With the launch of Athlon 64 FX-62, AMD has also rolled out its new AM2 platform. This is a move from Socket 939 and Socket 754 to a new processor socket which has 940 pins. That number may sound familiar, but this isn't the same 940-pin layout that is used by the Opteron server processor, hence the name AM2 rather than a number.
AMD is changing its entire range of desktop processors over to AM2, from the highest Athlon 64 X2 to the lowest Sempron. The reason for the change is that AMD has decided that the time is right to shift from DDR system memory to DDR2, which is the same type of memory that Intel started to use with the LGA775 version of Pentium 4.
At that time, DDR2 was relatively slow and had horrendous latency (lag) but Intel was determined to pursue clock speeds that went beyond 4GHz so it needed memory that could provide adequate bandwidth. AMD is in a different position as it has raised clock speeds quite slowly from the initial 1.6GHz of the first Opteron to 2.6GHz with FX-60, and it's only now, with the 2.8GHz of FX-62, that it feels the need for DDR2. Well, that and the fact that 800MHz/PC2-6400 DDR2 is now fast enough to offset the latency problem.
You need to make sure that you choose memory that is fast enough to support your new AM2 processor, so here is a short list of recommended configurations:
AM2 Athlon 64 FX-62 with DDR2-800/PC2-6400 or DDR2-1066/PC2-8500
AM2 Athlon 64 X2 with DDR2-667/PC2-5300 or DDR2-800/PC2-6400
AM2 Athlon 64 and Sempron with DDR2-533/PC2-4200 or DDR2-667/PC2-5300
The other physical change is that the AM2 heatsink frame mounts through four holes on the motherboard, compared to the two holes used by Socket 754 and 939, but ironically the same as the Socket A Athlon circa 2001. The AM2 heatsink attaches to the frame with two clips, rather than the six clips used on the earlier version, and while this looks like a backward step we doubt that it will cause any problems.
Athlon 64 has the memory controller integrated within the processor rather than the motherboard chipset, so there was no need for any dramatic change to the new wave of motherboards apart from a change in processor socket and the memory slots. Indeed, ATi's Radeon Xpress 3200 chipset supports both the old and new Athlon 64, but Nvidia has decided to roll out a new family of chipsets for AM2 called Nforce 500.
There are currently four members of the family with the fully-featured Nforce 590 SLI at the top of the tree, Nforce 570 SLI in the mid-range, Nforce 570 below that and Nforce 550 so far down the pecking order that you'd be better off with Nforce 4, if you were given the option.
The 590 SLI has a pair of graphics slots, each with 16 PCI Express lanes, just like the Nforce4 32 chipset. In total 590 SLI supports 46 lanes of PCI Express. In addition it has LinkBoost which will automatically overclock the graphics buses when you plug in 'compatible' graphics cards, which currently means the GeForce 7900GTX.
You also get a pair of Gigabit LAN ports which can be combined with DualNet to give the equivalent of a 2Gbps connection, while FirstPacket prioritises your Internet traffic so Counter Strike doesn't suddenly fall foul of Windows Update or some other horror.
This is a good idea, but we find the biggest problem with Windows in respect of Internet traffic is that an application such as e-mail or your firewall will grab the Windows focus and present a pop-up that has to be dealt with. If you're gaming in full-screen mode, the pop-up can either kill your game or it can remain invisible behind the game yet still demand attention.
On the subject of firewalls, Nvidia has dropped the hopeless ActiveArmor firewall that it introduced with Nforce4. And every member of Nforce 500 supports Intel's Azalia HD audio.
Nforce 570 SLI supports 28 lanes of PCI Express with x16 for a single graphics card or dual x8 for each graphics card in SLI, just like Nforce4 SLI. It doesn't support LinkBoost but it does have FirstPacket and DualNet. The Nforce 550 doesn't support any of the new technologies, which effectively makes it an Nforce4 with support for AM2 processors.
So, what is the upshot of the move from Socket 939 to AM2? Well, naff all really.
The previous king of the performance charts was the Athlon 64 FX-60, which uses Socket 939 and runs at 2.6GHz on dual channel DDR memory. The new FX-62 runs at 2.8GHz and has exactly the pro rata performance increase that you would expect from the extra 200MHz, which means that the new Socket, new chipset and the change to DDR2 memory have precisely zero effect.
That's not to say that Nforce 570 SLI is a failure, as it has enormous potential in a high-end gaming PC with a pair of GeForce 7900GTX graphics cards, provided you have the necessary £3,000.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Intel - Core 2 Duo E6700 review
In June 2003 Intel released the 3.2GHz Northwood Pentium 4 and after that it entered a black period with the Prescott core which failed miserably to produce decent clock speeds despite a move to a 90nm fabrication process.
To add to Intel's woes, Prescott consumed huge amounts of power and therefore shed enormous amounts of heat. In short, Prescott wasn't a good processor so Intel took the bold step of scrapping the NetBurst architecture, including Prescott's 65nm Tejas successor, and instead returned to the drawing board.
This gave AMD two years of grace, in which time its Athlon 64 and Opteron processors have ruled the roost. But now Intel is back and it means business. The new desktop processor that launches this month is Core 2 Duo. This is the second version of Intel's notebook Core processor, while the 'Duo' means it is dual core, so in time we shall doubtless see Core 3 Trio and then Core 4 Quadro, or perhaps that should be Core 4 Quattro.
Core 2 Duo takes Intel's desktop processors in a new direction by putting the emphasis on efficiency rather than clock speed, so the new processors run on a Quad-pumped 266MHz Front Side Bus which is the equivalent of 1,066MHz.
However, the actual clock speeds are relatively low. The E6300 runs at 1.86GHz and costs £153, the E6400 is 2.13GHz and costs £182, the E6600 gives you 2.40GHz for £253 and the top-of-the-line E6700 has a clock speed of 2.67GHz and is on sale at £411.
In truth there's one more member of the family as the X6800 will be released about a month after the E series processors, but as this 2.93GHz Extreme processor will cost about £800 it's safe to say that sales will be low, even if its clock multiplier is unlocked and thus offers the prospect of some serious overclocking.
Intel Core 2 Duo has a much shorter pipeline length than the NetBurst Pentium 4 processors and it also uses the L2 cache as a shared pool, instead of dividing it into two even chunks with half reserved for each core. E6300 and E6400 have 2MB of L2 while the faster processors have 4MB of cache.
We can waffle on all day about the technical features but what counts is how the new processor performs. Recently this reviewer ran a group test of AM2 motherboards and in each case the AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 processor encoded a 350MB DivX movie file to DVD format in about 13 minutes. This test almost ignores the motherboard, chipset, memory and hard drive and puts the emphasis on the processor. The fastest AM2 board managed it in 13 minutes dead while the slowest came in at 13 minutes 22 seconds. In the bad old days before dual core processors, an Athlon 64 3800+ would take about half an hour.
By contrast the Core 2 Duo E6700 took 9 minutes 52 seconds and it is worth noting that the E6700 runs at 2.67GHz while the FX-62 has a clock speed of 2.8GHz, so the Core 2 Duo is much more powerful even at a nominally slower clock speed. And throughout the test the processor heatsink remained cool to the touch.
We also ran PCMark05 and the Core 2 Duo scored very well in every section of the benchmark, so make no mistake about it: Core2 Duo is a fabulous processor. But of course you need more than a bare chip inside your PC and this is where things get a bit confusing.
Intel supports Core 2 Duo with the current i975X chipset which it launched in December 2005 and, as Core 2 Duo uses the same LGA775 socket as the later models of Pentium 4, you might hope that this provides a direct upgrade path.
Think again.
Intel's Press kit includes a new revision of its D975XBX motherboard, however our year-old version of the same board wouldn't boot with Core 2 Duo installed even though we had upgraded the BIOS to the latest version. We understand that the new D975XBX board has significant revisions to the power regulation hardware, so if you want a Core 2 Duo you'll need a new motherboard in which case you may as well opt for the latest 965P chipset which launches alongside Core 2 Duo.
This chipset supports the fastest DDR2 memory and 1,066MHz FSB and is paired with the new ICH8 Southbridge which supports six SATA ports and HD audio. Unfortunately it doesn't support IDE, so most motherboards will have an add-in controller to allow you to connect your optical drive.
The ominous thing is that you can't connect a pair of Nvidia graphics cards in SLI on an Intel chipset motherboard as the graphics drivers require a suitable Nvidia chipset, so for the moment you are limited to a single graphics card or a pair of ATi cards in CrossFire. Gamers will, therefore, probably want to avoid the Intel chipsets.
Happily, Nvidia is a launch partner with the new Intel processor and it will unveil versions of the Nforce 500 chipsets that we saw with the AMD AM2 platform, and very good they are too. We'll reserve judgement until we've seen the new silicon but the Intel versions of Nforce4 ran incredibly hot which was probably related to the additional memory controller that Nvidia had to integrate in the Northbridge. AMD, of course, includes the memory controller in the CPU core while an Intel processor leaves the job to the chipset.
Nforce 500 is superb on the AMD platform and provided Nvidia's done the job correctly we expect that gamers will migrate to the Nforce 590 SLI in their droves. Still, gamers are only part of the market, so what about the rest of us?
We tested our E6700 on an Asus P5B Deluxe with P965 and ICH8R chipset, 2GB of Corsair XMS 8500 memory and a WD Raptor 150GB hard drive. The motherboard employs passive cooling throughout and during our performance testing we ran a noisy Sapphire X1900 XTX graphics card to generate some impressive results.
Once we were done we swapped the Sapphire for a passively cooled Asus EN7600GS graphics card and plugged in a fan controller on the CPU heatsink. We turned the controller down to barely audible levels and measured the heatsink temperature at 35 degrees while the graphics card touched 51 degrees during testing. Performance was adequate for all but the most demanding gaming and the noise level of the PC was very close to silent.
To add to Intel's woes, Prescott consumed huge amounts of power and therefore shed enormous amounts of heat. In short, Prescott wasn't a good processor so Intel took the bold step of scrapping the NetBurst architecture, including Prescott's 65nm Tejas successor, and instead returned to the drawing board.
This gave AMD two years of grace, in which time its Athlon 64 and Opteron processors have ruled the roost. But now Intel is back and it means business. The new desktop processor that launches this month is Core 2 Duo. This is the second version of Intel's notebook Core processor, while the 'Duo' means it is dual core, so in time we shall doubtless see Core 3 Trio and then Core 4 Quadro, or perhaps that should be Core 4 Quattro.
Core 2 Duo takes Intel's desktop processors in a new direction by putting the emphasis on efficiency rather than clock speed, so the new processors run on a Quad-pumped 266MHz Front Side Bus which is the equivalent of 1,066MHz.
However, the actual clock speeds are relatively low. The E6300 runs at 1.86GHz and costs £153, the E6400 is 2.13GHz and costs £182, the E6600 gives you 2.40GHz for £253 and the top-of-the-line E6700 has a clock speed of 2.67GHz and is on sale at £411.
In truth there's one more member of the family as the X6800 will be released about a month after the E series processors, but as this 2.93GHz Extreme processor will cost about £800 it's safe to say that sales will be low, even if its clock multiplier is unlocked and thus offers the prospect of some serious overclocking.
Intel Core 2 Duo has a much shorter pipeline length than the NetBurst Pentium 4 processors and it also uses the L2 cache as a shared pool, instead of dividing it into two even chunks with half reserved for each core. E6300 and E6400 have 2MB of L2 while the faster processors have 4MB of cache.
We can waffle on all day about the technical features but what counts is how the new processor performs. Recently this reviewer ran a group test of AM2 motherboards and in each case the AMD Athlon 64 FX-62 processor encoded a 350MB DivX movie file to DVD format in about 13 minutes. This test almost ignores the motherboard, chipset, memory and hard drive and puts the emphasis on the processor. The fastest AM2 board managed it in 13 minutes dead while the slowest came in at 13 minutes 22 seconds. In the bad old days before dual core processors, an Athlon 64 3800+ would take about half an hour.
By contrast the Core 2 Duo E6700 took 9 minutes 52 seconds and it is worth noting that the E6700 runs at 2.67GHz while the FX-62 has a clock speed of 2.8GHz, so the Core 2 Duo is much more powerful even at a nominally slower clock speed. And throughout the test the processor heatsink remained cool to the touch.
We also ran PCMark05 and the Core 2 Duo scored very well in every section of the benchmark, so make no mistake about it: Core2 Duo is a fabulous processor. But of course you need more than a bare chip inside your PC and this is where things get a bit confusing.
Intel supports Core 2 Duo with the current i975X chipset which it launched in December 2005 and, as Core 2 Duo uses the same LGA775 socket as the later models of Pentium 4, you might hope that this provides a direct upgrade path.
Think again.
Intel's Press kit includes a new revision of its D975XBX motherboard, however our year-old version of the same board wouldn't boot with Core 2 Duo installed even though we had upgraded the BIOS to the latest version. We understand that the new D975XBX board has significant revisions to the power regulation hardware, so if you want a Core 2 Duo you'll need a new motherboard in which case you may as well opt for the latest 965P chipset which launches alongside Core 2 Duo.
