and universities spread over the entire expanse of the country, a large number of them offering quality, education. When we started exploring the canvas, we were swamped by terms like schools, universities. and colleges; public, private and many others. In this section, we will try and paint the scene in a clear picture. The undergraduate degree is offered in ‘universities', 'colleges' and 'schools'—a lot of times, especially for the undergraduate programs, these terms can be substituted for each other. A university will offer graduate and doctoral degrees as well, while a college will usually offer only an undergraduate degree.The educational establishments can be classified as given below:Private universities/collegesAs the name suggests, these schools are managed and hu individuals and trusts. Fifty-nine percent of all institutions fall into this category. The fee structure would be similar for American students and international students.e.g. Boston University, Claremont McKenna College, University of Southern California, Williams College, New York UniversityPublic universitiesThese schools are managed and funded by the government, commonly by the state. Public universities offer graduate and postgraduate degrees. They have a different fee structure—the students the State would pay lower fees as opposed to students from outside. The public education system in the USA is based on a collection of taxes from the residents, therefore a lower fee is charged to students who are residents as their parents would have contributed in the way of taxes. Public universities are usually larger than private, having a greater number of students. The application fee for a public university would be lower as well.e.g. Georgia Tech - Georgia Institute of Technology, College of William & Mary, UC Berkeley - University of California at Berkeley, UCLA - University of California at Los Angeles, University of Washington - Seattle, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Virginia at Charlottesville, University of Wisconsin at Madison.State Universities/CollegesThis category of institutions are public and completely supported by the individual states. They would usually have 'State' as part of their name and have multiple campuses across the state. Several highly-ranked colleges are part of the system. E.g. California State University, Michigan State University, the State University of New York popularly known as SUNYLiberal Arts CollegesWhile searching on the internet, the term “liberal arts' comes frequently in the description of colleges-we in India are not familiar with this term. There is confusion that is associated with this genre of institutions. The actual name is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which is colloquially shortened to ‘Liberal Arts College'. A liberal arts college will usually be smaller in size, a residential experience may be mandatory—the students are exposed and encouraged to participate in a variety of cultural, intellectual and social activities. Its curriculum is holistic in approach, covering a wide variety of subjects from the fields of humanities, arts, social sciences, and physical sciences. The class sizes are normally small with an emphasis on dialogue, debate and classroom interaction. The program is for four years. In the first two years, the students would take a variety of subjects from the sciences as well as the arts stream, before declaring a major. The degree awarded would be a Bachelor of | Arts or Science depending on the choice of major. e.g. Williams College, Amherst College, Middlebury College, Wellesley College, Pomona College, Oberlin College, Vassar CollegeInstitutes of TechnologyThe curriculum in these schools is focused on the fields of science, engineering, and technology, awarding undergraduate as well as postgraduate degrees. Along with classroom academics, opportunities are given for independent research right from the beginning. Many of the well-known institutes encourage and make it mandatory for their students to take courses like folk theatre, music, mountaineering, and the students get credits for the same—it is not just an extra-curricular activity, it contributes to the student's degree. e.g. Illinois Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd CollegeSchools of Arts and Fine ArtsThese are specialized schools offering training and degrees in the fields of music, arts, fashion, acting, and others. If your child's heart and passion lie in the fields of music, art, graphics, photography, and fashion, then this category of schools would be the obvious choice. Your child will be able to choose from a 2-year associate degree or a 4-year undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Fine Arts). Some schools are stand-alone while others are attached to a university. There are also schools in which your child can do a dual degree 1.e. Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 5 years. The Rhode Island School of Design offers a very prestigious dual degree program with Brown University. e.g Juilliard school for dance, drama, and music, the Parsons school of art and design, The Art Institute of Chicago, Fashion Institute of Technology, Tisch School of the Arts is a part of New York University; Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts is attached to Washington University at St. LouisThe 'Ivy League'This term is often heard and associated with colleges in the USA. The Ivy League refers to a consortium of eight colleges in the northeastern states which were primarily linked together to form an athletic conference. These colleges are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. These are all established private universities that have a reputation for quality and excellence, attract top-notch students and are among the most difficult to get in.Community CollegesThere are locally supported non-residential colleges which offer 2- and 3-year programs post-high school wards an Associate Degree (AS). The courses are often designed to fulfill the requirements of entry-level employment. They also act as a bridge program for transfer into a 4-year college degree program. Many community colleges are affiliated with universities making this transition easier. Community colleges are cost-effective, offer great flexibility and are a great pathway to academic enhancement.Accredited universitiesThere are approximately over 4,000 colleges in the USA offering a 4-year undergraduate degree program. While choosing a college or a university for our children, it is important to ensure that the college/university offers quality education and is 'accredited or ‘recognized in the Indian parlance. In India, government-run bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) or the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) provide the quality norms to our higher education institutions. In the USA, the government does not recognize the institutes of higher education, instead, it has appointed private non-governmental bodies that specifically monitor and assess the quality of institutions. