2022 Best Global Universities by City

[CaliNative]

William Sidis was estimated to have an I.Q. in excess of 300. He spoke many languages before 5, and invented his own language, proposed something like black holes before 1920, was a mathematical genius. He went to Harvard around 1912 when still in short pants. Norbert Weiner, who later invented cybernetics & another child prodigy at Harvard at the same time, said Sidis was brilliant but socially awkward, as was Weiner himself. Sidis taught several math courses at Rice in Houston for a short period, writing and mimeographing his own textbooks for the classes. He was often teased about girls by some of the students, most of whom were older than Sidis. He left or was not reappointed. Sidis went back to Harvard and earned a law degree, but never practiced.

Sidis spent his adult life working in menial jobs running mechanical calculating machines (called comptometers at the time) at insurance and investment companies. He was so fast on the calculator (or did the calculations in his head) that he usually finished his daily assignments in a couple of hours, and spent the rest of his time reading a stack of newspapers in a restroom stall. He rarely lasted long in a job, since the other employees complained about his short hours, even though he did the job well, just fast. When he was offered promotions, he always turned them down, saying he preferred being an adding machine operator.

In his private time, Sidis wrote many books and articles (using the pseudonym "Frank Folopa") on such arcane subjects as collecting bus and trolley transfers, Native American tribes and languages, and cosmology. He died in 1943 at the age of 45 from a stroke. From most accounts, he led a happy life in his private investigations of arcane subjects, and gave talks to interested people and friends. His only annoyances were being hounded by the press for supposedly squandering his early genius and potential, and for his odd lifestyle. When these articles appeared from time to time, this was another reason he left his jobs. He won several lawsuits for libel for these newspaper articles.

Source: "The Prodigy" by Amy Wallace, 1988.

I can think of only one genius who may have been smarter. This was the famous "Infant Prodigy of Lubbeck" in Germany in the 1700s, who read and quoted Biblical verses by the age of 1, and spoke several languages at 2. Alas, he died in an epidemic before he was 3. A pity we will never know what he might have accomplished.

Correction: the title header in bold type should read Sidis, not "Sedis". Can't edit the header line

[sopas ej]

Silly question for anyone to answer: Who took the ACT?

I took both the SAT and ACT. What was I thinking??

This was decades ago of course... 1987/1988.

[dave8721]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Silly question for anyone to answer: Who took the ACT?

I took both the SAT and ACT. What was I thinking??

This was decades ago of course... 1987/1988.

I took both but that was ~1996.

[ocman]

Edit: Too long. Deleting.

[ocman]

Cities with the highest concentration of top 200 universities -2018
https://www.timeshighereducation.com...versity-cities

Cities with the highest concentration of top 200 universities
Rank Cities
Universities
Number of universities
1 Boston-Cambridge Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts 6
1 London Imperial College London, King’s College London, London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Holloway, University of London, UCL 6
2 Paris École Polytechnique, Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, Paris-Sorbonne University – Paris 4, Paris-Sud University, Pierre and Marie Curie University 5
2 Hong Kong Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Hong Kong 5
3 Berlin Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, Technical University of Berlin 4
3 Los Angeles California Institute of Technology, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California 4
4 Stockholm Karolinska Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University 3
4 New York Columbia University, New York University, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 3
5 Shanghai Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2
5 Beijing Peking University,Tsinghua University 2
5 San Francisco Bay Area Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley 2
5 Seoul Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) 2
5 Chicago Northwestern University, University of Chicago 2
5 Singapore Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore 2
5 Montreal McGill University, University of Montreal 2
5 Sydney University of New South Wales. University of Sydney 2
5 Barcelona Autonomous University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University 2
5 Atlanta Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University 2
5 Melbourne Monash University, University of Melbourne 2

[SIGSEGV]

Surely they mean UMass Amherst and not UMass Boston? Boston has a better claim to Brown than to UMass Amherst...

[ocman]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

Surely they mean UMass Amherst and not UMass Boston? Boston has a better claim to Brown than to UMass Amherst...

Amherst didn’t make their global ranking in 2018. https://www.timeshighereducation.com...asc/cols/stats


Here is their World University Rankings for 2022. Deleted it from my last post because I don’t have the time to edit the format or categorize by cities, but if anyone has the time...

https://www.timeshighereducation.com...asc/cols/stats

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Silly question for anyone to answer: Who took the ACT?

I took both the SAT and ACT. What was I thinking??

This was decades ago of course... 1987/1988.

I took both in the early 00s.

[Buckeye Native 001]

I took both in 2001 or 2002, and am glad I did. I think my ACT composite was between 18 and 20 and my SAT was 980. Both scores are terrible, but somehow the ACT score was enough to get into a third tier liberal arts school in Southern California.

I think the SAT added a writing section several years after I took it?

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Silly question for anyone to answer: Who took the ACT?

I took both the SAT and ACT. What was I thinking??

This was decades ago of course... 1987/1988.

Took only the SAT . . . in 1962 (I think it was). Back then none of the schools I was seriously interested in used the ACT.