This chipset supports the fastest DDR2 memory and 1,066MHz FSB and is paired with the new ICH8 Southbridge which supports six SATA ports and HD audio. Unfortunately it doesn't support IDE, so most motherboards will have an add-in controller to allow you to connect your optical drive.
The ominous thing is that you can't connect a pair of Nvidia graphics cards in SLI on an Intel chipset motherboard as the graphics drivers require a suitable Nvidia chipset, so for the moment you are limited to a single graphics card or a pair of ATi cards in CrossFire. Gamers will, therefore, probably want to avoid the Intel chipsets.
Happily, Nvidia is a launch partner with the new Intel processor and it will unveil versions of the Nforce 500 chipsets that we saw with the AMD AM2 platform, and very good they are too. We'll reserve judgement until we've seen the new silicon but the Intel versions of Nforce4 ran incredibly hot which was probably related to the additional memory controller that Nvidia had to integrate in the Northbridge. AMD, of course, includes the memory controller in the CPU core while an Intel processor leaves the job to the chipset.
Nforce 500 is superb on the AMD platform and provided Nvidia's done the job correctly we expect that gamers will migrate to the Nforce 590 SLI in their droves. Still, gamers are only part of the market, so what about the rest of us?
We tested our E6700 on an Asus P5B Deluxe with P965 and ICH8R chipset, 2GB of Corsair XMS 8500 memory and a WD Raptor 150GB hard drive. The motherboard employs passive cooling throughout and during our performance testing we ran a noisy Sapphire X1900 XTX graphics card to generate some impressive results.
Once we were done we swapped the Sapphire for a passively cooled Asus EN7600GS graphics card and plugged in a fan controller on the CPU heatsink. We turned the controller down to barely audible levels and measured the heatsink temperature at 35 degrees while the graphics card touched 51 degrees during testing. Performance was adequate for all but the most demanding gaming and the noise level of the PC was very close to silent.
Intel - Core 2 Extreme QX6700 review
Intel is on a roll after the launch of Core 2 Duo E6700 in July 2006 and here we are, a mere four months later, with the launch of the quad core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 which was codename Kentsfield during development.
No doubt when Intel releases non-Extreme versions of this processor they will be called Core 2 Quadro or Quattro or something to reflect the four cores, provided it can find a name that hasn't been snapped up by Nvidia for professional graphics cards or Audi for four wheel drive cars.
In essence Intel has shoehorned a pair of Core 2 Duo processors on to a single LGA775 die, so the quad core runs on the same 1,066MHz Front Side Bus as Core 2 Duo and is fabricated on a 65nm process. There is 4MB of L2 cache for each pair of cores, so that's a total of 8MB of cache, and the core speed is similar to Core 2 Duo.
Core 2 Duo E6700 runs at 2.66GHz and has a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 65W while the Core 2 Duo Extreme X6800 runs at 2.963GHz and has a TDP of 75W. By contrast the quad core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 runs at 2.66GHz and has a TDP of 130W so it truly is a pair of E6700 CPUs in a single processor socket. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the final versions of dual core Pentium 4 had a similar heat profile, so the technology to keep the processor cool is well established.
The Intel Press kit consisted of a QX6700 processor, a heatsink and a D975XBX2 motherboard with a Beta BIOS. Although the 975X chipset supports both Core 2 Duo and Kentsfield, it isn't necessarily the case that every 975X motherboard will support Kentsfield, so you need to check that your motherboard is 'validated for quad core'.
We understand that the differences between a 'good' motherboard and a 'bad' one come down to power regulation hardware. We laid the D975XBX2 next to a D975XBX and were unable to see any differences, but were told that the new board supports DDR2-800 memory and has enhanced audio control. Once we'd finished testing we played mix and match by plugging the quad core into the old D975XBX and it performed perfectly.
The move from a single core processor to dual core was like the difference between night and day, as you suddenly find that burning a CD or encoding MP3s doesn't make your whole PC freeze solid.
The move to quad core is far less dramatic as there is a limit to the number of applications that you can run simultaneously, but even so there's Windows in the background, your e-mail agent, anti-virus, anti-spyware, the music you're playing, your Internet browser, Word and Excel. By contrast an intensive 3D game is unlikely to use all of the abilities of the processor as very few games are threaded for multi-processor hardware.
We ran POV-Ray rendering benchmark on the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 as the 3.7 Beta has the facility to run on a single core or on all available cores. On a single core the test took 10 minutes 4 seconds, which is fairly swift, but when we switched to all four cores the test flashed past in 2 minutes 29 seconds.
Clearly the quad core hardware works, and when we ran PCMark05 back-to-back with the Core 2 Duo E6700 (same clock speed, half the cores) we found that the quad core got 8,150 marks and the dual core scored 6,879 marks overall, while the CPU elements of the test also favoured the quad core at 8,433 marks compared to 6,715 marks.
To our mind that accurately reflects the fact that most of us have no need for a quad core processor most of the time, but when you start to make your PC work for its living the extra cores pay dividends.
Intel - Core 2 Extreme QX6700 features - Verdict
In a few years' time we'll be amazed that there was an era when people had to make do with fewer than eight processor cores. The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is a significant step along the way to processing Nirvana and, although it costs a small fortune, we're very happy that its time has come.
No doubt when Intel releases non-Extreme versions of this processor they will be called Core 2 Quadro or Quattro or something to reflect the four cores, provided it can find a name that hasn't been snapped up by Nvidia for professional graphics cards or Audi for four wheel drive cars.
In essence Intel has shoehorned a pair of Core 2 Duo processors on to a single LGA775 die, so the quad core runs on the same 1,066MHz Front Side Bus as Core 2 Duo and is fabricated on a 65nm process. There is 4MB of L2 cache for each pair of cores, so that's a total of 8MB of cache, and the core speed is similar to Core 2 Duo.
Core 2 Duo E6700 runs at 2.66GHz and has a TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 65W while the Core 2 Duo Extreme X6800 runs at 2.963GHz and has a TDP of 75W. By contrast the quad core Core 2 Extreme QX6700 runs at 2.66GHz and has a TDP of 130W so it truly is a pair of E6700 CPUs in a single processor socket. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the final versions of dual core Pentium 4 had a similar heat profile, so the technology to keep the processor cool is well established.
The Intel Press kit consisted of a QX6700 processor, a heatsink and a D975XBX2 motherboard with a Beta BIOS. Although the 975X chipset supports both Core 2 Duo and Kentsfield, it isn't necessarily the case that every 975X motherboard will support Kentsfield, so you need to check that your motherboard is 'validated for quad core'.
We understand that the differences between a 'good' motherboard and a 'bad' one come down to power regulation hardware. We laid the D975XBX2 next to a D975XBX and were unable to see any differences, but were told that the new board supports DDR2-800 memory and has enhanced audio control. Once we'd finished testing we played mix and match by plugging the quad core into the old D975XBX and it performed perfectly.
The move from a single core processor to dual core was like the difference between night and day, as you suddenly find that burning a CD or encoding MP3s doesn't make your whole PC freeze solid.
The move to quad core is far less dramatic as there is a limit to the number of applications that you can run simultaneously, but even so there's Windows in the background, your e-mail agent, anti-virus, anti-spyware, the music you're playing, your Internet browser, Word and Excel. By contrast an intensive 3D game is unlikely to use all of the abilities of the processor as very few games are threaded for multi-processor hardware.
We ran POV-Ray rendering benchmark on the Core 2 Extreme QX6700 as the 3.7 Beta has the facility to run on a single core or on all available cores. On a single core the test took 10 minutes 4 seconds, which is fairly swift, but when we switched to all four cores the test flashed past in 2 minutes 29 seconds.
Clearly the quad core hardware works, and when we ran PCMark05 back-to-back with the Core 2 Duo E6700 (same clock speed, half the cores) we found that the quad core got 8,150 marks and the dual core scored 6,879 marks overall, while the CPU elements of the test also favoured the quad core at 8,433 marks compared to 6,715 marks.
To our mind that accurately reflects the fact that most of us have no need for a quad core processor most of the time, but when you start to make your PC work for its living the extra cores pay dividends.
Intel - Core 2 Extreme QX6700 features - Verdict
In a few years' time we'll be amazed that there was an era when people had to make do with fewer than eight processor cores. The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 is a significant step along the way to processing Nirvana and, although it costs a small fortune, we're very happy that its time has come.
Intel - Core 2 Extreme QX9650 review
Intel is releasing information about its next-generation Penryn Core 2 processors in carefully controlled stages. Penryn is the code name for the move from a 65nm process to 45nm, which dramatically reduces the size of the processor core. This reduces the cost of production and also frees up space on the core, so Intel is able to raise the quantity of L2 cache from 4MB to 6MB for each dual core Wolfdale package.
Penryn uses the same LGA775 package as Kentsfield and also shares the same layout, so a quad core processor uses two dual core chips, each with their own L2 cache. In the case of a quad core Yorkfield Penryn the amount of cache increases from 8MB to 12MB.
The other new feature with Penryn is the SSE4 instruction set. If you're running software that supports SSE3 or earlier then you shouldn't expect Penryn to show an advantage over Kentsfield. On the other hand, software such as the latest version of the DivX encoder that does support SSE4 should show Penryn in its best colours.
Intel told us about the architecture and fabrication process of Penryn early in 2007 and it has drip-fed us with information as part of its tick-tock process. In 2007 (a tick year) we'll see Penryn replacing Kentsfield with the new fabrication process on the same 1,333MHz FSB at similar speeds to Kentsfield. In 2008 - officially designated a tock year - Penryn will move to a 1,600MHz FSB and speeds will ramp up towards 4GHz.
We now have a sample of the 3.00GHz QX9650 quad-core Penryn which is directly comparable with the QX6850, so we can report on the performance of Penryn but we don't know anything about the pricing of the new processor.
Well, strictly speaking that's not true, as the QX9650 will be priced at $999 in quantities of 1,000 but that's always the case with the fastest CPU in any of Intel's ranges of desktop processors. Intel will tell us about pricing of the rest of the range in a week or two as the launch of QX9650 is presumably intended to spoil AMD's imminent launch of Phenom, but we can make some informed guesses.
The quad-core Q9550 will run at 2.83GHz with a price about half the QX9650, say £349. There will probably be a 2.66GHz Q9450 priced around the £199 mark and maybe a Q9300 that runs at 2.5GHz which will be somewhat cheaper.
Dual core models will be more relevant to the man in the street so the 3.16GHz E8500 may well be the gaming processor of choice for less than £200. We expect the 3.0GHz E8400 to cost close to £100 and then there will be cheaper, slower models such as a 2.83GHz E8300 and a 2.66GHz E8200.
But that's all guesswork.
We compared the QX9650 with a QX6850 which both run at 3.00GHz on a 1,333MHz FSB using an Asus Maximus Formula SE motherboard with X38 chipset and 2GB of fast DDR2 memory on Windows XP SP2.
In PCMark05 there was near-identical performance from both processors so we don't expect that Penryn is going to cause a revolution, however it showed a small advantage in video recoding with Nero 8 and a decent seven percent saving in time when we used the SSE4-enabled DivX 6.7.
Penryn uses the same LGA775 package as Kentsfield and also shares the same layout, so a quad core processor uses two dual core chips, each with their own L2 cache. In the case of a quad core Yorkfield Penryn the amount of cache increases from 8MB to 12MB.
The other new feature with Penryn is the SSE4 instruction set. If you're running software that supports SSE3 or earlier then you shouldn't expect Penryn to show an advantage over Kentsfield. On the other hand, software such as the latest version of the DivX encoder that does support SSE4 should show Penryn in its best colours.
Intel told us about the architecture and fabrication process of Penryn early in 2007 and it has drip-fed us with information as part of its tick-tock process. In 2007 (a tick year) we'll see Penryn replacing Kentsfield with the new fabrication process on the same 1,333MHz FSB at similar speeds to Kentsfield. In 2008 - officially designated a tock year - Penryn will move to a 1,600MHz FSB and speeds will ramp up towards 4GHz.
We now have a sample of the 3.00GHz QX9650 quad-core Penryn which is directly comparable with the QX6850, so we can report on the performance of Penryn but we don't know anything about the pricing of the new processor.
Well, strictly speaking that's not true, as the QX9650 will be priced at $999 in quantities of 1,000 but that's always the case with the fastest CPU in any of Intel's ranges of desktop processors. Intel will tell us about pricing of the rest of the range in a week or two as the launch of QX9650 is presumably intended to spoil AMD's imminent launch of Phenom, but we can make some informed guesses.
The quad-core Q9550 will run at 2.83GHz with a price about half the QX9650, say £349. There will probably be a 2.66GHz Q9450 priced around the £199 mark and maybe a Q9300 that runs at 2.5GHz which will be somewhat cheaper.
Dual core models will be more relevant to the man in the street so the 3.16GHz E8500 may well be the gaming processor of choice for less than £200. We expect the 3.0GHz E8400 to cost close to £100 and then there will be cheaper, slower models such as a 2.83GHz E8300 and a 2.66GHz E8200.