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE) review these Organisations giving them the authority to give accreditations to universities and colleges.When to StartThe pre-examination stage is one of exploration and information gathering. Start your research 12-18 months before you intend to begin studies as an undergraduate, or at least 24 months before beginning a graduate program. You start your research from a search could begin under the following heads: Which institution will best suit your personality? It’s recommended that you only consider accredited U.S. colleges and universities. A searchable list of accredited institutions is available through the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Where would you like to go? The U.S. has a great diversity of weather, culture, and environment and you should consider these when looking at locations to study Why do you want to study in the United States? find the school that matches you and your priorities and long-term goals. Pursuing which course will give you the best employment opportunity in the long run?LocationThe next factor you should keep in mind is the location. The USA is a very large country and each area, the geographical region has a distinctive and individual culture.Urban or Rural?The US offers quality institutes in both kinds of settings the location will contribute and enhance your student life. natural beauty has very large dorms and rooms, a town that has grown and focuses around the university, an enhanced degree of familiarity between fellow students and professors, a well-developed community interface, free transportation around the campus and a conducive environment for outdoor sporting activities. The urban campus is usually in the center of fast-paced life—busy roads, museums, theatres, restaurants, parks, dance studios, shopping avenues-depending on perception, all the charms or distractions' of a large city! In comparison to a rural setting, rooms and dorms are really small, transportation costs are individual and therefore an expensive-in fact, urban campus is more expensive. The Internship opportunities are great, and a student usually has plenty to do.ConnectivityIf the college is located close to an international airport with a connection from India, it is a great logistical plus. You just have to take an airport shuttle to his campus. Domestic transfers in the US often require a change of airports, making the journey fairly complicated and long.ClimateClimate is a major change and winters in the northern, mid-east and midwest of the USA can be extremely harsh. Studying in these areas requires a completely new and if I may say so, alien wardrobe consisting of overcoats of various weights and boots for different seasons ranging from wet to ice! The 1st season will be particularly difficult, but the internal heating systems are more than adequate.CommunityMost good schools have between 7-9 percent international admissions, while there are other well-known universities like the University of Southern California, where international students comprise over 15 percent, and Purdue, with 16 percent international students, enrolls about 200 freshmen from India each year.FinanceThe next step is to think about how much it will cost to study in the USA. You want to think about:The cost of admission and other school fees Accommodation costs Living costs including food and travel Not each university but few of them also allow students to do part-time internships to financial aid their basic daily expenses. Fortunately, there are a lot of options for getting financial aid to study in the U.S. which are available on the website of the colleges or universities which you may choose. A scholarship from the institution where you want to study, U.S. Government-funded programs, awards and funds from other organizations, in-state tuition benefits, waived application fees and deadlines, and similar provisions.The Standardised TestSAT 1SAT ReadingThe SAT 1 exam begins with critical reading and writing the part that tests the reading, comprehension and writing skills of the student. The first part of section 1 is of 65 minutes duration with 52 questions.SAT WritingA short break is followed by the 2nd part - writing and language. This section is of 35 minutes duration with 44 questions spread over 4 passages. Topics from Humanities, Science, Social Studies and Careers are covered. There are 11 questions attached to each passage. 20 questions address conventional grammar while the remaining 24 explore writing techniques, expressions, and logical analysis. A graphical interpretation is also included.SAT MathThis section evaluates the student’s mathematical proficiency and skills focusing on arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and data analysis. A graphical interpretation is also included. The questions are in the combination of multiple-choice and ‘Grid-Ins’, or Student-Produced Response questions. In a ’grid-in’, there are no multiple-choices and the student has to solve the question similar to the math problems done at school. The ‘catch’ in the situation is that the answers have to fit in a ‘grid’, which is unfamiliar to our system, therefore requiring a lot of practice.there are 2 parts - Calculator and the Non - Calculator.The SAT Essay -(optional, 50 minutes)It is a lot like a typical college writing assignment in which you’re asked to analyze a text. Take the SAT with Essay and show colleges that you’re ready to come to campus and write.ACTACT or American College Testing is an alternative to SAT1. Currently, it is a pen and paper test. However, it is expected to change into an internet-based test for International students in the coming years. The ACT exam is currently available in India in February, April, June, October, and December. The ACT testing time is 2 hours & 55 minutes and has an extra optional 40 minutes Writing Test. The ACT is scored out of 36. Each of the four sections is scored out of 36 points, and then the section scores are averaged together to find your total score.ACT EnglishThe English section tests the student's understanding of the English Language-grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction. Spelling and vocabulary are not a priority here but 75 questions have to be answered in the given time.The ACT MathematicsThe ACT mathematics test consists of pre-algebra (14 questions), algebra (19 questions), plane trigonometry (14 questions); coordinate geometry 19 questions), and elementary trie 14 questions). Questions are placed in order of difficulty from easy to hard and usage of the calculator is allowed.ACT readingThis section consists of 1 passage each from Social Studies, Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Prose Fiction. The questions are based on the comprehension of the passage. There are ten questions to answer in each passage for a total of 40 questions.ACT scienceThe science test involves understanding passages that comment on scientific information. The information is presented in six groups in the form of charts, graphs, summaries of scientific research, or as the conflicting viewpoints of two or three scientists. There are 40 questions, the answers to which can be extrapolated from the information provided.ACT WritingThe test includes a single essay on a given prompt. You have to plan, write and edit the essay. The prompt is usually based on contemporary issues. The essay score is on 12 which is graded on parameters defined by ideas and analysis, development and support, organization and language use.The ACT Writing is optional, the essay score will not be factored into the ACT composite score.SAT 2The SAT2 tests are 1-hour tests on specific subjects. The SAT2 has 22 separate tests covering 5 subject areas like Math, History, Literature, Science and Languages scored on a scale of 200-800. These tests are designed to assess the student's knowledge in specific areas. Not