Explore New Zealand's Premier Ivy League Institution at The University of Auckland

Having opened its doors to students in the hallowed year of 1883, the University of Auckland has evolved in size and scope to become one of the world's most prolific educational institutions. As the largest campus in the country, the university also enjoys the rare honour of being the highest ranked institution in New Zealand as judged by the widely accepted QS World University Rankings system. Housed in what was once an abandoned courthouse and prison this iconic university which began with just a few lecturers and 95 students has now become the country's premier Ivy league college with students all across the globe clamouring to earn their degrees from the historic venue that produced an illustrious list of alumni that have gone on to become one of the world's most celebrated public figures. Having groomed four, famous Prime Ministers in the form of Helen Clark, David Lange, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi and Mike Rann, the institute is also the alma mater of Oscar wining screen writer Philippa Boyens, Olympic rower Mahé Drysdale and Hollywood actress Lucy Lawless.

Having begun its journey as a University of New Zealand constituent the University of Auckland now encompasses an impressive seven campuses, all located within the administrative district of Auckland. Sprawled across 160,000 square meters the City Campus is located in the city's central business district and houses a majority of the faculties and student residences. Just 12km from the City Campus lies the 320,000 square meter enclave dubbed the Tamaki Campus which was established in 1991. The Medical and Health Services Campus set up in 1968 is also within close range of the City Campus and is one of the country's premier institutions in medicine.

The University provides a range of accommodation options for students. Several hundred of students live in Residential Halls, which provide food, accommodation, social and welfare services. The University Hall, Huia Residence, International House, Grafton Hall, O'Rorke Hall, Number 14, Whitaker Place, Park Road Student Flats, Parnell Student Village and The Royal, all provide high quality residential facilities to students.

Categorized into eight faculties the university encompasses a Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science, Business School, Faculty of Education, Medical and Health Sciences Faculty and Engineering School and includes The National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries. Equally renowned for its architectural attributes the University of Auckland is also home to the city's clock tower building.

Visitors on the lookout for elegant Auckland hotels will be more than pleased with The Langham Auckland. Ideally located within close range of the city's commercial district this exceptional rest is the ideal option for the travellers in search of a luxury hotel suite Auckland has to offer.

Consider a Study in Japan For Great Technical Education in Top Universities

There are a number of Asian countries that are now on the forefront of outstanding international education. Japan, which is second after the United States of America in terms of technology, is the best place for pursuing a wide range of courses in engineering, medicine, international trade and business and literature. Technologically advanced and culturally rich, the country is rapidly making a mark with its quality of education and excellent environment for research. A study in Japan can be beneficial from a number of aspects. However, each aspirant should acquire skills to write and speak Japanese well in advance before going for an admission into a university there.

In Japan, approximately 50 percent of students pursue higher studies in different universities and junior colleges. This indicates the utmost quality of its higher education system that is well equipped with fine research works, knowledgeable faculties, state of the art computer labs and grand libraries. Pupils coming from an engineering background have tremendous job opportunities in Japan once they complete their courses. The country boasts one of the great working cultures in the world with lasting job security. There is also ample scope for those individuals who want to explore science and geography deeply.

There are many top universities in Japan offering programs in diversified fields. These include Aichi Gakuin University, Aichi Institute of Technology , University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Baiko Gakuin University. Since its inception, AGU is one of the biggest institutes in the central region of the nation. It offers 8 undergraduate courses in management, letters, law, psychological and physical science, business and commerce, policy studies, dentistry and pharmacy. There are also 7 doctoral programs provided by this prestigious educational establishment. Everybody taking part in training and research at AGU has long been endeavoring to accomplish the goal in conjunction with their pupils.

The dream of students to have a comprehensive study in Japan can be achieved through Aichi Institute of Technology as well. Founded in 1959, the institution has more than fifty thousand alumni who have received an academic degree in management, engineering, and information sciences. The University of Tokyo was founded in 1876. As one of the top universities in Japan, it restates the requirement of studying Japanese since the majority of lectures are delivered in that language. Undergraduates can enroll themselves into the university as regular or research scholars in various programs like science, agriculture, arts and sciences, economics, medicine, engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences. Doctoral programs are offered in frontier sciences, public policy, laws and politics, mathematical sciences, etc.

Formed in the year 1897, Kyoto University is one of the ancient universities in the country. It has opened its door for foreign pupils and regularly grants scholarships. The institute promotes diverseness on its campus and attracts scholars from all over the planet to join its programs.