But that's all guesswork.
We compared the QX9650 with a QX6850 which both run at 3.00GHz on a 1,333MHz FSB using an Asus Maximus Formula SE motherboard with X38 chipset and 2GB of fast DDR2 memory on Windows XP SP2.
In PCMark05 there was near-identical performance from both processors so we don't expect that Penryn is going to cause a revolution, however it showed a small advantage in video recoding with Nero 8 and a decent seven percent saving in time when we used the SSE4-enabled DivX 6.7.
Intel - Core 2 Extreme QX9770 review
Late last year we reviewed the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650. This was the first 45nm Penryn processor to slip out of Intel's laboratory and, while it was impressive, it had very similar performance to the previous Core 2 Extreme QX6850. That's no great surprise as both processors run at 3.0GHz on a 1,333MHz front side bus with 12MB of L2 cache.
The benefit of Penryn is a reduction in die size which leads to lower costs for Intel and, hopefully, greater power efficiency. It would be nice to think that Intel might pass on some of the savings in a price cut to the customer, but that's none too likely until it feels some pressure from AMD, which is unlikely to be any time soon judging by Phenom.
At least that's what you might think.
Intel has its plans in place and is progressing nicely, with the Core 2 front side bus going up from 1,066MHz to 1,333MHz while the fabrication process drops from 65nm to 45nm. That ought to be enough to keep everyone happy for the next few months, but hard on the heels of the QX9650 we have the QX9770.
This latest Core 2 Extreme processor runs on a new 1,600MHz front side which is actually a quad-pumped 400MHz bus, so the 8x clock multiplier results in a speed of 3.2GHz which is 200MHz faster than either the QX6850 or QX9650. Intel has raised the TDP from 130W for the QX9650 to 136W for the QX9770 but that's the extent of the changes.
The extraordinary point is that Intel doesn't have a chipset with official support for this new front side bus. Both the P35 and X38 chipsets can be used to add unofficial support for the new clock speed, and many Taiwanese motherboards do exactly that, but it won't be official until Intel launches the X48 in a few weeks' time.
Although Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and the others can add unofficial support to Intel products, it would be a bit rum if Intel were to do the same thing. Right now the only company that cannot build a motherboard that supports the QX9770 is Intel, as its DX38BT motherboard tops out at a 1,333MHz front side bus with support for 1,333MHz DDR3 memory.
That will change with the X48 chipset but it makes you wonder what Intel is playing at. Or rather, it makes you wonder what spooked Intel into sending out samples of the QX9770 for review. The likeliest answer is that Intel wants to maintain the pressure on AMD and, while it has undeniably succeeded, it also suggests that Intel was worried about the AMD Phenom processor.
So will you buy a QX9770? Not a chance, not at that price. Will you buy a Penryn with a 1,600MHz front side bus? That's a tricky question. Historically Intel has used its Extreme Edition products to give you a flavour of what's coming in the near future with the added benefit of an unlocked multiplier to make life easier for overclockers.
The benefit of Penryn is a reduction in die size which leads to lower costs for Intel and, hopefully, greater power efficiency. It would be nice to think that Intel might pass on some of the savings in a price cut to the customer, but that's none too likely until it feels some pressure from AMD, which is unlikely to be any time soon judging by Phenom.
At least that's what you might think.
Intel has its plans in place and is progressing nicely, with the Core 2 front side bus going up from 1,066MHz to 1,333MHz while the fabrication process drops from 65nm to 45nm. That ought to be enough to keep everyone happy for the next few months, but hard on the heels of the QX9650 we have the QX9770.
This latest Core 2 Extreme processor runs on a new 1,600MHz front side which is actually a quad-pumped 400MHz bus, so the 8x clock multiplier results in a speed of 3.2GHz which is 200MHz faster than either the QX6850 or QX9650. Intel has raised the TDP from 130W for the QX9650 to 136W for the QX9770 but that's the extent of the changes.
The extraordinary point is that Intel doesn't have a chipset with official support for this new front side bus. Both the P35 and X38 chipsets can be used to add unofficial support for the new clock speed, and many Taiwanese motherboards do exactly that, but it won't be official until Intel launches the X48 in a few weeks' time.
Although Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and the others can add unofficial support to Intel products, it would be a bit rum if Intel were to do the same thing. Right now the only company that cannot build a motherboard that supports the QX9770 is Intel, as its DX38BT motherboard tops out at a 1,333MHz front side bus with support for 1,333MHz DDR3 memory.
That will change with the X48 chipset but it makes you wonder what Intel is playing at. Or rather, it makes you wonder what spooked Intel into sending out samples of the QX9770 for review. The likeliest answer is that Intel wants to maintain the pressure on AMD and, while it has undeniably succeeded, it also suggests that Intel was worried about the AMD Phenom processor.
So will you buy a QX9770? Not a chance, not at that price. Will you buy a Penryn with a 1,600MHz front side bus? That's a tricky question. Historically Intel has used its Extreme Edition products to give you a flavour of what's coming in the near future with the added benefit of an unlocked multiplier to make life easier for overclockers.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Top 15 Online MBA Degree Programs
Since online degree become the alternative method to pursue distance learning, all qualified institutions find their ways to compete to provide the best to attract interested students. But since they are too much availability, here are the selected top online degree programs in Master of Business Administration (MBA) based on reputation, structure, networking opportunities, gained skills and tuition investment.
Instituto de Empresa (IE) of Madrid is the top recommendation where it offers for English and Spanish speakers. Connection from every corner in the world can happen through virtual lectures and videoconferences and students are required for 'blended sessions' in different cities. Vast networking is allowed and students from 48 countries can exchange background and expertise in diverse fields.
Thunderbird School of Global Management and Duke University of USA ranked second and third respectively. Through global MBA and cross-continental MBA, the students are those who are employed in companies from Coca Cola to Boeing. However, the tuition investment ranged from 57,000 to 95,000 USD. Actually, Thunderbird School was given the top spot in International Programs by US News and World Report and number one rank in International Business by Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Manchester Business School of UK, which offers a flexible distance learning MBA program combined with self-to-self workshops, only costs 30,000 USD is ranked fourth. The fifth to ten ranked institution are from US, which are Indiana University (offers MBA on general administration), Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida (offers Internet MBA), Babson College (offers Fast Track MBA), University of Massachusetts-Amherst (ranked second on Best Overall Academic Experience) and The George Washington University (offers a new GWU Healthcare MBA for professionals involved in healthcare industry).
The next five rankings are Walden University (ranked among the top ten largest online graduate programs for business by US News and World Report and Financial Times), University of Phoenix (offers Master of Management focusing on leadership and management skills), Western Governers University, DeVry University and Jones International University.
Instituto de Empresa (IE) of Madrid is the top recommendation where it offers for English and Spanish speakers. Connection from every corner in the world can happen through virtual lectures and videoconferences and students are required for 'blended sessions' in different cities. Vast networking is allowed and students from 48 countries can exchange background and expertise in diverse fields.
Thunderbird School of Global Management and Duke University of USA ranked second and third respectively. Through global MBA and cross-continental MBA, the students are those who are employed in companies from Coca Cola to Boeing. However, the tuition investment ranged from 57,000 to 95,000 USD. Actually, Thunderbird School was given the top spot in International Programs by US News and World Report and number one rank in International Business by Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Manchester Business School of UK, which offers a flexible distance learning MBA program combined with self-to-self workshops, only costs 30,000 USD is ranked fourth. The fifth to ten ranked institution are from US, which are Indiana University (offers MBA on general administration), Pennsylvania State University, University of Florida (offers Internet MBA), Babson College (offers Fast Track MBA), University of Massachusetts-Amherst (ranked second on Best Overall Academic Experience) and The George Washington University (offers a new GWU Healthcare MBA for professionals involved in healthcare industry).
The next five rankings are Walden University (ranked among the top ten largest online graduate programs for business by US News and World Report and Financial Times), University of Phoenix (offers Master of Management focusing on leadership and management skills), Western Governers University, DeVry University and Jones International University.
Online MBA Course - Your Ticket to Success
et Your Certified MBA via E-learning.
We live in a fast paced world where many people want to continue their education but feel it is impossible because they have work, family, and other responsibilities to tend to and at the end of the day there just isn't time. While you may be very busy, it doesn't have to be impossible for you to start or finish your MBA. You may not be able to go about it in a traditional sense, but this is what online MBA programs are for. They are for people like you who want and need to receive a higher education but don't have time to sit in a classroom to do it.
If you have been hitting brick walls wherever you go because you don't have your MBA you don't have to deal with this rejection anymore. Instead, you can enroll in an online MBA course and start making changes in your life one course at a time. When you enroll in these courses you will find that you can fit them into your life because you are often able to complete course work when it is convenient for you, whether that means early in the morning or late at night. You are often able to move at your own pace as well, which means if you understand the material you may be able to finish a course much more quickly than you would in a traditional educational environment.
We live in a fast paced world where many people want to continue their education but feel it is impossible because they have work, family, and other responsibilities to tend to and at the end of the day there just isn't time. While you may be very busy, it doesn't have to be impossible for you to start or finish your MBA. You may not be able to go about it in a traditional sense, but this is what online MBA programs are for. They are for people like you who want and need to receive a higher education but don't have time to sit in a classroom to do it.
If you have been hitting brick walls wherever you go because you don't have your MBA you don't have to deal with this rejection anymore. Instead, you can enroll in an online MBA course and start making changes in your life one course at a time. When you enroll in these courses you will find that you can fit them into your life because you are often able to complete course work when it is convenient for you, whether that means early in the morning or late at night. You are often able to move at your own pace as well, which means if you understand the material you may be able to finish a course much more quickly than you would in a traditional educational environment.
Revolutionary Method: Free MBA of Business Administration & e-Company
Revolutionary Method: Free MBA of Business Administration & e-Company
Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.
By S. Maurer
The non-profit Business Technology Open University - http://business-technology.us - offer a new revolutionary method for a free MBA of Business Administration & e-Company: a teach operation entirely supported by content oriented ads of companies, inside the texts of the lessons. However, Business Technology is totally independent and without any connection with any manufacturer or consultant.
Very modern and imperative matters are included in this MBA of Business Administration & e-Company. The old and standard Business Administration concepts included in any current MBA program are very important, but today the companies are very different.
This new situation strongly demands a MBA program including the General Control Theory, the control engineering, the new business technologies, the Management by Exception concept automated by computer systems, the Feedback Control System, etc.
This MBA of Business Administration & e-Company free course cannot be compared with a traditional MBA Master. He also teaches the traditional basic principles of a MBA Master, but in a way more concentrated. But if we refers about a more modern business administration, our course is better because he teaches matters like CIO, CRM, ERP, VOIP, SCM, Call Centers, TeleCommuter, Geo-Spatial, HRM, etc., that now are the most demanded subjects by the companies.
This MBA program covers the major business disciplines from a technology perspective, and considers the business and technology issues facing today's companies.
The business is more and more the technology, and vice-versa. The companies are more and more electronics, as for examples the ERP Enterprise Resources Planning, the CRM Customer Relationship Management, the Voice over IP VoIP, the sophisticated Call Centers, etc. Therefore, a modern Business Administrator must learn these new ways to do the business and how to manage these modern enterprises.
This free MBA program is one of few of the world including the very modern matters concerning the new ways to do the business.
This open MBA of Business Administration & e-Company are only in English and by correspondence, with 2 to 5 lessons a week and they durations varies up to 5.5 months. In the total the Business Technology free courses have 2,600 lessons and additionally more 11,000 complemental lessons, everything sent in e-mail attachments.
The announced pre-requirements for the registrations are one of the following:
*
College/University graduated or in course to graduate, or
*
Good job experience in the choiced MBA matter
and those registrations can be made individually or in groups of employees' of companies or Governments officers.
In the moment Business Technology already has 193,000 students from the entire World, and the projection for the end of this year is of more 400,000 students.
Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.
By S. Maurer
The non-profit Business Technology Open University - http://business-technology.us - offer a new revolutionary method for a free MBA of Business Administration & e-Company: a teach operation entirely supported by content oriented ads of companies, inside the texts of the lessons. However, Business Technology is totally independent and without any connection with any manufacturer or consultant.
Very modern and imperative matters are included in this MBA of Business Administration & e-Company. The old and standard Business Administration concepts included in any current MBA program are very important, but today the companies are very different.
This new situation strongly demands a MBA program including the General Control Theory, the control engineering, the new business technologies, the Management by Exception concept automated by computer systems, the Feedback Control System, etc.
This MBA of Business Administration & e-Company free course cannot be compared with a traditional MBA Master. He also teaches the traditional basic principles of a MBA Master, but in a way more concentrated. But if we refers about a more modern business administration, our course is better because he teaches matters like CIO, CRM, ERP, VOIP, SCM, Call Centers, TeleCommuter, Geo-Spatial, HRM, etc., that now are the most demanded subjects by the companies.
This MBA program covers the major business disciplines from a technology perspective, and considers the business and technology issues facing today's companies.