all schools require subject tests, but it is mandatory for most top schools and they specify the number of subject tests i.e. 2 or 3. Please check the individual college website for the SAT2 requirement.Language Proficiency TestsTOEFLTOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language. It is the most widely accepted English Language exam to check an examinee's proficiency and comfort in understanding, listening, speaking and writing the English Language. It is accepted over 9,000 colleges, institutions in over 130 countries. TOEFL is considered a mandatory test if you want to study, work or immigrate to a country where English is the 1st language.IELTSIELTS or the International English Language Testing System and is jointly administered by the British Council, the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and IDP Education Australia. As the TOEFL, this is a test to assess the student's comfort with the English language combining your proficiency in listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. The tests are conducted in British English vis-à-vis the TOEFL which uses American English and accents. One major difference is that in the IELTS, the speaking section is conducted as a viva by the examiner, while in the TOEFL, the candidate just answers into the microphone; there is no face to face interaction with the examiner.The Common AppThe Common App or the Common Application (available at Your future starts here) is an undergraduate college application form that managed by an organization called The Common Application, INC. This organization has more than 700 colleges and universities as members. The applicant can use this one form to apply to a maximum of twenty member colleges. The Common App, for understanding, can be segregated into two segments:The 1st segment which acts as a general application with the information required by all the colleges your family background, academic and extracurricular achievements, the test scores and writing skills in the form of short essays.The 2nd segment is the 'supplement' required by the specific college, each with its individual questions and essays. The Common App records an applicant's profile from class 9 onwards.Mid-way into your final year in school you are done with most of your qualifying exams, and it’s time to start the form filling process. Colleges and universities may have their application or Coalition Access form or Common Application form. Colleges offer a variety of decision plans with specific deadlines. Supplements and Portfolios Many colleges (almost 2/3rd of the members) require additional supplements to be submitted. The supplement may have an additional essay, institution-specific questions, the most common being—'why did you choose college XYZ?' Most member colleges will ask you to submit the supplements through the Common App. Please note there are many universities and colleges which may not be a part of this system and you would have to tackle those applications individually; e.g. University of California, MIT, and Texas universities. (The list of member colleges/universities can be found at the Common App website). Sending the Common App The Common App, the college supplements, the school forms are designed to be exclusively accepted online. At every stage, the Common App format will remind you of missing information and will be processed only when all the information has been filled. Along with the student profile, the specific college supplements, as well as school forms, can be sent with ease online. If there is a problem, the issue usually is with the school forms. There is no paperwork, no couriers, the teachers upload their recommendations on your Common App identity page; and then it's just a simple click of the button the form is sent. You can vary the specific recommendations to send from college to college. Sending the Courier Package In some cases, the school may not have a system of sending documents online; In that case, you will have to send the documents by courier. Don't panic, you have to send almost everything online i.e. The Common App, Payments and the Supplements. Only the school forms i.e, counselor's recommendation, the teacher's recommendations will have to be couriered. The Courier will contain very important documents related to the application. Utmost care must be taken in organizing the documents as well as tracking the document to its final destination--the admission office of the colleges. Correct references should be given so that the admission office finds it simple to match with the rest of the application material which has been sent online. We have given a few guidelines to make this process as hassle-free as possible these guidelines will be relevant when sending all further documents e.g. financial, and any other relevant document not mentioned in the Common App.TimelineAugust 1st week Register and begin. Sections on the background and personal data can be easily completed this week.August 2nd week The target is to complete the activities page. Compose the Short writeup on the significant activity as given in the Writing section of the Common App.August 3rd week Select your statement topic, think, discuss and draft. It is also important to list out all the supplemental essays and group them under similar topics/themes.August 4th week Complete the student information section for the supplement. Show our drafts to other people for feedback.September 1st/2nd week Complete personal statement and 2nd draft of at least 50 percent of supplemental essays.September-3rd/4th-week Complete supplemental essays.October-1st 2 weeksGo through all your essays written with a fine-tooth comb, so that they are absolutely ready to be uploaded. Request and ensure that the teacher recommended it. Remember EA/ED deadlines are usually in the 1st week of November.

Not sure about which school Ul and UCD you are referring to. Neither appears in the top 20. THe school will not make you what you do with the information is what will advance you in a job setting.Below are the top 20.Project Management is one of the fastest-growing career tracks in the world today, with growth over the next 4 years expected to top 19% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (for IT Project Management). But Project Management doesn’t necessarily require a designated Project Management degree; many professionals in the project management field get there through certificate programs.Recommended Project Management DegreesADPurdue University GlobalPROGRAM: BS - BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: PROJECT MANAGEMENTBuilding on Purdue's mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that's tailored for working adults.VISIT SITESouthern New Hampshire UniversityPROGRAM: BS - OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT: PROJECT MANAGEMENTEarn a bachelor's in project management on your time with flexible online courses built to fit your busy life. As a nonprofit, accredited institution, Southern New Hampshire University is here to help you reach your goals.VISIT SITECapella UniversityPROGRAM: BS - PROJECT MANAGEMENT: BUSINESS (ACBSP-,PMI-GAC-ACCREDITED)Develop skills to create project strategies, synthesize project requirements and assess performance. The online project management bachelor's is designed to offer a flexible, affordable way for working adults to enhance their skills.VISIT SITEIf you’re a working professional already in a project management position, or looking