Cornell University

A half-public, half-private university perching in the beautiful finger lake region of Upstate New York, it is known for its diversity. Many New York State residents can attend several of the colleges for about half the tuition that out-of-state students pay. Cornell offers one of the most diverse courses of studies available among any university in the United States. On the flip side, it has the largest undergraduate student body among the Ivy League schools... Cornell does not offer a straight-forward undergraduate business majors; at least it is not "worded" as such. Instead, actually as a strength, it offers many
undergraduate business programs tucked away in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (Applied Economics and Management), College of Arts and Sciences (Economics), School of Hotel Administration (Finance, Accounting and Real Estate) and School of Industrial and Labor Relations... Financial aid is available for permanent residents and citizens of U.S. and Canada alike. The school also recently undertook a new financial aid initiative to eliminate need-based loans for all undergraduate students from families with income under $75,000, making it possible for many students to graduate without little-to-no debts...and much more.

The University of Oxford

The oldest university in the English-speaking world is situated in the City of Dreaming Spires. In fact, if you look carefully, it is impossible to separate the city from the various colleges situated inside of it. It is the quintessential college town in its purest form...Before applying, one almost has to understand a completely different language and culture. At Oxford, asking someone what one's major is will certainly draw a blank look.
Instead, one "reads" (or majors in) a particular subject.  "Qualification" means "degree" in American terms.  "Oxbridge" refers to Oxford and Cambridge Universities.  "PPE" stands for Philosophy, Politics and
Economics while "PPP" stands for Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology, which are the only choices for students who want to duplicate liberal arts education within the drastically different U.K. higher-education system... Most undergraduate degrees only take 3 years to complete (compared to 4 years in North America)… It is extremely important to understand the qualities of the college you are applying to within the university. The reason is that your living arrangements and tutorials (more on that later) are situated within your colleges. The system can be more easily understood if we make analogies to the independent colleges within the Claremont Colleges system or the Five College Consortium (involving Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith and UMass)...and much more.

Duke University School of Medicine

Duke is perhaps most well known for its unique curriculum where the whole basic science curriculum is taught in one single year. That frees up the students to enter the wards relatively early in the beginning of their second year. Students then take a break from all the hectic ward schedules to spend their third year doing an independent project (most do a year of research while many pursue a second degree)… It is situated within the university campus, allowing its students to take advantage of the activities on campus. Medical students will certainly be mesmerized by the phenomenon known as Duke Basketball and fiercely compete against other graduate, law and MBA students for tickets to watch the Blue Devils playing live...and much more.

UCLA School of Medicine

UCLA is located in the heart of Westwood, an upper-class district within the sprawling City of Los Angeles. However, don't let the large size of the city intimidate you.  Los Angeles is divided into various enigmatic neighborhoods of which Westwood is one of them. Many movie premiers in fact take place within 2-3 blocks of the campus (such as Spiderman, etc.).  UCLA is known for its PBL and lack of cut-throat culture in the medical school. The students have extremely supportive administrators who allow them to put learning above anything else...and much more.

McGill University Faculty of Medicine

As the place that originally trained Sir William Osler (the most famous physician-educator of all time, who transformed the nascent Johns Hopkins School of Medicine into a powerhouse), McGill continues to build on its international reputation of excellence. It is an English-speaking university within a francophone province with strong European flavor... It annually accepts more than a handful of international applicants, many of whom are American citizens. International students pay $30,800 in their first year of
study, down to $13,700 in their last year, which makes it much more affordable than almost 100% of the private medical school in the United States...and much more.

The University of Sidney Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine welcomes applications from international applicants.
International applicants compete for places only against other international applicants. The quota for international students is additional to the quota for local students.... Due to cultural differences, the atmosphere is much less cutthroat than found in most U.S. medical schools. Many graduates come back to the U.S. for residencies. Classes begin in January of every year, allowing applicants to make decision after they have already heard back from U.S. or Canadian medical schools...and much more.

Disclaimer: The consulting services provided should not be construed as legal or medical advice. No physician-patient relationship is entered at any time.