The business is more and more the technology, and vice-versa. The companies are more and more electronics, as for examples the ERP Enterprise Resources Planning, the CRM Customer Relationship Management, the Voice over IP VoIP, the sophisticated Call Centers, etc. Therefore, a modern Business Administrator must learn these new ways to do the business and how to manage these modern enterprises.
This free MBA program is one of few of the world including the very modern matters concerning the new ways to do the business.
This open MBA of Business Administration & e-Company are only in English and by correspondence, with 2 to 5 lessons a week and they durations varies up to 5.5 months. In the total the Business Technology free courses have 2,600 lessons and additionally more 11,000 complemental lessons, everything sent in e-mail attachments.
The announced pre-requirements for the registrations are one of the following:
*
College/University graduated or in course to graduate, or
*
Good job experience in the choiced MBA matter
and those registrations can be made individually or in groups of employees' of companies or Governments officers.
In the moment Business Technology already has 193,000 students from the entire World, and the projection for the end of this year is of more 400,000 students.
MBA – the Most Popular Master Program in the World
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is the best known and most popular postgraduate program in the world!
In recent years there has been a big increase in management education, the biggest increase coming in postgraduate courses – particularly the MBA. The primary aims of the MBA are to develop among students the foundation skills and competencies in general management.
Most management education is provided by universities and management or business schools. Almost every university is offering the degree of MBA in a variety of study modes such as full time, part time, distance learning, self study, online or flexible structure.
There are basically two types of MBA, the generalist and the specialist, although the structure is essentially the same for both.
The generalist MBA roughly consists of three parts. The first part gives students grounding in core business skills such as marketing, human resource management, information systems, financial and management accounting, and others. The second part allows students to choose subjects which are of particular interest or relevance to them and focus on these. These subjects of study, known as electives because students elect to study them, will most probably have a bearing on their future careers. The third and final part of the MBA is usually a project which students carry out within a company. This will involve the solving of a particular problem or the management of a project, after which the students must write a dissertation based on their experience.
The specialist MBA has the same course structure; however, it allows students to develop their studies in a more specialized way once they have proceeded beyond the first part of the course and have a solid grounding in the core business skills. Areas of specialism, for instance, could be finance, accounting, human resource management, public administration, marketing, and so on.
In recent years there has been a big increase in management education, the biggest increase coming in postgraduate courses – particularly the MBA. The primary aims of the MBA are to develop among students the foundation skills and competencies in general management.
Most management education is provided by universities and management or business schools. Almost every university is offering the degree of MBA in a variety of study modes such as full time, part time, distance learning, self study, online or flexible structure.
There are basically two types of MBA, the generalist and the specialist, although the structure is essentially the same for both.
The generalist MBA roughly consists of three parts. The first part gives students grounding in core business skills such as marketing, human resource management, information systems, financial and management accounting, and others. The second part allows students to choose subjects which are of particular interest or relevance to them and focus on these. These subjects of study, known as electives because students elect to study them, will most probably have a bearing on their future careers. The third and final part of the MBA is usually a project which students carry out within a company. This will involve the solving of a particular problem or the management of a project, after which the students must write a dissertation based on their experience.
The specialist MBA has the same course structure; however, it allows students to develop their studies in a more specialized way once they have proceeded beyond the first part of the course and have a solid grounding in the core business skills. Areas of specialism, for instance, could be finance, accounting, human resource management, public administration, marketing, and so on.
Executive MBA
Pepperdine's Executive MBA program is one of the top-ranked programs in the nation. This 20 month program was designed specifically for training and developing middle management with special focus on leadership, strategy, and ethics. The Executive MBA program helps to build strong management professionals by teaching different approaches to the problems faced by management. By choosing the Executive MBA program at Pepperdine, you are ensuring that you are receiving the highest quality education from the top professionals in the field. At Pepperdine we are committed to helping you build the skills you'll need to succeed in any real world management position.
Our Executive MBA program offers a comprehensive curriculum targeted at helping you develop highly specialized management skills. By offering our programs in a setting that involves small groups and a lot of one-on-one instruction we can ensure that each of our students is treated as an important individual. The Executive MBA program aims to teach a number of skills including how to manage and motivate staff in all working environments regardless of complexity. Moreover, students of the Fulltime MBA program at Pepperdine will also be equipped with the skills necessary to analyze and apply various kinds of economic, management, and institutional information including the skills necessary to read economic trends both locally and globally. Strategic management skills are also taught under this program to enable our students to make and implement strategic decisions based on strategic leadership.
One of the great benefits of the Executive MBA program is that you will have an opportunity to experience our cohort format. This means that your small group of classmates will continue to work together for the entirety of the 20 month program. The benefits of such a format are many. First of all, you have a chance to build solid working relationships with other would be executives. Secondly, because the class sizes are so small, you have the chance to work with your classmates so that you can benefit from their strengths and they can benefit from yours. Finally, you will have the chance to form close, personal relationships with your classmates so that you will have an overall more enjoyable experience as a Pepperdine Executive MBA student.
Our Executive MBA program offers a comprehensive curriculum targeted at helping you develop highly specialized management skills. By offering our programs in a setting that involves small groups and a lot of one-on-one instruction we can ensure that each of our students is treated as an important individual. The Executive MBA program aims to teach a number of skills including how to manage and motivate staff in all working environments regardless of complexity. Moreover, students of the Fulltime MBA program at Pepperdine will also be equipped with the skills necessary to analyze and apply various kinds of economic, management, and institutional information including the skills necessary to read economic trends both locally and globally. Strategic management skills are also taught under this program to enable our students to make and implement strategic decisions based on strategic leadership.
One of the great benefits of the Executive MBA program is that you will have an opportunity to experience our cohort format. This means that your small group of classmates will continue to work together for the entirety of the 20 month program. The benefits of such a format are many. First of all, you have a chance to build solid working relationships with other would be executives. Secondly, because the class sizes are so small, you have the chance to work with your classmates so that you can benefit from their strengths and they can benefit from yours. Finally, you will have the chance to form close, personal relationships with your classmates so that you will have an overall more enjoyable experience as a Pepperdine Executive MBA student.
The Best Online MBA Program Uncovered
Here is a 6 step system you can use to determine the best online MBA program for you and the goals you have set.
1. Choose an MBA school that is accredited.
Picking an accredited MBA school ensures you are getting a valuable education that covers everything you need to know. It also tells current and future employers that you have the proper training they are looking for. Failing to pick an accredited school may also suggest you lack proper judgement.
2. Match your situation and schedule to the MBA program.
Currently, over 73% of all MBA students work full-time. This means the best MBA programs have adapted, and let you study when it is convenient for you, and to go through the materials when you want to, not when they schedule it.
3. Teacher To Student Ratio
The teacher to student ratio is the number of students each professor has, on average. When you have the ideal ratio (usually 8 to 14 students per professor), then you can ask the questions you have and get a proper answer. When a program offers a good teacher-student ratio, it also suggests that the advisor they assign to you will be able to work one-on-one with you, and help you achieve your MBA objectives.
4. Thought Leaders
Having the experience of learning from a world leader in your chosen area of specialty is a treat that can benefit you for a lifetime. Often, they have a profound effect on their students, and maintain contact with former students for life - giving you a valuable asset that will pay dividends for decades.
Teaching style is another important thing to consider. Not all business schools teach the same way, and having a style that fits you is an important consideration. When choosing on online MBA program, you should also make sure the school uses innovative online teaching methods.
5. Alumni Programs
An alumni program is where graduates can turn to when they need resources to move their career forward. It offers powerful features, like networking opportunities, possible mentoring opportunities, and online communities where you can keep in touch with others, and build relationships with other graduates.
6. Career Services
Another useful factor in choosing your MBA program is the help they offer with getting your next job. Since most graduates quit or get fired, it can be very helpful to have a resource that will help you make that next move.
Getting help with your career can be an important benefit that your MBA school of choice provides. They can also help with preparing your resume, and also help you understand yourself, and how you should position yourself in the marketplace.
1. Choose an MBA school that is accredited.
Picking an accredited MBA school ensures you are getting a valuable education that covers everything you need to know. It also tells current and future employers that you have the proper training they are looking for. Failing to pick an accredited school may also suggest you lack proper judgement.
2. Match your situation and schedule to the MBA program.
Currently, over 73% of all MBA students work full-time. This means the best MBA programs have adapted, and let you study when it is convenient for you, and to go through the materials when you want to, not when they schedule it.
3. Teacher To Student Ratio
The teacher to student ratio is the number of students each professor has, on average. When you have the ideal ratio (usually 8 to 14 students per professor), then you can ask the questions you have and get a proper answer. When a program offers a good teacher-student ratio, it also suggests that the advisor they assign to you will be able to work one-on-one with you, and help you achieve your MBA objectives.
4. Thought Leaders
Having the experience of learning from a world leader in your chosen area of specialty is a treat that can benefit you for a lifetime. Often, they have a profound effect on their students, and maintain contact with former students for life - giving you a valuable asset that will pay dividends for decades.
Teaching style is another important thing to consider. Not all business schools teach the same way, and having a style that fits you is an important consideration. When choosing on online MBA program, you should also make sure the school uses innovative online teaching methods.
5. Alumni Programs
An alumni program is where graduates can turn to when they need resources to move their career forward. It offers powerful features, like networking opportunities, possible mentoring opportunities, and online communities where you can keep in touch with others, and build relationships with other graduates.
6. Career Services
Another useful factor in choosing your MBA program is the help they offer with getting your next job. Since most graduates quit or get fired, it can be very helpful to have a resource that will help you make that next move.
Getting help with your career can be an important benefit that your MBA school of choice provides. They can also help with preparing your resume, and also help you understand yourself, and how you should position yourself in the marketplace.
Online MBA Programs
MBA Programs online are gaining increasing importance these days. This is the age of super specialization and for any business management; a special degree is simply a must. Cashing on this emerging trend, many accredited universities online have began offering MBA programs online.
MBA programs online are well suited to the job demands and hectic schedules of the working individuals. They offer flexible schedules and at times signed up for expert professionals for imparting valuable information on special subjects too.
An online MBA degree to very much extent shapes up the individual for better absorption of information, quick critical analyses and problem solving skills as well and undoubtedly improves your managerial and communication skills to a great extent. Once armed with an MBA degree you will find yourself equipped with greater confidence and analytical power to overcome hassles and ups and downs of business cycles as well.
Some of the broad MBA programs include major subjects such as Business, Health care, Nursing, Technology, Criminal Justice, Human Services, Education. Education MBA degree program and political science MBA degree program, Criminal Justice Degree Program are aimed for specialization in their respective fields.
On the other hand Business MBA degrees have many subjects to offer some of them being accounts, finance, economics, Ebusiness, IT management, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, Six Sigma. If you are interested in Technology MBA Degrees you could check out Management of Information Systems, Technology Management etc.
After gaining online MBA degree and combined with your work experience, you can work as a Real Estate Broker, System Analyst, Chief Investment Office, Project Manager, Product Manager, Business Developer etc. Each of these jobs are well paying and lucrative providing lot of scope for career enhancements.
Amongst the well reputed accredited universities which offer MBA programs online you could check out Salem University Online, University of Phoenix, Walden University, Capella University, Bellevue University etc. Each of these well established universities, provide great scope and freedom of improvement and specialization of the MBA degree student.
MBA programs online are well suited to the job demands and hectic schedules of the working individuals. They offer flexible schedules and at times signed up for expert professionals for imparting valuable information on special subjects too.
An online MBA degree to very much extent shapes up the individual for better absorption of information, quick critical analyses and problem solving skills as well and undoubtedly improves your managerial and communication skills to a great extent. Once armed with an MBA degree you will find yourself equipped with greater confidence and analytical power to overcome hassles and ups and downs of business cycles as well.
Some of the broad MBA programs include major subjects such as Business, Health care, Nursing, Technology, Criminal Justice, Human Services, Education. Education MBA degree program and political science MBA degree program, Criminal Justice Degree Program are aimed for specialization in their respective fields.
On the other hand Business MBA degrees have many subjects to offer some of them being accounts, finance, economics, Ebusiness, IT management, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, Six Sigma. If you are interested in Technology MBA Degrees you could check out Management of Information Systems, Technology Management etc.
After gaining online MBA degree and combined with your work experience, you can work as a Real Estate Broker, System Analyst, Chief Investment Office, Project Manager, Product Manager, Business Developer etc. Each of these jobs are well paying and lucrative providing lot of scope for career enhancements.
Amongst the well reputed accredited universities which offer MBA programs online you could check out Salem University Online, University of Phoenix, Walden University, Capella University, Bellevue University etc. Each of these well established universities, provide great scope and freedom of improvement and specialization of the MBA degree student.
AMD - Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition review
AMD's first stab at a quad-core processor was a bit of a turkey, as Phenom was plagued by a TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) error that required a temporary fix before the processor could be launched. Although none of us were clear about the function of the TLB, we rapidly learnt that the hot fix for the problem cleaved 20 percent off the performance of Phenom.
This was a particular problem as the first Phenoms ran at clock speeds of 2.2GHz and 2.3GHz, which were too slow to compete with Intel Core 2 Quad, and the TLB fix cut performance even further.