for a promotion to more responsibility that may include project management, a certificate program can offer just what you need. Colleges and universities offer certificates through a variety of departments: Business Schools, Extended Study, Continuing Education, School of Professional Studies, or others. Most often, a Project Management Certificate is a post-graduate specialization (either post-bachelors or post-masters). It doesn’t really matter what business you’re in, or what kind of bachelor’s degree you have: many workers can benefit from these short-term, often online certifications, adding organization and management skills to their existing abilities.Most of the programs featured on the Best Values list have some affiliation with the Project Management Institute (PMI), the global standard association in the Project Management field. Some are Registered Education Providers (REPS), PMI-approved programs that guarantee students the opportunity to sit for the Project Management Professional PMP certification exam. Others merely base their course of study on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), the PMI’s bible. PMI certification and membership is a must in many fields.Project Management Certificate programs come in all shapes and sizes, from single bootcamp courses to week-long intensives, 5-week, 8-week, 10-week, or even year-long self-paced online programs. There is no right or wrong way to do it – just what works best for your professional and personal life situation. Some institutions offer advanced certificate programs for professionals who are already PMI-certified to continue their certification.For this Best Value ranking, we considered all US colleges and universities that offer a Project Management certificate program (over 150 US schools), then measured them by the following metrics:U.S. News & World Report (When Applicable)Payscale College Salary Report 2015-16Actual CostValue Colleges considers only regionally accredited, reputable colleges and universities – no predatory for-profits, shady unaccredited institutes, or non-existent online diploma mills. With Value Colleges, you can be sure that you’ll find only the most trustworthy programs that will deliver a solid return on your investment.1Bryant Universityimage sourceThe #1 best value for a Project Management certificate program is a small private university in Smithfield, RI. Bryant University is primarily a business, economics, finance, and accounting school, and though there are other majors, nearly every student majors in a business field. That singular focus means that business students at Bryant get an education that is a cut above most any competitor, and that Bryant’s reputation is airtight on the job market, whether in New England or anywhere else. Despite their small size, Bryant has been featured by U.S. News & World Report, the Princeton Review, and others for their top-tier quality, high-level business connections, and overall great value. For working professionals who want further credentialing to move into project management positions without another degree, Bryant offers a top-notch Project Management Certificate program that can prepare students for a PMP certification. The certificate program is available on-campus and online, and while the online program is a little cheaper, both are an exemplary value.2CalTechimage sourceThe California Institute of Technology is one of the best-known institutions in the world – frequently cited as one of the ten best universities in the world, and often at the very top. CalTech’s engineering, applied science, and technology focus makes it a leader in scientific research world-wide, and its small size and selectivity make CalTech one of the most elite institutions anywhere. But you don’t have to get a full degree from CalTech to get the CalTech quality, or to benefit from the CalTech name. The Center for Technology and Management Education, a research center at CalTech, offers an intensive 10-day Project Management Certificate based on PMI requirements for aspiring project managers to prepare for the PMP certification. Professionals who are already PMP certified can also use the program for credits toward continuing certification. All courses are taught at CalTech’s storied Pasadena campus, where the future is always being made.3North Carolina State Universityimage sourceOne of the three colleges that formed the basis of the Research Triangle (with the University of North Carolina and Duke University), the first major tech hub of the 20th century, North Carolina State University has long been considered one of the most respected public universities for engineering, technology, and applied science. Of course, as with CalTech, strong project management is a significant skill for keeping large engineering projects cohesive and moving forward. That’s why NCSU offers five project management-related certificates, taught by experienced engineering managers for more than 12 years. Students can choose a Project Management Certificate or a Master’s Certificate in Project Management. Both are 5-course, intensive programs of study, both can be earned online or in-class, and both are affordable enough to send NCSU to the top of the Best Value ranking.4Rutgers Universityimage sourceOne of the most respected universities in the nation, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is a public, land-grant institution in New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers is the leading public research university in New Jersey, known for applied sciences, agriculture, and business, with the Rutgers School of Business located in Camden, NJ. It’s the School of Business, and the Department of Executive Education, that offers the online Project Management Professional certificate. This convenient, self-paced program prepares students for the official PMI-PMP certification, as well as other PMI certifications, with the guidance of a designated mentor. With the Rutgers reputation, this reasonably-priced certificate can prepare working professionals well for a career change, promotion, or success on the job market.5University of Chicagoimage sourceThe University of Chicago stands toe-to-toe with the Ivy League, with the elite polytechnic institutes (like MIT and CalPoly), and with private research universities such as Duke and Stanford, as a giant in research and education. The University of Chicago has been a dominant force in fields as varied as medicine, economics, and literature, with some of the most decorated faculty in the world and a high proportion of billionaires among its alumni. Aspiring project managers with the right stuff can add the University of Chicago name to their resume with a Project Management Certificate program from the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Besides preparing students for PMP certification, it carries the University of Chicago name on the job market, a major reputation that all but guarantees success.6University of California - Berkeleyimage sourceOne of the original Public Ivies (a public university with the clout of the Ivy League), the University of California, Berkeley is one of the finest research institutions in the world, with Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur genius grant winners, and Oscar winners among their faculty and alumni. The flagship of the University of California system, UC Berkeley sets the pace for what may be the most respected public university system in the US, and U.S. News & World