Students from other countries can avail various scholarships in Japan. These include International Student Scholarships, Graduate Scholarship for Non Japanese Women to Study in Japan, Monbusho Fellowship, Rotary World Peace Fellowship, University of Tokyo Scholarships, Institute of Current World Affairs  Target Of Opportunity Fellowships and many more.

The University of Georgia

Founded in 1785, the University of Georgia is a public co-educational institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school opened in the year 1801 and was open until the American Civil War of 1861. As the war broke, many of the students and members of the faculty had joined the army of the Confederate States of America.

The University then reopened in 1866. The University then received the proceeds of the sale of lands that was received by the state under the Land Grant Act (1862) in 1872.

The University of Georgia is a part of Georgia's University System. The University confers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional degrees via the Franklin College of Artes and Sciences the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication the Terry College of Business, the D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources and also through the colleges of agriculture & environmental sciences, veterinary medicine, education, and the schools of law, social work, pharmacy, and environmental design, family and consumer services. There is also a joint engineering degree is being on offer in cooperation with Georgia Institute of Technology.

The University of Georgia is organized into 16 colleges and schools. The U.S. News & World Report 2011 edition ranked the undergraduate program of the university as 56th among the national universities. The graduate programs for public affairs, law, education, business and journalism as high as 4th and 59th.

The student athletes of the UGA compete in the inter collegiate athletics as the Bulldogs. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference has managed to win 37 national championships and 130 in the conference championships.

Aside from the academics, athletics and research, it is also known for the campus. The campus has architectural themes. The older buildings reflect the Federal theme, the rest are in the Classical and Antebellum. The entire campus is spread across 615 acres.

The University of Georgia had its first Greek letter fraternity to have been chartered at the campus in 1865 as Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The first sorority was Phi Mu and it was started in 1921. There are about 17 or so sororities and 26 fraternities. Perhaps the most prominent features of the Greek Life at the university are the Greek Revival mansions that are maintained by the national sororities and fraternities as their chapter houses.

The University of Georgia features a Suburban setting with a Small city  and a Commuter campus. The University of Goergia also has many unique facilities such as an art museum, botanical gardens, a theater, and even a golf course.

UGA is a land-grant and sea-grant university that has state wide commitments and responsibilities. It is also the state's flagship institution for higher education and is also the state's oldest and most diversified institution. UGA's motto is, "to teach, to serve and to inquire into the nature of things," and it reflects the university's integral and unique role when it comes to the conservation and the enhancement of Georgia's and the nation's intellectual and also the cultural, as well as, environmental heritage.

University of British Columbia

In Canada each Province and Territory has its own jurisdiction over education. Public education is free to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents aged less than 20 years. Parents are responsible for providing all the school supplies , but school uniforms are not worn. Where band and sports uniforms are needed they will be the parent's responsibility. In B.C. students are legally required to attend school between the ages of 6 and 16 years.

Elementary & Secondary schooling is the responsibility of British Columbia's Ministry of Education, whilst the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology are responsible for post secondary education.

The Ministry is committed to providing a high quality education for Kindergarten to Grade 12 children so they can develop their individual potential and acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute fully to society.

Definitely check your child's immunization record as it may differ in Canada from the country you are leaving. Most schools encourage full participation of their students in the Provincial Immunization Programs.

The school year generally runs from the beginning of September through to the end of June. Most schools close for the months of June and July along with winter and spring breaks normally around Christmas and Easter.

Schooling is broken down into three areas, the primary years which cover Kindergarten to grade 3, the intermediate years  grades 4 to 10 and the graduation year's grades 11 and 12.

In B.C. to enter Kindergarten children must have turned five by December 31st. In the Primary Years (5-9), students learn foundation skills in oral language, reading, writing and mathematics.

The Intermediate Years, from age 10 to 16 years, students learn from a wide variety of subjects. In grade 5 students must begin to study a second language. The students will also begin to take specialized courses toward their personal and career goals.

The graduation years, 17 and 18 years old, courses are focused on preparing students for Post Secondary education and entering the work force. Students can also earn credits towards their high school Graduation. With the Post secondary education expensive in most cases, it is imperative that you research Registered Education savings Plans as a way to save for your kid's education. The other main way to finance the education is to take out Student Loans.

Students Moving to B.C.

Students who are coming to British Columbia from a different school system should submit an official statement of previous standing, such as a report card, to the school they want to enroll in. You should also have the previous school records and transcripts, copies of all the course outlines and content.

After considering a number of factors including the students age, records and test results they will be placed in the appropriate grade.

Registration

One of the most important things is to ensure your children are registered in time. Most facilities have limited registration "windows" that are normally several months before the school year starts. For instance in the Calgary area we have registered in February for the coming September. Contact the particular establishment for the precise details.