Phenom X4 is a revision of the original Phenom which fixes the TLB error and also raises the clock speed. The X4 part of the model name is significant and AMD has launched a Phenom X3 range, which is unusual as it is the world's first tri-core processor (as far as we know; if you know better please drop us a line).
Phenom X4 is further distinguished from the original Phenom by the addition of a '50' suffix to the model code, so a Phenom 9500 is an original B2 quad-core 2.2GHz processor while a Phenom X4 9550 is a revised B3 2.2GHz CPU with a fixed TLB.
In addition you can get a 2.4GHz Phenom X4 9750, the 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition that we're reviewing here and the top-of-the-range 2.6GHz Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition.
The specifications of these processors are quite telling, as both Phenom X4 9550 and 9750 have a TDP of 95W which is in line with earlier models of Athlon 64. But the Phenom X4 9850 has a TDP of 125W and the X4 9950 has a TDP of 140W.
There's another difference as the X4 9750 has a HyperTransport speed of 1.8GHz while the X4 9850 operates at 2GHz. These figures strongly suggest that AMD has pushed the architecture of this 65nm processor to its limits as the TDP is rising rapidly while the clock speed is only making modest advances.
Phenom uses the same Socket AM2+ form factor as the last Athlon 64 processors which used DDR2 memory and now that the bugs have been sorted it is a decent processor. The problem is that the latest 45nm Penryn Core 2 processors perform better clock-for-clock and the Intel processors also overclock significantly better than the new Phenom. We've read reports of Phenoms that overclock to 3GHz but were only able to get our 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 to run at 2.69GHz, which is an increase of less than ten percent.
This also puts AMD in something of a quandary. If you want a fast AMD processor the dual core Athlon 64 X2 is still a decent chip. On the other hand if you're using an AMD 780G chipset in a Media Centre PC you won't want a powerful quad-core Phenom. The upshot is that Phenom falls between two stools as it has an apparent inability to overclock significantly yet it isn't especially cheap compared to Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad.
This was a particular problem as the first Phenoms ran at clock speeds of 2.2GHz and 2.3GHz, which were too slow to compete with Intel Core 2 Quad, and the TLB fix cut performance even further.
Phenom X4 is a revision of the original Phenom which fixes the TLB error and also raises the clock speed. The X4 part of the model name is significant and AMD has launched a Phenom X3 range, which is unusual as it is the world's first tri-core processor (as far as we know; if you know better please drop us a line).
Phenom X4 is further distinguished from the original Phenom by the addition of a '50' suffix to the model code, so a Phenom 9500 is an original B2 quad-core 2.2GHz processor while a Phenom X4 9550 is a revised B3 2.2GHz CPU with a fixed TLB.
In addition you can get a 2.4GHz Phenom X4 9750, the 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition that we're reviewing here and the top-of-the-range 2.6GHz Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition.
The specifications of these processors are quite telling, as both Phenom X4 9550 and 9750 have a TDP of 95W which is in line with earlier models of Athlon 64. But the Phenom X4 9850 has a TDP of 125W and the X4 9950 has a TDP of 140W.
There's another difference as the X4 9750 has a HyperTransport speed of 1.8GHz while the X4 9850 operates at 2GHz. These figures strongly suggest that AMD has pushed the architecture of this 65nm processor to its limits as the TDP is rising rapidly while the clock speed is only making modest advances.
Phenom uses the same Socket AM2+ form factor as the last Athlon 64 processors which used DDR2 memory and now that the bugs have been sorted it is a decent processor. The problem is that the latest 45nm Penryn Core 2 processors perform better clock-for-clock and the Intel processors also overclock significantly better than the new Phenom. We've read reports of Phenoms that overclock to 3GHz but were only able to get our 2.5GHz Phenom X4 9850 to run at 2.69GHz, which is an increase of less than ten percent.
This also puts AMD in something of a quandary. If you want a fast AMD processor the dual core Athlon 64 X2 is still a decent chip. On the other hand if you're using an AMD 780G chipset in a Media Centre PC you won't want a powerful quad-core Phenom. The upshot is that Phenom falls between two stools as it has an apparent inability to overclock significantly yet it isn't especially cheap compared to Intel Core 2 Duo and Quad.
MBA Programs Now Offer Variety and Flexibility
The MBA, or Master's in Business Administration, is the most sought after degree for individuals looking for a career as a business executive. Whether you are going into banking, finance, manufacturing or the service sector, having an MBA can give you an edge as you move up the corporate ladder. A few decades ago, the traditional path to take was to get your Bachelor's degree in a particular business discipline and then go directly into an MBA program. Today, however, MBA programs are more flexible and can adapt to your work schedule and lifestyle.
Before you decide to pursue an MBA, you should understand just what it is and what you can expect to gain from it. This Master's degree program is specifically designed to give you skills beyond those you learn at the Bachelor's degree level in business management. Many people get a Bachelor's degree in a field such as finance, government or economics, and then pursue their MBA to round out their managerial skills.
Courses you will typically take in an MBA program include finance, leadership skills, organizational dynamics, marketing, sales, management, advanced economics, government and statistics. You may also choose to specialize in a particular area by choosing a "concentration" such as the healthcare or hospitality industries.
The typical MBA program takes about two years to complete, although there are now programs for non-traditional students designed to be completed more quickly. Among these are the Executive MBA programs that have become increasingly popular with successful business men and women who are returning to school for their MBA while working.
These Executive MBA programs usually feature online coursework and special seminars throughout the year that are relatively short in length but very intensive. This way, they can be worked into the schedules of busy executives. These programs also make the most of the experiences and talents of their students by using round table discussions, real world scenarios and interactive projects as parts of the curriculum.
There are some fields in which an MBA is a prerequisite for advancement to the highest levels. In particular, investment banking, management consulting and international finance corporations very much favor MBA's in the upper levels of their management teams. While it isn't necessary in other fields, it can certainly give you an edge when you are being considered for a promotion. Keep in mind that salary is also often based on both merit and education, so having an MBA can significantly affect your pay scale as you progress in your career.
A good MBA program is a unique combination of hard knowledge in areas like marketing, finance, and operations. "Soft skills" are also focused upon. It is the soft skills that make an MBA degree so valuable to many businesses. They are the skills related to how to manage people, keep values in place in the workplace, and the factors that go into making a good leader.
Before you decide to pursue an MBA, you should understand just what it is and what you can expect to gain from it. This Master's degree program is specifically designed to give you skills beyond those you learn at the Bachelor's degree level in business management. Many people get a Bachelor's degree in a field such as finance, government or economics, and then pursue their MBA to round out their managerial skills.
Courses you will typically take in an MBA program include finance, leadership skills, organizational dynamics, marketing, sales, management, advanced economics, government and statistics. You may also choose to specialize in a particular area by choosing a "concentration" such as the healthcare or hospitality industries.
The typical MBA program takes about two years to complete, although there are now programs for non-traditional students designed to be completed more quickly. Among these are the Executive MBA programs that have become increasingly popular with successful business men and women who are returning to school for their MBA while working.
These Executive MBA programs usually feature online coursework and special seminars throughout the year that are relatively short in length but very intensive. This way, they can be worked into the schedules of busy executives. These programs also make the most of the experiences and talents of their students by using round table discussions, real world scenarios and interactive projects as parts of the curriculum.
There are some fields in which an MBA is a prerequisite for advancement to the highest levels. In particular, investment banking, management consulting and international finance corporations very much favor MBA's in the upper levels of their management teams. While it isn't necessary in other fields, it can certainly give you an edge when you are being considered for a promotion. Keep in mind that salary is also often based on both merit and education, so having an MBA can significantly affect your pay scale as you progress in your career.
A good MBA program is a unique combination of hard knowledge in areas like marketing, finance, and operations. "Soft skills" are also focused upon. It is the soft skills that make an MBA degree so valuable to many businesses. They are the skills related to how to manage people, keep values in place in the workplace, and the factors that go into making a good leader.
How are Online MBA Programs Different From Traditional MBA Programs?
MBA programs are a popular choice for many mid-career professionals who want to earn a credential in management level to prepare for their career advancement. Nowadays, with the available of online education programs, you have a choice to earn your MBA degree from traditional MBA program offered by a campus-based university or through an online MBA program. What are the differences between the online and traditional campus-based type of MBA programs? Knowing the basics will help you to decide whether or not these programs are right for you.
In term of educational goal, both online learning and traditional MBA programs general share the same goal of preparing the students for many fields, functions, and industries to help them progress toward a specific career goal. Both online and traditional MBA can be considered equally difficult and have a similar type of curriculum. Both MBA learning types are able to help you achieve your career goal, but instead of spending hours in class as in traditional MBA program, online MBA students are expected to dedicate their time to study independently.
Traditional MBA program will have a time table which you need to follow to attend the classes on time. If you decide to pursue your degree through campus-based MBA program and at the same time maintaining your current employment, you may need to adjust your working schedule to fit the time table of your MBA courses. Most working individuals who sign up for traditional MBA program will normally enroll into evening classes or time after work. They also need to commute to and from school and they might miss the classes if they need to stay after work due to important assignment or project. For those working individuals who are frequently travel on job assignment, they may have difficulties to fit their time to the fixed time table of the MBA courses.
Online MBA programs solve the above problems with the features of flexibility, self-pace and convenient of attending classes from any location as long as the location has internet connection for the student to login into the online classes. The online students who pursue their MBA online can attend the classes, downloading their training materials and assignments, submitting their courses from their comfort location through internet connection. The flexibility time tables of online learning allow students to plan their own study time based on their learning pace and convenient schedule. The features best fit for most working individuals who have busy working schedule. The frequent travelers are able to take advantages of studying anywhere and at anytime with online MBA program.
While traditional MBA courses require you to attend the physical lectures and work with your physical peers on group assignments, online curriculum generally consist of lectures, reading, assignments which are all in text, multimedia and audio format which you need to login to the school's online system to view or download the materials. Most of time you are using online channels such as online discussion board, online chatting, email and sometime phone calls to communicate with the lecturers and online classmates.
In term of educational goal, both online learning and traditional MBA programs general share the same goal of preparing the students for many fields, functions, and industries to help them progress toward a specific career goal. Both online and traditional MBA can be considered equally difficult and have a similar type of curriculum. Both MBA learning types are able to help you achieve your career goal, but instead of spending hours in class as in traditional MBA program, online MBA students are expected to dedicate their time to study independently.
Traditional MBA program will have a time table which you need to follow to attend the classes on time. If you decide to pursue your degree through campus-based MBA program and at the same time maintaining your current employment, you may need to adjust your working schedule to fit the time table of your MBA courses. Most working individuals who sign up for traditional MBA program will normally enroll into evening classes or time after work. They also need to commute to and from school and they might miss the classes if they need to stay after work due to important assignment or project. For those working individuals who are frequently travel on job assignment, they may have difficulties to fit their time to the fixed time table of the MBA courses.
Online MBA programs solve the above problems with the features of flexibility, self-pace and convenient of attending classes from any location as long as the location has internet connection for the student to login into the online classes. The online students who pursue their MBA online can attend the classes, downloading their training materials and assignments, submitting their courses from their comfort location through internet connection. The flexibility time tables of online learning allow students to plan their own study time based on their learning pace and convenient schedule. The features best fit for most working individuals who have busy working schedule. The frequent travelers are able to take advantages of studying anywhere and at anytime with online MBA program.
While traditional MBA courses require you to attend the physical lectures and work with your physical peers on group assignments, online curriculum generally consist of lectures, reading, assignments which are all in text, multimedia and audio format which you need to login to the school's online system to view or download the materials. Most of time you are using online channels such as online discussion board, online chatting, email and sometime phone calls to communicate with the lecturers and online classmates.
Choosing Business Management School (mba Institutes) for Executive MBA Programs
The Executive MBA, commonly referred to as the EMBA, is designed specifically to help working business professionals, managers and executives by giving a professional touch to their already acquired work skills. The Executive MBA is geared towards professionals who are looking to update their general management skills and prepare themselves for career advancement opportunities.
What really sets the executive MBA apart from many other MBA programs is the level of experience and insights that students bring to the program. In most Executive MBA programs, the students' professional experience and expertise becomes an integral part of the curriculum. The Executive MBA is typically completed during the evenings or on weekends over a two-year period. The Executive MBA truly offers a level of education not obtained in any other setting.
A majority of top executives, worldwide, feel that earning a graduate degree in business is important for those who want to obtain top management positions. MBA today is not just another qualification; it is a necessity as the world moves towards a more corporate and service-oriented economy. An MBA not only ensures your employment, but also ensures your success and marketability in an ever-evolving job market.
The Bangalore Management Academy (BMA), located in the beautiful garden city of India called Bangalore, offers an executive MBA program in affiliation with Australia’s Edith Cowan University (ECU).