Report named it America’s best public university in 2016. Berkeley also offers a 14-credit Certificate in Project Management that draws on all of Berkeley’s expertise and reputation to send working professionals up and away in their careers for an affordable price.7Villanova Universityimage sourceIt’s easy to forget during March Madness time, but Villanova University has a lot more going for it than world-class basketball. As the oldest private Catholic university in Pennsylvania, Villanova has a long history of excellence, and U.S. News & World Report names it the top regional institution in the North. The Villanova School of Business is especially respected, highly ranked by USN&WR, Businessweek, and the Financial Times, and the Villanova name is a strong contender on the job market for graduates. For working professionals looking to add a credential with a reputable name, Villanova offers a number of project management certificate programs, including specializations in Lean Project Management, IS/IT Project Management, Applied Project Management, and more. A master’s certificate in Project Management, with the Villanova reputation, gives future project managers a leg up on the competition.8Baruch Collegeimage sourcePart of the renowned City University of New York, Baruch College is home to the Zicklin School of Business, one of the most elite business programs in the nation. Baruch College is known for bringing its students success – Baruch is one of the most diverse, and one of the most socially-mobile, of top-tier business schools, combining excellent connections and educational quality with surprisingly affordable tuition rates and a commitment to making sure the best and brightest find their path in New York and the rest of the world. Students interested in jump-starting their careers at a best value, best quality institution can earn a Project Management Certificate from Baruch College, putting themselves on the fast track with a name trusted by everybody in the business world.9UCLA Extensionimage sourceLike its University of California system sister institution, Berkeley, the University of California, Los Angeles, is a Public Ivy and one of the most known public research universities in the world – ranked in the global top 10, and #2 public, by U.S. News & World Report. UCLA is known not only for domination in sports, but for top-tier business, economics, and finance programs. Professionals working in managerial roles, or who want to move into management, will find the UCLA Extension Project Management certificate an effective way in; offered both on campus and online, UCLA’s 6-course certificate program comes not only from nationally-recognized UCLA scholars, but from corporate partners such as Disney, Kaiser Permanente, and others. The Project Management certificate is surprisingly affordable, too, one of the reasons UCLA has long been recognized as a best value.10Southern Methodist University - Continuing and Professional Educationimage sourceSouthern Methodist University knows business. This mid-sized private university is located in Dallas, TX, one of the strongest business centers in the world, and Southern Methodist has made the most out of that location, with all the corporate connections and talent that Dallas can provide. With the SMU Certificate in Project Management provided by SMU Continuing and Professional Education (CAPE), working adults and experienced professionals can add credentials to their resume, with the respected Southern Methodist name, for a reasonable cost. The Project Management certificate is an intensive, 5-day on-campus course, offered for less than $3500, making Southern Methodist a perfect choice to round out the top 10 best values.11University of Washingtonimage sourceA U.S. News & World Report top 25 national university, the University of Washington is a major public research institution (with a research budget of over $1 billion) and a reputation for greatness in technology and business. It doesn’t hurt to be located in Seattle, where U-Dub (as locals call it) and the area technology scene have spent years mutually bringing each other to ever-growing heights. UW offers a Certificate in Project Management program that can be obtained on-campus or online, for a reasonable price of less than $4500. With the University of Washington name, and the world-class expertise UW brings to business and technology, it’s an impressive investment for future project managers.12Stanford Universityimage sourceStanford University is considered the most desirable university in the world, the first choice of millions of graduating high schoolers, largely because of Stanford’s place in the world. Stanford, CA isn’t a neighbor to Palo Alto and Silicon Valley – Stanford helped create Silicon Valley, with faculty and alumni congregating in the area to test out their research and start world-changing companies with the Stanford entrepreneurial spirit. What you may not know is that experienced tech and business professionals can get a Stanford education in a concentrated form, with the Advanced Project Management certificate, a 6-course program that is offered on Stanford’s campus and online. The price is a little higher than other best values, but it’s Stanford – the Stanford name would pay for itself at ten times the price.13University of Delawareimage sourceThe University of Delaware is a land, sea, space, and urban-grant institution that offers some of the nation’s best programs in business and engineering. Dating back to before the American Revolution, UD has been earning distinctions in four different centuries now, from educating Founding Fathers to driving solar energy and bioengineering research. With all that reputation behind it, the University of Delaware, as a public university, remains a top value for its affordability and excellent return on investment. UD’s Professional & Continuing Studies offers a Project Management Certificate, a 14 week certificate program that prepares students to become a Project Manager at less than $2600. It’s a low price for a reputable name, a definitive best value.14Pace Universityimage sourcePace University is a globally-renowned private business-focused university in New York City, and since business is the business of Pace, Pace gives graduates a significant advantage on the job market. Originally founded as one of the first co-ed accounting schools in the nation, Pace maintains a focus on educating the best young people, as well as offering opportunities for working professionals to go above and beyond with programs such as the Project Management Professional Certification Prep course. This program is specifically designed to help students pass the PMI PMP certification exam, and it is offered both online and in a hybrid form at Pace’s midtown Manhattan campus. At less than $1800, it puts the Pace name on your resume and prepares students for certification and success.15Georgetown Universityimage sourceThe oldest Catholic university in the US, Georgetown University has been central to research and education in Washington DC since 1789, building deep connections to government and the private-sector with one of the most respected business programs in the nation, the McDonough School of Business. Georgetown’s managerial and business expertise can be accessed without a formal degree, as well, through the School of Continuing Studies, which offers the Project Management Certificate program. Offered both online and on-campus, the Project Management