The public Post Secondary Education system in British Columbia consists of five universities, the Open Learning Agency, five institutes, eleven colleges and five university colleges.

The eleven colleges in British Columbia offer a wide variety of programs designed to meet the needs of the local communities. All offer courses in the four main fields of academic, career technical, vocational and adult basic education - including English as a Second Language. In addition, these colleges offer a variety of community programs.

Also offering courses in career technical, vocational, adult based education and selected courses leading to a bachelor's degree are the five university colleges, these work in collaboration with the public universities.

The five Universities are, Royal Roads University, The University of Victoria , Simon Fraser University is in Burnaby, The University of British Columbia is in Vancouver and The University of Northern British Columbia is situated in Prince George. These five universities of British Columbia provide the majority of degree level education.

There are five institutes that provide specialized programs in technologies and trades, art and design, law enforcement, marine training, and indigenous studies. Four of these institutes are located in and around the vicinity of Vancouver, the fifth one is in Merritt which is close to Kamloops.

There are also Private Post Secondary institutes that offer a wide range of courses in British Columbia. The tuition fees will be considerably higher for these establishments.

Whilst on the subject of tuition fees, post secondary studies in Canada are NOT free. To help parents with the cost of tuition, the Canadian Government introduced Registered Education Savings Plan's (RESP).

The British Columbia Student Assistance Program is a joint Program between the Federal and Provincial Government. This is available as a loan for eligible students to assist with the costs of post secondary studies at colleges, universities, institutes and private training institutions. These loans will have to be repaid after the course has finished!

University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is located in the west of the Netherlands and is the country's largest city. Also it is of great importance because the city is the capital of the country. If we go a little deeper into the name of the city then there is a concept behind the word "Amsterdam". Basically, the concept is that there is a dam inside the city whose name is "Amstel" and also there is a dam on the river so combining these two words the name of the city popped out as "Amsterdam". During the 12th Century Amsterdam became one of the leading and important ports for trading purposes. During that time the city was well known for the trade of diamonds.

Geographically Amsterdam is located on the west side of Holland. The position is 2 meters above sea level.

Amsterdam, due to the ocean, has a cool climate. Winters are very cold having temperatures most of the time under 0 degrees, and at night it even falls below -5 degrees easily. The summers are hot but most of the time just warm. The summer temperatures commonly range from 20 to 30 degrees. Rainfalls are a common thing in Amsterdam as the city enjoys rainfalls for 175 days on average throughout the year.

Architecture wise Amsterdam is a very rich city which has a lot of history. In the present day Amsterdam is the only city in the world which has two buildings made of total wood which were built in the 13th and 14th Centuries. In the starting era of construction people use to build their houses and all the other buildings from total wood but later, in the 16th Century, all the buildings made from wood were demolished and were rebuilt with stones and bricks. Most of the buildings in Amsterdam are of gothic style architecture.

The economy of the Netherlands is strong, the main reason behind that is the economy of Amsterdam really contributes in the economy of Netherlands. The stock Exchange of Amsterdam is the oldest of the world. It is considered as a financial platform or hub for the total economy of Holland.

For tourists Amsterdam is one of the most popular and destination. The city alone receives around 3 million tourists every year according to the latest 2009 statistics. The report also suggests that this figure is increasing day by day. Tourists are attracted towards Amsterdam because of its architecture and arts and natural beauty.

In the field of sports Holland has its own football league named as "Eredivise" and Amsterdam has a team playing in that league which is called as "Ajax Amsterdam". Their home ground is located in Amsterdam and is name as "The Amsterdam Arena".

In the educational sector Amsterdam has two universities and a number of schools and colleges which are producing quality students. Among all these institutions "University of Amsterdam" is highly regarded as the best educational institution in all of the Netherlands. Among schools and colleges, "The International Institute of Social History Amsterdam" is one of the biggest research institutions.

Yale University School of Medicine

Yale School of Medicine is a private medical college situated in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Although the Yale school of medicine was founded in 1810, it started functioning in 1813. Yale encompasses of wide array of centers and programs, libraries, museums and administrative support offices. Yale University mainly conducts three major courses for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and for the professional schools.

Academic Programs at the Yale University 

Yale University runs more than 2000 academic programs for undergraduate students. Thus, the undergraduate program is known as the heart of the university. To start your studies at Yale University, you need to make a direct application to the college or the school regarding the program in which you want to get enrolled. Yale offers College of arts and science for graduation courses. Regarding professional school courses, the University offers divine courses like school of architecture, art, management, medicine, music, nursing, public health and many more. Other extra programs running inside the campus of the college are non degree programs, summer sessions and world fellowship programs.