We offer our students:
* Excellent infrastructure
* Centrally located, Modern and Spacious campus
* Well equipped labs and library
* Experienced faculty
* Unparalleled track record for internships and placements
Bangalore Management Academy (BMA) is a leading Business Management Institution in India delivering quality higher education to ambitious students striving to be a success in the corporate world. Since the first collaboration with Bharathidasan Institute of Management, BMA has tied up with new and exciting partnerships with top most universities in India, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and UK.
BMA's Executive MBA program focuses on providing students with training in basic business principles needed by any business manager including, corporate finance, economics, strategic planning, marketing, basic accounting, etc. The subjects that are taught at BMA are current, relevant and case study based. The specializations offered include Finance, Marketing, Information Systems, Hospitality & Tourism, International Business and HRM.
What really sets the executive MBA apart from many other MBA programs is the level of experience and insights that students bring to the program. In most Executive MBA programs, the students' professional experience and expertise becomes an integral part of the curriculum. The Executive MBA is typically completed during the evenings or on weekends over a two-year period. The Executive MBA truly offers a level of education not obtained in any other setting.
A majority of top executives, worldwide, feel that earning a graduate degree in business is important for those who want to obtain top management positions. MBA today is not just another qualification; it is a necessity as the world moves towards a more corporate and service-oriented economy. An MBA not only ensures your employment, but also ensures your success and marketability in an ever-evolving job market.
The Bangalore Management Academy (BMA), located in the beautiful garden city of India called Bangalore, offers an executive MBA program in affiliation with Australia’s Edith Cowan University (ECU).
We offer our students:
* Excellent infrastructure
* Centrally located, Modern and Spacious campus
* Well equipped labs and library
* Experienced faculty
* Unparalleled track record for internships and placements
Bangalore Management Academy (BMA) is a leading Business Management Institution in India delivering quality higher education to ambitious students striving to be a success in the corporate world. Since the first collaboration with Bharathidasan Institute of Management, BMA has tied up with new and exciting partnerships with top most universities in India, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and UK.
BMA's Executive MBA program focuses on providing students with training in basic business principles needed by any business manager including, corporate finance, economics, strategic planning, marketing, basic accounting, etc. The subjects that are taught at BMA are current, relevant and case study based. The specializations offered include Finance, Marketing, Information Systems, Hospitality & Tourism, International Business and HRM.
Mba Coaching Centre: Crack The Mba Entrance With The Best Guidance
MBA Coaching Centers
Long way back, professional knowledge was strictly cornered around certain schools, colleges and universities in India, but in the last decade it has changed dramatically with the inflow of MNCs (multi-national companies) and the rise in economy. All this development has brought in a sizeable chunk of job opportunities. To cater to the need of management graduates, we have witnessed a rise in MBA institutions all across India in the past few years.
But, with this mushrooming of MBA institutions has arisen a new problem – which college to get enrolled in to secure a better future in the cut-throat competition, which is further aggravated by the poor quality of education offered by a large number of MBA Institutes. To guide the students in finding the best colleges, MBA Coaching Centers took the center stage. These coaching centers provide guidance and support in cracking the entrance of the premier MBA institutes.
Services of MBA Coaching Centers
The most vital aspect of an MBA Coaching Center is their multi-dimensional service which stretches from preparing students for the entrances and aiding them in procuring educational loans from leading financial institutions.
Apart from this, MBA Coaching Centers provide information regarding the top-most colleges in India and abroad, how to go about, scholarships, international fellowships and other things.
For students they act as a helping hand in redeeming their dreams by conducting – mock test papers, group discussions and offering study materials – with an objective of enabling the Degree aspirants to crack the entrance examinations with ease.
How to Utilize the Services of MBA Coaching Centers:
It will be very difficult for anyone to provide a fixed formula to crack an MBA entrance. Therefore, it is advisable for a student to start with a proper planning. Most of the coaching centers do an in-depth study for the same. On the basis of which they provide study materials and help the students in chalking out plans regarding their preparation for the MBA entrance exams.
For better utilization of the resources offered by the MBA coaching centers, students should strictly follow the guidance provided by the experienced teachers and faculty members.
Benefits of MBA Coaching Centers:
To make full use of MBA coaching centers, students are advised to adhere to the guidelines offered by the teachers and faculty members.
1. MBA Coaching Centers guide students about proper planning.
2. MBA entrance exams are always lengthy, so coaching centers give tips to students about time management.
3. MBA Coaching Centers provide study materials and organize mock tests to make the students familiarize with the actual test and time limits.
Finding MBA Coaching Centers Online:
In the age of information technology, it is not difficult to find information regarding the best available MBA coaching centers. There are numerous online websites that offer services and information about MBA Coaching Centers. You just have to google in.
Long way back, professional knowledge was strictly cornered around certain schools, colleges and universities in India, but in the last decade it has changed dramatically with the inflow of MNCs (multi-national companies) and the rise in economy. All this development has brought in a sizeable chunk of job opportunities. To cater to the need of management graduates, we have witnessed a rise in MBA institutions all across India in the past few years.
But, with this mushrooming of MBA institutions has arisen a new problem – which college to get enrolled in to secure a better future in the cut-throat competition, which is further aggravated by the poor quality of education offered by a large number of MBA Institutes. To guide the students in finding the best colleges, MBA Coaching Centers took the center stage. These coaching centers provide guidance and support in cracking the entrance of the premier MBA institutes.
Services of MBA Coaching Centers
The most vital aspect of an MBA Coaching Center is their multi-dimensional service which stretches from preparing students for the entrances and aiding them in procuring educational loans from leading financial institutions.
Apart from this, MBA Coaching Centers provide information regarding the top-most colleges in India and abroad, how to go about, scholarships, international fellowships and other things.
For students they act as a helping hand in redeeming their dreams by conducting – mock test papers, group discussions and offering study materials – with an objective of enabling the Degree aspirants to crack the entrance examinations with ease.
How to Utilize the Services of MBA Coaching Centers:
It will be very difficult for anyone to provide a fixed formula to crack an MBA entrance. Therefore, it is advisable for a student to start with a proper planning. Most of the coaching centers do an in-depth study for the same. On the basis of which they provide study materials and help the students in chalking out plans regarding their preparation for the MBA entrance exams.
For better utilization of the resources offered by the MBA coaching centers, students should strictly follow the guidance provided by the experienced teachers and faculty members.
Benefits of MBA Coaching Centers:
To make full use of MBA coaching centers, students are advised to adhere to the guidelines offered by the teachers and faculty members.
1. MBA Coaching Centers guide students about proper planning.
2. MBA entrance exams are always lengthy, so coaching centers give tips to students about time management.
3. MBA Coaching Centers provide study materials and organize mock tests to make the students familiarize with the actual test and time limits.
Finding MBA Coaching Centers Online:
In the age of information technology, it is not difficult to find information regarding the best available MBA coaching centers. There are numerous online websites that offer services and information about MBA Coaching Centers. You just have to google in.
Mba's in the Internet Industry - are There Any Reasons for an MBA Graduate to Choose This Industry?
IMPORTANT: Through the whole article and part 2 of this article when I use the acronym "MBA" I'm referring to "Full time MBA" programs from a Top Tier Business School in Europe and the US (see updated rankings here: BusinessWeek or Finantial Times). When I mention and MBA here I'm not referring to any of the following: online MBA's, Part Time MBA's, Executive MBA's, Masters of other kind nor MBA's from schools that are not consistently listed within the top ten mentioned rankings.
Career choice after MBA Graduation: one of the most important decisions in your professional life
Doing an MBA is a dream come true for lots of professionals. The reasons for doing it are as diverse as the backgrounds of the people who are finally accepted: industry change, higher salaries, get access to top multinational companies, increase opportunities of future promotion, work in a different country, exponential increase of your professional network, etc and... of course ... to learn about Business Administration in the process. Nevertheless, one thing is true for everybody: it's probably the only time in your professional life where, if you really want it, you could work pretty much in any company in the world. In most cases, you don't even have to actively apply because most companies go to recruit YOU on campus. Depending on the economic cycle and your background, is not rare to see yourself in a position where you have more than one offer and you have to choose the one you like the most. Can you think of any other point of your professional life (in the past or yet to come) where you actually have two or three amazing job offers at the same time? If you can, you're a really lucky person. For the rest, this is a once in a life time opportunity and you have to choose wisely.
There are lots of things to consider when making your career choice after the MBA, but I won't get into detail here; this would be material for another article. The only thing I think It's worth mentioning here is that for me the most important factor is that you really like what you'll be doing. It's my personal view that if you get into an industry or a job that you really like, you'll end up being very good at it, and probably making more money in the long run than your peers that chose with a different criteria (high starting salary for example) as their most important factor.
Having said that, if what you like to do or what you're passionate about is the Internet/Technology/Media industry, the rest of this article might give you some tips to decide and help you evaluate some pros and cons of getting into this particular sector where MBA's are not so common. The goal here is to give you reasons in favor and against taking a job in this industry (by someone who made this choice a couple of years ago) so you can take a better informed decision.
The internet Industry for an MBA
At a first glance, it might seem that there are not too many reasons for an MBA graduate to get into the Internet/Media Industry. The opportunity cost is just too high: You know you will earn less money (than your consulting/Banking peers), your title has much less value (in an "engeneering/technology" driven industry) and it will be much more difficult to find a Job. So... why would an MBA from a top tier school should consider the Internet Industry?
First let's take a look at some of the drawbacks...
"MBA Culture"??... Non existent
It's no secret that this industry is ruled by technicians, engineers and programmers. This is reasonable given that most of the early innovations in the industry have been driven people in the "technical" side more than the "business" side of the industry. Just look at some of biggest names in the industry of the last 20 years: Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Google creators), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Pierre Omidyar (eBay), etc, all of them where programmers or mathematicians (maybe the only exception here could be Jeff Bezos, Amazon). These companies, with Microsoft and Google at the top of the list have created corporate cultures where the programmer is the king, having all other functions as regarded as secondary. Many smaller start-ups have followed the market leaders developing similar corporate cultures of their own creating an entire industry where Business People (meaning Marketing, Finance, Sales and other functions) are secondary. In this setting MBA's are no exception. There is no tradition for hiring MBA's (the industry is still too young), there are no resources specially dedicated for these kind of professionals, there are very few MBA's working already in the industry and in general I could sum it up saying that that there is not an "MBA Culture" in the Internet Industry.
MBA Hiring Expertise ... Not there yet
The Internet industry is new compared with other MBA demanding industries like banking or consulting. These industries have worked with MBA's in the past and know the value they can obtain from them so they have specific hiring programs for MBA's, HR staff specially trained to hire MBA's, internship programs, rotational programs for MBA's, etc. This means that they have a lot of experience hiring MBA's over the years and also that there are lots of MBA's already working in these companies. Usually big consulting firms (Bain, McKinsey, BCG, Booz Allen, AT Kerney, etc) and investment banks (or what's left of them) are the first to come to campus to recruit, even 2-3 months before any other company. Big salaries and the opportunity to eliminate the uncertainty of getting a job early on drive many people, usually many bright people, to these industries. But this is how it works for the Consulting/Banking industry ... on the other side the spectrum there is the Internet Industry...
As mentioned before, this is an industry clearly led by engineers/programmers, in which Business People tend to be a necessary, but not vital part of the company. Starting from here, is natural that most of the recruiting resources and efforts are directed to hire the best programmers and the brightest engineers right out of college. As a former MBA student, this is something you could clearly see while still looking for a job during the second year. Just to put an example on the "big three" names on Internet and their hiring processes while I was still on campus 2005-2006.
- Yahoo: Didn't come to any Career Recruitment events, didn't post any Internship or jobs but at the end hired one person for an Internship. This is one of the different types of mistakes when recruiting on campus: Not posting publicly available jobs/internships. If you want to get the best candidate, the usual path is to post it through the Career Services Department so the position is available to all the students. This creates more applications, more competition and the possibility for the company to choose the best candidate from several different applicants.
- eBay: This company did have some former MBA students in their staff but during the two years of my MBA they didn't post any job or internship so there's not much I can say about their recruitment process. Maybe in their case it was just a matter of demand and supply: They already had the necessary share of MBA's they needed for their current structure.
- Google: Google was the funniest case of the three. They just didn't want to show up at our career fairs or company presentations but somehow, our Career Services Staff managed to convince them. They came, made a company presentation and brought nine people in, the most of any company that year (usually companies bring the head recruiter and one or two alumni). At the end they didn't have any internship programs to offer, there were not MBA type of positions and nothing was really clear. They ended up hiring nobody from our school that year... which judging by the resources invested, was not a good strategy.
As you can see, In general these companies don't have well organized process for hiring MBA's. Up to a certain point this is understandable because the industry is still very young (more or less 15 years old). My hope is that this will change in the near future. As new blood comes to the Head positions of Recruiting Departments from other industries, special internship programs for MBA's will be designed and more resources will be devoted to hire MBA's on a regular basis. For now, we can only hope that the few MBA's that managed to get into these companies do well with their careers, climb high in the ranks of their organizations and can prove their value to an industry that is still skeptic with MBA's.