Certificate is built on PMI recommendations and draws on Georgetown’s long-standing strengths to prepare professionals for project management careers with the Georgetown name behind them.16University of Miamiimage sourceA private research university in suburban Miami, FL, the University of Miami is well-known as a top-50 national university and one of the most respected in the southeast. UM’s reputation is solid, with top-ranked programs in engineering and business, as well as oceanic research, sustainable energy, and other fields appropriate to sunny Miami. If you’re a working professional looking for PMP certification, UM offers a 12-week Project Management Professional certificate program designed specifically to set students up for a home run on the PMP exam. If, for some reason, you don’t want to spend 12 weeks in Miami, it’s available fully online for less than $3500, a top value for a program that can set your project management career off on the right foot.17Wake Forest Universityimage sourceA private research university, Wake Forest University is a top-30 national university according to U.S. News & World Report. Wake Forest’s influence has been a major contributor to growth in the Triad region, a growing business center in western North Carolina that encompasses Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte, NC. It’s at Wake Forest’s Charlotte campus that students can earn Wake Forest’s Certificate in Project Management. This 15-week program at the Wake Forest University Charlotte Center combines the reputation of Wake Forest with the advantages offered by Charlotte, one of the fastest-growing business and banking hubs in the US, perfectly situated for businesspeople and managers in the Triad region to up the ante on their careers.18University of VirginiaWikimedia Commons / Karen Blaha / CC 2.0The University of Virginia defines the concept of the Public Ivy – founded by Thomas Jefferson, steeped in history and lore, and highly elite, UVA is nonetheless a public institution, committed to spreading its educational excellence to the people of Virginia and beyond. UVA’s reputation for innovation and entrepreneurship has attracted and inspired so many start-ups and corporate offices that Charlottesville has been named the fastest-growing new tech center, with venture capital pouring in. It’s no wonder that the UVA name has amazing clout on the job market, and some of that reputation can be earned online with the UVA Certificate in Project Management. It’s a little higher-priced than other public universities, but with the UVA brand, aspiring project managers would be hard-pressed to find a better value.19Rochester Institute of Technologyimage sourceIn American higher education, there only a few sure ways to a high ROI – the Ivy League, of course, is one, but for students with an eye for engineering, applied science, or technology, there are the small number of elite polytechnic institutes like the Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT combines excellence in engineering, computer science, and business, with programs reliably ranked at the very top of their fields and strong job market performance to match. RIT combines their strengths in a small package with the online Project Management Advanced Certificate, a 15-credit program that offers professionals an ideal way to build management skills and ensure career potential with the Rochester reputation.20Auburn Universityimage sourceOne of the most admired research institutions in the Deep South, Auburn University combines the scientific and engineering expertise of a polytechnic institute with the public engagement and accessibility of a public land, sea, and space-grant research university. Auburn’s College of Business is one of the top in the region, and students can access Auburn’s deep well of knowledge in management with the online Project Management and Leadership program, a certificate program designed to help students toward PMP certification. At $4000, this mentor-supported course of study puts future project managers in control of their career destiny.

When I want to learn any language I would like to have a text and workbook which explains, as simple as possible, sentence structure, word functions and word order as well as any specific similarities or dissimilarities to the language spoken or understood by a reader of the text or workbook.In my way of thinking, anything we learn primarily takes us from what we know, to what we don’t know. Therefore being shown something new, by using what we already know or understand when we start learning that “new” thing speeds the process.I’ve seen textbooks of language learning which have been written with a lot of unessential vocabulary which are primarily linguistic terms which are not familiar to a learner. If the terms used are unfamiliar then a learner is placed in the predicament, problem, and discomfort of not understanding what is meant.When I first started teaching Japanese the only textbook available for my high school students was one which read like a doctoral dissertation by a linguist. In fact…. It was:Japanese: The Spoken Language - WikipediaThe many non-standard ways it presented Japanese to a westerner learning Japanese for example, was a stumbling block. I had a stumbling block growing up in a US Air Force family. Dialects: …. but I never really knew it was a stumbling block, because…. well, ….I have to digress to give a rundown on my backgroundI was born in Anchorage, Alaska. At the age of 18 months, my father and mother drove us from Anchorage to Charleston, South Carolina. I was in a Summer Bible school, about age 4–6, when we moved to Biloxi, Mississippi. I had learned two different Southern dialects by the age of 7, but still functioned primarily with the native dialect of my father’s (1950’s Utah/California dialect) and my mother’s (Pennsylvania dialect) which wasn’t too dissimilar from my fathers’, unless she wanted to make me laugh with Pennsylvania Dutch English style grammar like: “Run the stairs up and shut the window down” or “Throw mama from the train a kiss…which became a title for a film when I was about 37. (Throw Momma from the Train (1987) - IMDb)My reading skills were good and I would sometimes read out loud using dialects both those I heard where I lived, and those I heard on TV. This was due to my mother, Hazel Grace Peterson, born April 18, 1915 from the area of Greenwood / Juniata, Pennsylvania, who took over teaching me to read when I was in the 2nd grade. My mother had been forced to quit HS after her mother had died and she was forced to quit by her stepmother when her father had remarried. That lady stated bluntly that she would cook and clean but not raise another’s children. My mother therefore had to quit school to care for numerous brothers and sisters without the chance of completing her high school diploma until when I was ten years old.In that year of school year of 2nd grade, after my third and final change of schools due to redistricting in Biloxi, Mississippi, a teacher showed my mother the reading stars, of various colors, collected all year long by students and displayed on a bulletin board which sparkled with little tin stars of various colors.They stretched across dividing lines of colored yarn by student name, showing the number of books they’d read being grouped in yarn dividers of 5 books to make counting easier. The teacher told my mother that she personally would not be able to get me caught up to the class level. My mother’s oft repeated assessment of the teachers comment was that it was like ‘waving a red flag in front of a bull’. She bought little paper cups and small beans in a bag on our way home. For every cup of beans I filled by reading one full page per bean, I would get a 10 cent item at the store. For every ten cups I would get a larger item maybe 50 cents worth. I worked my way up to a metal Tonka Truck by which time I had not only surpassed all the other stars on the bulletin board, but had also exceeded the space on that display for all the stars I had earned. My favorite thing to be gifted became a book. My library is not as used now however as it once was.