Health and Medicine at Yale 

Yale is the home to a world class medical centre which holds more than a dozen institutions, including the School of Medicine which is school for learning and for educating leaders, caring for patients and for investigating things related to health or diseases. The School of Medicine is in existence for more than 200 years now. The health and medicine centre also organizes school of nursing which trains the students with extraordinary skills in nursing practice, research and in education. There are more than 27 departments in health and medicine centre. This centre also has one of the nation's oldest schools related to Public Health and a Child Study centre that was founded in 1911. This Child Study centre has achieved recognition from all over the world.

Benefits Provided By Yale for the Students and Staff

Yale University is beneficial in numerous ways, whether it is for students or for the staff. The university is not only enriched in imparting education but also by rendering services in different field. Yale is comprehensive in providing health commitments to their staffs and students. Along with the health care, it provides financial aid to the students by different methods like pension plans for the employees, day care, tuition assistance, insurance policies. Along with all the monetary facilities, the University offers fun inducing environment that encourages enjoyment through means like museums, art performance, libraries, sports events and the likes. Thus, there are never ending benefits enjoyed by all the students and staffs associated with the University.

Boredom Can Shorten Your Life According to Research by University College London

Boredom can shorten you life, according to research carried out by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London.

The specialists from the department looked at data from 7,524 civil servants between the ages of 35 and 55 during the period between 1985 and 1988. Those civil servants who said that they were bored were nearly 40% more likely to have died by the end of the study than those who said they were not.

It was also found that there was sufficient evidence to link heart disease to boredom.

But why do some people claim that they are bored to death?

    This may be due to the work they are doing being not challenging enough. They need to find something more challenging and stimulating to do at work or else they'll really be bored to death.
    Sometimes boredom could be the result of depression. If you're depressed, you usually lose interest in what you are doing. Depression interferes with your work, social and family life.
    People have too much time on their hands. These people include retirees and wealthy people with not very much to do to keep themselves occupied.
    People with high intelligence are grouped with people with average intelligence. Take the case of a very intelligent child being in the same class as children of average intelligence. The intelligent child picks up information very quickly and is ready to move on to a new topic. They are unable to move on because the rest of the class is still learning the topic. As a result the intelligent child very quickly gets bored with lessons.
    There is a lack of change in the environment. If you've been in the same environment for too long you'll soon get bored with your surrounding.

Some people who are bored to death turn to drinking and smoking to combat their boredom. They get addicted to drinking, smoking and other drugs which are detrimental to their health.

Some of the ways to cure boredom are,

    If you find the work routine too repetitive and boring, speak to your manager and ask if the work of the department can be rotated. For example, if you work in the accounts department, one person may be dealing with the accounts receivable, another person may be dealing with accounts payable, yet another may be dealing with asset ledgers. If you're dealing with only one area of the departmental work, then it will get rather boring after a while. You may feel that you can do the tasks blindfolded. It is not challenging enough to keep you stimulated. A job rotation every 3 to 4 months will help to stimulate you and your colleagues because you look forward to doing something different when you rotate to another task within the department. The departmental workload is still done and it's good for the department as you'll be able to cover for each other during holiday period or when you or your colleague is on sick leave.
    Once you recognize the signs of depression and if you are bored as a result of it, you should ask for help and support. Speak to your family and friends and let them know what you're going through. Tell them you need their support and understanding. Don't shut them out as your depression might get worse in isolation. The signs of depression include feelings of helplessness, feeling bored with daily activities, feeling tired and physically drained, change in the sleep pattern or appetite and having problems with their concentration.
    If you have too much time on your hands, you can sign up as a volunteer worker. There are many charitable organisations looking for the services of volunteers. You'll feel great within yourself knowing that your contribution has helped to make the lives of other people better.
    If you feel bored because you're not in the right learning group, make a request to get transferred to a more advanced learning group. You may have been accidentally put to a beginner's class instead of an intermediate or advanced class. You may be happy and feel that the pace of this class is well within your comfort zone but the price you've to pay for this comfort is boredom.
    If you're bored with your environment, make changes to it. If you're bored with the colour scheme of your room, change it to a different colour scheme to please your senses. If you're bored with your surrounding, take a short break away from your surrounding. Go away for a few days and visit a relative or friend in another location.

Boredom is a state of mind and should be tackled as soon as possible. The mind needs to be challenged and stimulated before you're bored to death. A change in your lifestyle can also open up new interests to keep you from being bored.