Value of an "MBA" to the Internet Industry
Is well known that the MBA title has a different perceived value across different industries. As mentioned before, the experience and knowledge that a top tier MBA programs can bring you are most valued in industries like consulting, banking, private equity and other financial organizations. Lower perceived value means lower starting salaries after graduation and this is another of the drawbacks of choosing to work in this industry.
Career choice after MBA Graduation: one of the most important decisions in your professional life
Doing an MBA is a dream come true for lots of professionals. The reasons for doing it are as diverse as the backgrounds of the people who are finally accepted: industry change, higher salaries, get access to top multinational companies, increase opportunities of future promotion, work in a different country, exponential increase of your professional network, etc and... of course ... to learn about Business Administration in the process. Nevertheless, one thing is true for everybody: it's probably the only time in your professional life where, if you really want it, you could work pretty much in any company in the world. In most cases, you don't even have to actively apply because most companies go to recruit YOU on campus. Depending on the economic cycle and your background, is not rare to see yourself in a position where you have more than one offer and you have to choose the one you like the most. Can you think of any other point of your professional life (in the past or yet to come) where you actually have two or three amazing job offers at the same time? If you can, you're a really lucky person. For the rest, this is a once in a life time opportunity and you have to choose wisely.
There are lots of things to consider when making your career choice after the MBA, but I won't get into detail here; this would be material for another article. The only thing I think It's worth mentioning here is that for me the most important factor is that you really like what you'll be doing. It's my personal view that if you get into an industry or a job that you really like, you'll end up being very good at it, and probably making more money in the long run than your peers that chose with a different criteria (high starting salary for example) as their most important factor.
Having said that, if what you like to do or what you're passionate about is the Internet/Technology/Media industry, the rest of this article might give you some tips to decide and help you evaluate some pros and cons of getting into this particular sector where MBA's are not so common. The goal here is to give you reasons in favor and against taking a job in this industry (by someone who made this choice a couple of years ago) so you can take a better informed decision.
The internet Industry for an MBA
At a first glance, it might seem that there are not too many reasons for an MBA graduate to get into the Internet/Media Industry. The opportunity cost is just too high: You know you will earn less money (than your consulting/Banking peers), your title has much less value (in an "engeneering/technology" driven industry) and it will be much more difficult to find a Job. So... why would an MBA from a top tier school should consider the Internet Industry?
First let's take a look at some of the drawbacks...
"MBA Culture"??... Non existent
It's no secret that this industry is ruled by technicians, engineers and programmers. This is reasonable given that most of the early innovations in the industry have been driven people in the "technical" side more than the "business" side of the industry. Just look at some of biggest names in the industry of the last 20 years: Sergey Brin and Larry Page (Google creators), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Pierre Omidyar (eBay), etc, all of them where programmers or mathematicians (maybe the only exception here could be Jeff Bezos, Amazon). These companies, with Microsoft and Google at the top of the list have created corporate cultures where the programmer is the king, having all other functions as regarded as secondary. Many smaller start-ups have followed the market leaders developing similar corporate cultures of their own creating an entire industry where Business People (meaning Marketing, Finance, Sales and other functions) are secondary. In this setting MBA's are no exception. There is no tradition for hiring MBA's (the industry is still too young), there are no resources specially dedicated for these kind of professionals, there are very few MBA's working already in the industry and in general I could sum it up saying that that there is not an "MBA Culture" in the Internet Industry.
MBA Hiring Expertise ... Not there yet
The Internet industry is new compared with other MBA demanding industries like banking or consulting. These industries have worked with MBA's in the past and know the value they can obtain from them so they have specific hiring programs for MBA's, HR staff specially trained to hire MBA's, internship programs, rotational programs for MBA's, etc. This means that they have a lot of experience hiring MBA's over the years and also that there are lots of MBA's already working in these companies. Usually big consulting firms (Bain, McKinsey, BCG, Booz Allen, AT Kerney, etc) and investment banks (or what's left of them) are the first to come to campus to recruit, even 2-3 months before any other company. Big salaries and the opportunity to eliminate the uncertainty of getting a job early on drive many people, usually many bright people, to these industries. But this is how it works for the Consulting/Banking industry ... on the other side the spectrum there is the Internet Industry...
As mentioned before, this is an industry clearly led by engineers/programmers, in which Business People tend to be a necessary, but not vital part of the company. Starting from here, is natural that most of the recruiting resources and efforts are directed to hire the best programmers and the brightest engineers right out of college. As a former MBA student, this is something you could clearly see while still looking for a job during the second year. Just to put an example on the "big three" names on Internet and their hiring processes while I was still on campus 2005-2006.
- Yahoo: Didn't come to any Career Recruitment events, didn't post any Internship or jobs but at the end hired one person for an Internship. This is one of the different types of mistakes when recruiting on campus: Not posting publicly available jobs/internships. If you want to get the best candidate, the usual path is to post it through the Career Services Department so the position is available to all the students. This creates more applications, more competition and the possibility for the company to choose the best candidate from several different applicants.
- eBay: This company did have some former MBA students in their staff but during the two years of my MBA they didn't post any job or internship so there's not much I can say about their recruitment process. Maybe in their case it was just a matter of demand and supply: They already had the necessary share of MBA's they needed for their current structure.
- Google: Google was the funniest case of the three. They just didn't want to show up at our career fairs or company presentations but somehow, our Career Services Staff managed to convince them. They came, made a company presentation and brought nine people in, the most of any company that year (usually companies bring the head recruiter and one or two alumni). At the end they didn't have any internship programs to offer, there were not MBA type of positions and nothing was really clear. They ended up hiring nobody from our school that year... which judging by the resources invested, was not a good strategy.
As you can see, In general these companies don't have well organized process for hiring MBA's. Up to a certain point this is understandable because the industry is still very young (more or less 15 years old). My hope is that this will change in the near future. As new blood comes to the Head positions of Recruiting Departments from other industries, special internship programs for MBA's will be designed and more resources will be devoted to hire MBA's on a regular basis. For now, we can only hope that the few MBA's that managed to get into these companies do well with their careers, climb high in the ranks of their organizations and can prove their value to an industry that is still skeptic with MBA's.
Value of an "MBA" to the Internet Industry
Is well known that the MBA title has a different perceived value across different industries. As mentioned before, the experience and knowledge that a top tier MBA programs can bring you are most valued in industries like consulting, banking, private equity and other financial organizations. Lower perceived value means lower starting salaries after graduation and this is another of the drawbacks of choosing to work in this industry.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Study in Australia
For all those who are planning their further studies abroad then Australia happens to be one of the hottest destinations for career building for international students. It offers a good exposure in terms of innovative, creative and independent thinking. Australia Is known for providing all the amenities required for shaping a successful career and supports the entire infrastructure to hold education for international students.
With over 384,000 international students, trusting their future and making the best possible use of the opportunities in Australia; you can even mould your career with the standardize facilities they provide. With the changing trends, non-English speaking students are opting to study in Australia to experiment with different cultures and backgrounds.
Australia has a wide range of opportunities in various fields for International students. There are many schools and colleges in Australia but under listed form the top notch of the hierarchy:
• The Sydney Business and Travel Academy-- Leading edged Certificates & Advanced Diplomas in Travel & Tourism, Hospitality, IT, Business and Childcare.
• Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT)-- natural therapies and beauty therapy located in the heart of Sydney.
• Sydney Institute--largest and oldest school of vocational education and training institute to take English language training or study accounting, information technology, hospitality and a host of other courses.
• William Blue School-- The school provides practical, industry relevant training in the fields of Food and Beverage, Banqueting, Rooms Divisions, Sales and Marketing, Finance, Human Recourses, Resort Management, Conventions, Event Management and Culinary Arts.
• Cambridge International College-- Marketing, Business Management, Multimedia, Printing and Graphic Arts, Community Welfare, Hairdressing, General Purposes English, Business English etc.
Lodging is one of the important factors that an international student looks for before taking admission in any of the schools or college; Australia offers cheaper living costs which fits in the budget of students. Australia has a number of Boarding schools, Home stay or farm stay, University accommodation, Hostels and guesthouses, Share accommodation or Rental accommodation; therefore you have various options to choose from. Frugal study costs, economical lodging and quality education makes Australia one of the most preferred centers for education in comparison with UK or The US.
With over 384,000 international students, trusting their future and making the best possible use of the opportunities in Australia; you can even mould your career with the standardize facilities they provide. With the changing trends, non-English speaking students are opting to study in Australia to experiment with different cultures and backgrounds.
Australia has a wide range of opportunities in various fields for International students. There are many schools and colleges in Australia but under listed form the top notch of the hierarchy:
• The Sydney Business and Travel Academy-- Leading edged Certificates & Advanced Diplomas in Travel & Tourism, Hospitality, IT, Business and Childcare.
• Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT)-- natural therapies and beauty therapy located in the heart of Sydney.
• Sydney Institute--largest and oldest school of vocational education and training institute to take English language training or study accounting, information technology, hospitality and a host of other courses.
• William Blue School-- The school provides practical, industry relevant training in the fields of Food and Beverage, Banqueting, Rooms Divisions, Sales and Marketing, Finance, Human Recourses, Resort Management, Conventions, Event Management and Culinary Arts.
• Cambridge International College-- Marketing, Business Management, Multimedia, Printing and Graphic Arts, Community Welfare, Hairdressing, General Purposes English, Business English etc.
Lodging is one of the important factors that an international student looks for before taking admission in any of the schools or college; Australia offers cheaper living costs which fits in the budget of students. Australia has a number of Boarding schools, Home stay or farm stay, University accommodation, Hostels and guesthouses, Share accommodation or Rental accommodation; therefore you have various options to choose from. Frugal study costs, economical lodging and quality education makes Australia one of the most preferred centers for education in comparison with UK or The US.
Study in Australia Visa Programs
Study in a high level of quality into reputable educational institution is one of our dream. A dream that we admit on study abroad programs is a total journey for better enhancement of our goal in life. In order to fulfill those vision, universities in Australia provides you a complete educational program and courses with highly innovative educational methods and instruction which recognized internationally. Some of Universities here in Australia, have their different reputations that provide a broad range of courses that are up-to-date or relevant to the modern employment in the country and through out the world.
As they invest, it is one way to empower the country by means of important breakthroughs in modern technology and gaining high standard of quality education whom they made the whole world proud of them. Australia reach now the honor of center for quality education as they prove that large number of international students was decided to choose Australia as their destination in pursuing their study. We search and explore everything in order to uplift our life in best lifestyle that we pursue to achieve. That's why study in Australia is the best destination for us to start-up our career and enhance knowledge and talents.
Australia is a safe and friendly country. It was sophisticated and harmonious society in which the students can learn, travel and work. In that matter, Australia has a different Visa programs which intends to every purpose of a person who want s to visit, migrate, travel, work, and study in the amazing country of Australia. For those who want to study in Australia, there are specific Visa programs for you to secure. That is Australian student Visa Program. In securing your student Visa, make sure that you meet the respective qualification and requirements. Student Visa are categorized into five programs.
These are English language course Visa, School sector Visa, Vocational education or Training sector Visa, Higher education sector Visa, and Masters and Doctorate sector Visa. These 5 programs are intends for every sector of respective educational program in Australia. There are Visa for completing a language course, Visa for completing the study elementary and secondary education, a Visa for completing vocational course or any training programs, Visa for those who want to pursue their higher education in Australia such as bachelor degree or college degree courses, and a Visa for graduate study such as Masters in research and Doctoral degrees.
You can choose among those Visa programs which suited for your pursuing educational programs. Not only that, while studying in Australia, you were able to travel in some beautiful places in every regions of the country. Or by securing holiday Visa, you can have part time job in Australia. If you are industrious enough, you can earn more money there because of lot of workplace for you to have part time jobs. When you graduate d a course in certain educational institution in Australia, a brighter future is already in you that keeps your identity as a successful student which is a product of a certain university in Australia. A mark of a world class standard of quality education that gave to you by the university in Australia.
As they invest, it is one way to empower the country by means of important breakthroughs in modern technology and gaining high standard of quality education whom they made the whole world proud of them. Australia reach now the honor of center for quality education as they prove that large number of international students was decided to choose Australia as their destination in pursuing their study. We search and explore everything in order to uplift our life in best lifestyle that we pursue to achieve. That's why study in Australia is the best destination for us to start-up our career and enhance knowledge and talents.
Australia is a safe and friendly country. It was sophisticated and harmonious society in which the students can learn, travel and work. In that matter, Australia has a different Visa programs which intends to every purpose of a person who want s to visit, migrate, travel, work, and study in the amazing country of Australia. For those who want to study in Australia, there are specific Visa programs for you to secure. That is Australian student Visa Program. In securing your student Visa, make sure that you meet the respective qualification and requirements. Student Visa are categorized into five programs.
These are English language course Visa, School sector Visa, Vocational education or Training sector Visa, Higher education sector Visa, and Masters and Doctorate sector Visa. These 5 programs are intends for every sector of respective educational program in Australia. There are Visa for completing a language course, Visa for completing the study elementary and secondary education, a Visa for completing vocational course or any training programs, Visa for those who want to pursue their higher education in Australia such as bachelor degree or college degree courses, and a Visa for graduate study such as Masters in research and Doctoral degrees.