😞What a novel incentive way to get me reading, and it proved beneficial. From Biloxi we moved to Layton, Utah to stay with my sister who was 19 when we came from Alaska down the AlCan Highway to Charleston.That year in Utah, I was tested in 6th grade to determine my reading level and the test taker finally tossed aside his texts and charts because I had gone through them in mere minutes.I was handed an Encyclopedia Brittanica volume from a shelf there in the library, and I read easily without difficulty in either pronunciation or understanding. The test giver wrote my level as being at or above 12.5 Graded material - post high school/freshman college level.Therefore from that year in 1965, my continued education to HS graduation in 1971, 4 years in the US Army, one year of college at Weber State before becoming a missionary for two years in Japan, exposure to various texts and methods of learning Japanese and graduating with a degree in choral vocal music (BME - Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana ‘81), I managed sufficient skill to translate this difficult text. It had been used at Indiana University and was the ONLY JAPANESE TEXTBOOK available in Indiana to purchase for my classes at Frankfort High school, which the principal and guidance counselor desired me to teach.Japanese: The Spoken Language - WikipediaThis ultimately was in addition to my duties in teaching 3 choirs, ultimately 3 levels of Japanese,*becoming a relief teacher” to take over the learning disabled room on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s for one period, so that the full time teachers could have one class break*going to the middle school Monday, Wednesday and Friday to operate a choir class of the entire 120 students in 6th grade and no funds for music (we used a lot of lyric sheets and I taught basic vocal instruction in breath support, resonance in the mask of the face, and projection.”I was also a founding member, along with my wife Susan, of the Clinton County Civic Theater In 1988, an Actor and Music Director at the Red Barn Summer Stock Theater 1988 throughout 1995, having been acting/singing from my boy scout years, from 1966 up to the present.By 1995 I was worn out with all of what I was doing work wise with choirs and had contacted Harrison HS in Lafayette, Indiana to see if I could coordinate lesson plans with their district Japanese teacher about whom I knew nothing. I was invited to come meet with the principal with my wife being invited. We got there to discover the principals from both Tippecanoe County High Schools - Harrison AND McCutcheon, because they had lost their 4th Japanese Instructor in 4 years.I was offered the position on the spot. It took me two weeks to decide. I didn’t want to leave music. But I did, although not entirely because I HAVE continued to coach singers since before my graduation from IU in 1981, and continue doing so even now.{I also auditioned for the Indianapolis Opera for something musical to do myself, being given the opportunity to sing and perform.Indianapolis Opera Chorus 1998-2004 Seasons • 1998 - 1999 Season - The Barber of Seville, The Flying Dutchman, Macbeth • 1999 - 2000 Season –Tosca, Faust • 2000 – 2001 Season -Don Giovanni, Il Trovatore • 2001 – 2002 Season -Aida (High Priest), Samson & Delilah • 2002 – 2003 Season - La Traviata, *Die Fledermaus (Chorus, ballroom dancer & soloist), La bohème • 2003 – 2004 Season – Rigoletto • Indianapolis Opera Chorus 1998-2004 (14 major productions with roles in Der Fledermaus, Aida) This has been a long examination of what has cleared my head on learning languages with some facility in the ones I sing (descending order of ability - Japanese, German, Italian & Latin, French and Spanish.AND… at Frankfort High School in my last full year: 1995“directed 9 major stage productions including a play, a variety show, a musical, four choir concerts at the school, three major competitions for district and state vocal competitions, being the newsletter editor for the Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese, was elected to be on the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers, chair of the contest committee, the newsletter editor for NCJLT, while still being the newsletter editor for the Association of Indiana Teachers of Japanese, ultimately elected as president of that organization to then have my tenure begin as keynote speaker as president of NCJLT 2000–2002 which was a co-sponsor to the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages in Boston for the 2000 year.”My last conference was in Salt Lake City 2002, having attended:2002 Salt Lake City, UT2001 Washington, DC2000 Boston, MA1999 Dallas, TX1998 Chicago, ILPast ConventionsConvention and Expo | ACTFLBy the 1990’s I had already ditched the Harz Jordan text and had created my own, making it as clear as possible in presenting Japanese as I described in the beginning many paragraphs above at the top:I titled it JAPANESE 747, designing it to be a brief but fairly concise explanation of Grammar, Vocabulary, Sentence Structure, and examples along with a verb wheel which I discovered in Kumagaya Japan, which was roughly designed by a missionary who left it behind for me to find.After retiring in 2013 from TSC, I was asked to come back to the Community Schools of Frankfort to teach a foreign language exploratory course with a 6 languages in middle school level text book. The principal who hired me retired in my first year and I taught one more year in those languages when the following principal decided foreign language was not something she wanted. I was there 2014 - 2016Since then I’ve also returned to a choir classroom for several months fall 2018 to January 2019 when that school had no choir teacher. Rather than remaining full time, I am currently happily back subbing at Frankfort High School once again, primarily for the choir director but also for other teachers at the high school as the district has need.After all of that background….Now I continue with my explanation of Japanese the Spoken Language, and my first four paragraphs above in the very beginning. All of this just to start over again and finally finish.When I want to learn any language I would like to have a text and workbook which explains, as simple as possible, sentence structure, word functions and word order as well as any specific similarities or dissimilarities to the languages spoken or understood by a reader of the text or workbook.In my way of thinking, anything we learn primarily takes us from what we know, to what we don’t know. Therefore being shown something new, by using what we already know or understand when we start learning that “new” thing, speeds the process.I’ve seen textbooks of language learning which have been written with a lot of unessential vocabulary - primarily linguistic terms - which