Text B. Ivy League Universities

The Ivy League is composed of 8 highly prestigious private schools of higher learning. They were given this name due to the ivied walls of older colleges. The member institutions are Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, Penn (University of Pennsylvania), Brown, Princeton, and Columbia. The phrase “Ivy League” is synonymous with elitism, academic excellence, and selectiveness in admissions.

The Ivy League schools are historic institutions as 7 of the 8 member schools were established during the United States Colonial period. That’s why they are also called the " Ancient Eight". Enrollment in these institutes of higher learning is much smaller than a typical state university.

The Ivy League schools are highly selective. Only one out of six applicants is accepted into the freshman class. To gain admission, high school students must not only beat the very top of their class. They must show skills and participation in extracurricular activities such as athletics, band, and academic clubs. Leadership skills and experience in high school organizations is also taken into consideration. It is also very helpful to have alumni of one these universities in the family to recommend a student as a legacy admission.

The Ivy League has a long tradition of sending its graduates to some of the most executive positions in business and industry and to the highest office. Five graduates from Yale and eight graduates from Harvard have served as President of the United States.

Rivalries in sports are long-standing. The Ivy League has football teams for over 100 years and in the early part of the 20^th century, Harvard and Yale were two of the best teams in the nation. The Ivy League is also competitive on a national basis in basketball, ice hockey, and rowing.

Notes:

ivied walls – стены, покрытые плющом

elitism, academic excellence, and selectiveness in admissions – элитарность, отличная успеваемость и высокий конкурсный отбор

Colonial period - Колониальный период (от начала европейской колонизации Америки до декларации независимости в 1776 году)

executive [ɪ ɡ ˈ zɛ kjʊ tɪ v, ɛ ɡ -] position – руководящая должность

high office – высшая должность (президентская)

rivalry [ˈ raɪ v(ə)lrɪ ] – соперничество, конкуренция

rowing [ˈ rə ʊ ɪ ŋ ] - гребля

Read the text about the oldest and one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the USA. Read the text and match the questions with paragraphs 1-7.

a) What is the Harvard Crimson?

b) What academic units does Harvard consist of?

c) What museums and libraries does Harvard University operate?

d) What helps Harvard to give financial aid to its students?

e) What can you say about its history, location and famous alumni?

f) What can you say about the standards of learning at Harvard?

g) What degrees does Harvard offer?

Text C. Harvard University

1. Harvard University was established in 1636. So Harvard is the United States' oldest institution of higher learning. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. The name Harvard comes from the college’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown. Upon his death in 1638, he left his library and half his estate to this institution. There are 47 Nobel Laureates, 32 heads of state, 48 Pulitzer Prize winners among its graduates. Eight US presidents graduated from Harvard College, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

2. Harvard University is made up of 11 principal academic units – ten faculties and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, including the top-ranked Business School and Medical School and the highly ranked Graduate Education School, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law School and John F. Kennedy School of Government.

3. Harvard is a large residential university. The university offers 46 undergraduate concentrations (majors), 134 graduate degrees, and 32 professional degrees.

4. Harvard is known for excellent academic progress and high motivation of its students. Students graduating in the top 4–5% of the class are awarded degrees summa cum laude, students in the next 15% of the class are awarded magna cum laude, and the next 30% of the class are awarded cum laude. University policy is to expel students engaged in academic dishonesty. In 2012, dozens of students were expelled for cheating.

5. It operates several arts, cultural, and scientific museums and the Harvard University Library which is the world's largest academic and private library system, comprising 79 individual libraries with over 18 million volumes.

6. Harvard has the largest university endowment in the world. It allows the university to give financial aid to its students because the cost of attendance is very high. Families with incomes below $60, 000 pay nothing for their children to attend.

7. The athletic teams of Harvard University are called The Harvard Crimson. The school has won national championships in men's football, golf, men's ice hockey, women's lacrosse, men's soccer, women's sailing, fencing, women's rowing, and men's individual wrestling. The main Harvard’s athletic rivalry is Yale University. The most famous sport event is the annual football meeting between the two teams, which is simply called “The Game”.

Notes:

benefactor [ˈ bɛ nɪ fæ ktə ] – благотворитель, покровитель

estate [ɪ sˈ teɪ t, ɛ s-] – поместье

Nobel Laureates [nouˈ bel ˈ lɔ ː rɪ ə t] – лауреат Нобелевской премии

Pulitzer Prize – Пулитцеровская премия (престижная премия в области литературы)

advanced study - углубленное изучение

top-ranked - общепризнанный, ведущий

Graduate Education – аспирантское (магистерское) образование

endowment – амер. дарственный фонд

expel [ɪ kˈ spɛ l, ɛ k-] – исключать (из какой-либо организации)

cheating – зд. списывание

Harvard Crimson — спортивная команда Гарвардского университета

lacrosse [lə ˈ krɒ s] – лакросс ((фр. la crosse — «клюшка») — командная игра, в которой две команды стремятся поразить ворота соперника резиновым мячом, пользуясь ногами и снарядом, представляющим собой нечто среднее между клюшкой и сачком)

fencing [ˈ fɛ n(t)sɪ ŋ ] – фехтование

Make a report or a PowerPoint presentation on one of the other seven Ivy League Universities. Follow the plan given below.

1. History and location, famous alumni.

2. Structure (colleges, schools, faculties).

3. Peculiarities of teaching and learning.

4. Students’ life.

5. Athletics. Participation in sports.