[pj3000]

If UMass in Amherst is being considered for Boston… well, then Princeton and Yale could be included for NYC.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by ocman

Cities with the highest concentration of top 200 universities -2018
https://www.timeshighereducation.com...versity-cities

Cities with the highest concentration of top 200 universities
Rank Cities
Universities
Number of universities
1 Boston-Cambridge Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts 6
1 London Imperial College London, King’s College London, London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary University of London, Royal Holloway, University of London, UCL 6
2 Paris École Polytechnique, Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, Paris-Sorbonne University – Paris 4, Paris-Sud University, Pierre and Marie Curie University 5
2 Hong Kong Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Hong Kong 5
3 Berlin Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, Technical University of Berlin 4
3 Los Angeles California Institute of Technology, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California 4
4 Stockholm Karolinska Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University 3
4 New York Columbia University, New York University, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey 3
5 Shanghai Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2
5 Beijing Peking University,Tsinghua University 2
5 San Francisco Bay Area Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley 2
5 Seoul Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) 2
5 Chicago Northwestern University, University of Chicago 2
5 Singapore Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore 2
5 Montreal McGill University, University of Montreal 2
5 Sydney University of New South Wales. University of Sydney 2
5 Barcelona Autonomous University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University 2
5 Atlanta Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University 2
5 Melbourne Monash University, University of Melbourne 2

Another stupid list. Rutgers is in NYC? Got it.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Another stupid list. Rutgers is in NYC? Got it.

Well, yeah it is... it's part of the metro area... maybe less than 10 miles from New York proper.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

I took both in 2001 or 2002, and am glad I did. I think my ACT composite was between 18 and 20 and my SAT was 980. Both scores are terrible, but somehow the ACT score was enough to get into a third tier liberal arts school in Southern California.

I think the SAT added a writing section several years after I took it?

I initially only took the SAT, but then for shits and giggles, I applied to NYU, not knowing anything about it, and decided to take the ACT because I thought it would give me an edge somehow, and sent both my SAT and ACT scores there, and got accepted... not sure if the ACT helped, but in my mind, it did. I didn't even wanna go there, I really don't know what I was thinking. My goal was to get into UCLA (which I got rejected from). Even my friends were all "Why do you wanna go to NYU? You're too LA, you're soooo not New York." And I was like, "I know, huh."

I never sent my SIR (or whatever NYU calls it), and I actually got a call from them a month later or so, saying "You never told us if you're going to register in the fall." And I said "Oh, well, I'm no longer interested in attending NYU" and the guy said "Really? Well, are you still going to continue your education?" And I said "Yeah, I'll be going to UC Santa Barbara in the fall" (which I did, and then transferred out because I hated it there and ended up graduating from Cal State Long Beach) and he said "Oh, OK, well, as long as you are going to college." I was very surprised they followed up; when I told a friend, he said "Well, they *are* a private school, they probably just wanted your money."

[JManc]

Registered for the SAT but they never actually sat me for the test so never took it. Turned out I never needed it any way.

[SIGSEGV]

Just SAT + SAT-II's here (2005). Apparently the SAT-II's are defunct now...

My wife apparently took the ACT though (apparently it's more common in the midwest?).

[ocman]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Another stupid list. Rutgers is in NYC? Got it.

Rutgers is only 10 miles from NYC. If anything their list takes a logical approach by putting limitations on the distance the university is from a city.

[pj3000]

When I was in high school, the ACT was seen as the “SAT lite”… common in southern states, from what I remember.

No one ever took the ACT up north unless they just wanted to show off to an admissions committee with a high score to bolster their application.

[nito]

Originally Posted by Crawford

What's the point here? Princeton isn't on the NEC line bc the Princeton Junction station isn't directly on the Princeton campus?

So Yale isn't on the NEC line bc neither New Haven Union nor New Haven State Street stations are directly on the Yale campus?

I've been to Cambridge University for a conference, and the train station was nowhere near campus or the city center. It was on the town fringes. Therefore I declare that Cambridge, England has no train service...

I never brought up either Cambridge or Oxford as being 'London' universities, but if the argument is that Princeton and Yale are ‘New York’ universities, then the case for Cambridge and Oxford being ‘London’ universities is far more legitimate because of the far higher level of integration and connectivity.

Despite Cambridge and Oxford both being further from London than Princeton (Junction) is from New York, they each have shorter journey times and 3x higher frequency of service. Princeton Junction is set amongst sprawling car parks, rural space, and low-density sprawl, whilst Cambridge and Oxford stations are located on the periphery of their respective historic city centres. Colleges/departments from either city station are anywhere from a couple of seconds (e.g. Saïd Business School) to a 25 minute walk. Cycling infrastructure is ubiquitous and the bus network extensive and frequent, in Cambridge there is a bus every 100 seconds from the station to the city centre for example.

Yale is a different proposition from Princeton. New Haven State Street is a 10 min walk, but service is incredibly intermittent with Metro North Railroad operating just six southbound and five northbound services each weekday (and none at the weekend). New Haven Union is a 22min walk and has a more extensive MNR service (1-3tph through the day) but the journey time to Grand Central is 2hrs; c. 2x that from Princeton Junction. Amtrak operates a quicker – but irregular – service, but for context the fastest journey time (on Acela) to New York is equivalent to the round-trip from London to Oxford.

The accessibility and connectivity of certain places is massively overstated.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

New York does have direct terminal service. You literally responded to me describing the direct terminal service.

Neither JFK, Newark or La Guardia have direct heavy rail access to the terminal; you have to get the AirTrain. New York is an international outlier in providing a one-seat ride from the city centre.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by pj3000

When I was in high school, the ACT was seen as the “SAT lite”… common in southern states, from what I remember.

No one ever took the ACT up north unless they just wanted to show off to an admissions committee with a high score to bolster their application.

From my memory of high school in the mid-90s in the Midwest, the SAT was seen as the "private university test", and the ACT was seen as the "public university test".

As I didn't really have a solid game plan of what I was doing after high school, my guidance counselor said "just take both to cover all of your bases", so I did.

I'd say that most of the kids in my graduating class at my college prep Jesuit high school in suburban chicago took both, so I'm not sure that I'd agree that it was necessarily a north/south thing.