are not familiar to a learner.If the terms used are unfamiliar then a learner is placed in the predicament, problem, and discomfort of not understanding what is meant.When I first started teaching Japanese the only textbook available for my high school students was one which read like a doctoral dissertation by a linguist.Which brings me back to:Japanese: The Spoken Language - Wikipedia“The textbook is controversial both among students of the language and among pedagogical researchers. Detractors of the textbook take issue with its usage of rōmaji, the complex grammatical explanations, the emphasis on memorization, and the relatively small number of vocabulary items (among other things). However, these same points are cited as strengths of the textbook by supporters. The approach is based on Jorden's decades of experience in teaching Japanese and pedagogical research, and was preceded by her 1960s textbook, Beginning Japanese, which JSL supersedes.Features EditBeyond the focus on the spoken language alone, the text has a number of unusual features.The text is centered around a sequence of dialogs and grammar drills, which are practiced and memorized, and detailed linguistic analysis of Japanese grammar. Vocabulary is taught in the context of these dialogs, rather than as isolated lists. This approach – dialogs and pattern practice – is heavily influenced by the audio-lingual method (ALM), which has since fallen out of favor, though the text is not strictly speaking an ALM text, providing grammar explanations rather than only memorization, for instance.The terminology is at times non-standard – for example, 形容動詞 are referred to as na-nominals, as they behave grammatically almost identically to 名詞 (nouns), which are clearly nominals. This choice has some support in Japanese scholarship, though traditionally these words are referred to as "na-adjectives" or "adjectival nouns". Similarly, the gender differences in spoken Japanese are referred to as blunt/gentle, rather than male/female.[1]Another example of grammatically correct but non-standard pedagogical choices is that Japanese adjectives are translated not to English adjectives, but to English predicates, as this is how they function grammatically in Japanese when not preceding a noun. For example, 小さい (chiisai) is translated as "is small", rather than simply "small". (For adjectives preceding a noun, this choice of translation would naturally be inaccurate.)The book is written exclusively in romaji, making no use of kana or kanji, though kana plus kanji text is available as supplementary texts. The form of romaji used is based closely on the Nihon-shikiform of romanization (which is often used in Japan), but which differs from Hepburn romanization, which is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. The romanization system attempts to follow the Japanese syllable structure to simplify grammatical relationships, rather than attempting to represent the sound. For example, ち is represented by "ti", as it falls into the たちつてと "t-" series, which is uniformly represented in JSL as ta/ti/tu/te/to, though ち is pronounced closer to English "chi" (as in "cheese"), rather than "ti" (as in "tee" or "tea"); in Hepburn these are represented as ta/chi/tsu/te/to, which are phonetically more suggestive (following standard English orthography), but obscure the Japanese syllable structure. In JSL, the text is intended only as a reference, not a guide to pronunciation, with the audio instead being the pronunciation guide.Another uncommon feature of the text is that it emphasizes Japanese pitch accent in the words, according to standard Japanese. Pitch varies across dialects, and is not taught in many textbooks, but is indicated in JSL and emphasized in instruction.”😲😦😶In using the:Japanese: The Spoken Language - Wikipediatextbook:I had to translate almost every paragraph for my students and ultimately began writing my own brief explanations with as much related information as possible to explain sentence structure, word types, verbs and verb conjugations, describing words such as adjectives, adverbs, and phrases with a connection to how we use those things in speaking the English language.This is where Japanese 747 started with being in a 1 or 1.5 inch binder, capable of being carried by a business professionals in their briefcase on a flight to Japan. I used it with Delco Electronics, Matsumoto Electric, SIA, Ivy Tech and IU Kokomo business classes from the mid 1990’s and continue to update, with my latest changes being made in October 2020.I’ve tried to keep the information specific, with a little humor here and there, and trying to come closer to a text and a workbook with simple, direct and yet comprehensive information in the similarities and the differences in the Japanese language compared to English, which also allows for some potential use by anyone speaking French, German, Italian or Spanish, who would have a basic grasp of English. The attempt is to quicken a students’ understand of the process.Everyone learns their own native language without any of that other than through exposure, which is called the “Mother Tongue Method” much like that of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki of Matsumoto, Japan who had a parent, usually a mother, who learned to play an instrument along with their child. Dr. Suzuki used that name to describe the method of learning how to play violins and stringed instruments or piano/keyboards by example. While living in Matsumoto I took part of my Monday preparation days to write letters in the auditorium of his Saino Kyoiku building (Talent Education) and was interested in his book which outlined his process of having a parent emulate the process of playing an instrument to make it more natural to children as young as age 1 or 2.As the language (of technique, fingerings, music scales and keys are mastered, the full body of music, in the same manner as for language, becomes more accessible and second nature.In language learning this has been called immersion but to my mind, immersion falls short of a system of learning unless it also includes & encompasses what a language speaker already knows, by having something which gives as precise a comparison between the two languages - one known and one new - explaining similarities and differences as completely as possible.The sounds of music, as in a language, has variances of notation and instrument design. These all can and do produce pleasure or displeasure, emotional contexts of varying sorts, bringing back related memories, relationships to situations, and generally what we desire which is “comfort”.The sounds of language varies by notation, the instrumental or vocals sounds used - which are vowels/consonants, and word order/grammar/syntax.If an instructional language text or workbook does not provide the similar and different comparisons in explanation of relationships between a known language and one being undertaken, no matter what language is being studied…then:“there will be less ability to gain fluency in any other languages. The texts and workbooks have failed to be effective”Unless the mother tongue/parental aspect of simplifying is used…. much as I had a mother who was bound and determined to make reading enjoyable to her child in 2nd grade, others simply do not tend to have enough simplicity. My mother’s plan did prove a 2nd grade teacher wrong. Catching a child, or adult for that matter, up to speed is possible by simply trying to keep things simple.MJP