You can choose among those Visa programs which suited for your pursuing educational programs. Not only that, while studying in Australia, you were able to travel in some beautiful places in every regions of the country. Or by securing holiday Visa, you can have part time job in Australia. If you are industrious enough, you can earn more money there because of lot of workplace for you to have part time jobs. When you graduate d a course in certain educational institution in Australia, a brighter future is already in you that keeps your identity as a successful student which is a product of a certain university in Australia. A mark of a world class standard of quality education that gave to you by the university in Australia.
Medical Education in Russia
Russian Federation is the country that always had very high level of medical education. It was the first country in the world where was opened pediatric faculty (Russian State Medical University), first country in Europe where was opened medico-biological faculty (Russian State Medical University), it is the country where were made a lot of greatest medical discoveries, where were born a lot of greatest scientists.
Nowadays the row of Russian Universities was placed in the ten best Universities of rating of UNESCO. For example Moscow Medical Academy has the 2nd place in pointed rating. It proves that the medical education in Russia always had and has the best quality.
In accordance with national legislation of mature economies countries students that graduated any University registered by WHO have the same rights. No matter where University is. Much more important the personal merits of students. The most part of Russian Medical Universities is registered by WHO.
The cost of medical education in Russia is much less than in Europe and USA. So foreign students can get excellent education at acceptable price.
When foreign students study in Russia they get a chance to learn the treasure culture of this biggest country, to see the world famous places.
There are different agencies who can offer their help with entering medical Universities in Russia. One of well-known is Russian Educational Medical Center which can propose admission letters, invitations, accommodation services and other kind of help. It works with students of all nations and offers undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, nursing courses.
Nowadays the row of Russian Universities was placed in the ten best Universities of rating of UNESCO. For example Moscow Medical Academy has the 2nd place in pointed rating. It proves that the medical education in Russia always had and has the best quality.
In accordance with national legislation of mature economies countries students that graduated any University registered by WHO have the same rights. No matter where University is. Much more important the personal merits of students. The most part of Russian Medical Universities is registered by WHO.
The cost of medical education in Russia is much less than in Europe and USA. So foreign students can get excellent education at acceptable price.
When foreign students study in Russia they get a chance to learn the treasure culture of this biggest country, to see the world famous places.
There are different agencies who can offer their help with entering medical Universities in Russia. One of well-known is Russian Educational Medical Center which can propose admission letters, invitations, accommodation services and other kind of help. It works with students of all nations and offers undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, nursing courses.
Study Abroad, Europe - the Benefits
Studying abroad is when a student travels to a different nation in the search for academic opportunities. A number students relish the notion of studying overseas - business management, engineering sciences - or some other marketable skill overseas. This approach can have many advantages for a student and generally is appropriated towards for degree points to a postsecondary higher education, but a number of academic pupils who study abroad do so for the experience and not much for credit. Where study abroad Europe issues are involved, there are more or less overseas learning programs to choose from presently, contigent upon the subject the academic enrollees is leaning towards and on the favored country coal.
For example, if a enrollee seeks to learn abroad for aquatic biology, he or she will travel to a nation where hands-on training can be received. There are over 20 plus subjects a person can study abroad, as well as over 50 destinations a student can travel to. For example, a pupil from China who is interested in engineering can get into the Rochester Institute of Technology program in the US. Several course offerings offer various advantages such as university credit, scholarships, and internship to a number of organizations. People many times misapprehend students who study abroad with foreign exchange students, but there is a noticable distinction between the two. Many academies prefer their attendees to be involved with study abroad programs rather than student exchange programs because it is easier, since international programs are more flexible.
A student exchange student on average does not earn credit and is for the most part there for the experience and in order to gain knowledge about the foreign language and culture.
For example, if a enrollee seeks to learn abroad for aquatic biology, he or she will travel to a nation where hands-on training can be received. There are over 20 plus subjects a person can study abroad, as well as over 50 destinations a student can travel to. For example, a pupil from China who is interested in engineering can get into the Rochester Institute of Technology program in the US. Several course offerings offer various advantages such as university credit, scholarships, and internship to a number of organizations. People many times misapprehend students who study abroad with foreign exchange students, but there is a noticable distinction between the two. Many academies prefer their attendees to be involved with study abroad programs rather than student exchange programs because it is easier, since international programs are more flexible.
A student exchange student on average does not earn credit and is for the most part there for the experience and in order to gain knowledge about the foreign language and culture.
Studies in Australia – Helping Overseas Students Make Informed Choices
Australia is the preferred overseas study destination for over 455,000 international students from 190 countries around the world. Hobsons aims to use its Studies in Australia products to help every international student make an informed decision about what to study and where to go in Australia.
The Hobsons range of Studies in Australia products includes a website, a yearly magazine and quarterly member’s only ezines.
Studies in Australia products provide accurate and easy-to-use information to help students make the big decisions concerning studying in Australia. The products provide detailed information on the Australian education system, with advice on key topics such as applications, accommodation, detailed profiles of education institutions, course listings and study data like contact details, fees and course duration. There is also information about different Australian regions, and tips on how to enjoy the great Australian lifestyle.
Australia is the world’s fifth-largest provider of education to international students, who contribute nearly $12 billion to the Australian economy. Australia’s international students are enrolled in a wide range of disciplines at eight different levels of education, including short-term English language courses, secondary education, bachelor and masters degrees right through to doctoral degrees. Asia is Australia’s main source of international students, representing four out of every five of Australia’s overseas student market.
Most international students enrol in higher education programs, with an increasing number enrolled in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and English language programs.
Higher education international students are usually either on a study abroad program or an exchange program. These programs vary in regards to credit transfer and fees, and the time spent in Australia. Some students choose to study for one or two semesters, while other complete their whole degree in Australia.
International students come to study in Australia for the world-class degrees, safe and multicultural cities and great climate. Students choose Australia over other international destinations for the cheaper price of living and degrees, compared to the US and the UK.
Hobsons has been assisting Australians in selecting courses and careers since 1991 and has earned a reputation for providing comprehensive, authoritative and independent information on Australian higher education institutions.
The Hobsons range of Studies in Australia products includes a website, a yearly magazine and quarterly member’s only ezines.
Studies in Australia products provide accurate and easy-to-use information to help students make the big decisions concerning studying in Australia. The products provide detailed information on the Australian education system, with advice on key topics such as applications, accommodation, detailed profiles of education institutions, course listings and study data like contact details, fees and course duration. There is also information about different Australian regions, and tips on how to enjoy the great Australian lifestyle.
Australia is the world’s fifth-largest provider of education to international students, who contribute nearly $12 billion to the Australian economy. Australia’s international students are enrolled in a wide range of disciplines at eight different levels of education, including short-term English language courses, secondary education, bachelor and masters degrees right through to doctoral degrees. Asia is Australia’s main source of international students, representing four out of every five of Australia’s overseas student market.
Most international students enrol in higher education programs, with an increasing number enrolled in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and English language programs.
Higher education international students are usually either on a study abroad program or an exchange program. These programs vary in regards to credit transfer and fees, and the time spent in Australia. Some students choose to study for one or two semesters, while other complete their whole degree in Australia.
International students come to study in Australia for the world-class degrees, safe and multicultural cities and great climate. Students choose Australia over other international destinations for the cheaper price of living and degrees, compared to the US and the UK.
Hobsons has been assisting Australians in selecting courses and careers since 1991 and has earned a reputation for providing comprehensive, authoritative and independent information on Australian higher education institutions.
Studying in Lisbon
Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world and offers many breathtaking sites. Some of the finest universities in Europe are also located in this historic city. And once you start studying in Lisbon you will feel more its splendor and all the fun and excitement it offers. Below are some basic yet very important points for international students to consider while planning their study. It is definitely better to know these essential facts to get the most of your stay in Lisbon…
Study in Spain
Spain has some of the oldest universities and academic institutions in the world dating back as early as 1218. Renowned Higher Education world rankings such as the Times Higher Education Supplement, QS World University Rankings, and Academic Ranking of World Universities have places various institutions in Spain in top positions – old and newly established universities. Below are popular destinations for many international students in the past years:
University of Navarra (UN) – cited by The Economist magazine in 2005 and 2006 for having the best MBA program in the world with its business school IESE. In 2006 ranks as the top private institution in Spain according to Times Higher Education Supplement. Degree programs for international students include Liberal Arts, Language Studies, Economics and Business Administration, and different Master’s and Doctoral programs.
Autonomous University of Madrid – founded in 1968 as a Spanish public university along with the Autonomies Universities of Bilbao and Barcelona. The university has already received outstanding and top rankings from various institutions such as El Mundo, Times Higher Education Supplement, and Academic Ranking of World Universities despite its 30-year existence.
University of Barcelona (UB) – the only Spanish university to be included in the Top 200 Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008. It recently celebrated it 555 years of prosperous history and academic contributions. Foreign students can take Spanish university or postgraduate degree or continue their university studies.
Complutense University of Madrid – one of the oldest universities in the world and remains an outstanding public university in Spain. Its studies in Spanish Literature, Schools of Philisophy, History, Sociology, Journalism, and Psychology lead various national rankings.
Comillas Pontifical University – located in Madrid, the university has about 10,000 students. It forms collaboration with different academic exchange studies and international projects together with more than 200 Higher Education Institutions from Asia, America and Europe. Foreign students can choose from various Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations and Engineering courses.
There also non-degree programs, short courses, and other different special programs/educational trips for group of students you can choose from. Study abroad in Spain is more than learning, it is an experience of a lifetime. Enjoy!!!
University of Navarra (UN) – cited by The Economist magazine in 2005 and 2006 for having the best MBA program in the world with its business school IESE. In 2006 ranks as the top private institution in Spain according to Times Higher Education Supplement. Degree programs for international students include Liberal Arts, Language Studies, Economics and Business Administration, and different Master’s and Doctoral programs.
Autonomous University of Madrid – founded in 1968 as a Spanish public university along with the Autonomies Universities of Bilbao and Barcelona. The university has already received outstanding and top rankings from various institutions such as El Mundo, Times Higher Education Supplement, and Academic Ranking of World Universities despite its 30-year existence.
University of Barcelona (UB) – the only Spanish university to be included in the Top 200 Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008. It recently celebrated it 555 years of prosperous history and academic contributions. Foreign students can take Spanish university or postgraduate degree or continue their university studies.
Complutense University of Madrid – one of the oldest universities in the world and remains an outstanding public university in Spain. Its studies in Spanish Literature, Schools of Philisophy, History, Sociology, Journalism, and Psychology lead various national rankings.
Comillas Pontifical University – located in Madrid, the university has about 10,000 students. It forms collaboration with different academic exchange studies and international projects together with more than 200 Higher Education Institutions from Asia, America and Europe. Foreign students can choose from various Business Administration, Social Sciences, International Relations and Engineering courses.
There also non-degree programs, short courses, and other different special programs/educational trips for group of students you can choose from. Study abroad in Spain is more than learning, it is an experience of a lifetime. Enjoy!!!
Study In Germany
More and more college-bound students from the U.S. and around the world are traveling to Germany to study, some for a semester or a year, but others to pursue a two- or four-year degree at one of the country's many prestigious universities.
The reason? Part of it is pure quality - the university system created in Germany after World War II has a well-earned reputation for excellence - but another, more pragmatic reason is cost. Students who in the United States would be facing over $50,000 in student loans after four years of college can attend a public German university for an average of $700 a semester, plus between $50 and $150 in registration fees. Tuition itself in the public universities is free; the $700 covers the cost of arranged lodging and other official expenses. Even adding food, transportation, and other daily costs to that, the German university is an incredible bargain. And to sweeten the offer, the German government offers scholarships to help defray the costs of fees, lodging, and any number of other daily expenses associated with study in Germany.
Engineering students in particular are making a beeline for Germany, choosing to pursue a degree at one of Germany's excellent technical universities, while other students decide to experience the country's rich cultural history while earning a degree in humanities at one of the centuries' old traditional establishments. Many courses of study leading to a wide range of career paths are available to foreign students at more than 300 colleges and trade schools. Some students limit themselves to a single semester or a year in Germany, largely for the experience of living abroad, but more and more students are deciding to stay and earn an undergraduate or advanced post-graduate degree.
Learning the language
While some courses at German universities are taught in English, the vast majority of instruction takes place in German, and the federal government requires foreign students to pass a DSH exam to prove their proficiency in the German language before being accepted for university study. The government licenses a number of private German language schools to provide intensive instruction in German; students live in German towns, sometimes with German families, and shop, travel, and attend movies, concerts and restaurants in a total immersion experience that serves to develop remarkable skill in speaking and reading the language in an amazingly short period of time. Scholarships are also available from the German federal government for these courses.
The reason? Part of it is pure quality - the university system created in Germany after World War II has a well-earned reputation for excellence - but another, more pragmatic reason is cost. Students who in the United States would be facing over $50,000 in student loans after four years of college can attend a public German university for an average of $700 a semester, plus between $50 and $150 in registration fees. Tuition itself in the public universities is free; the $700 covers the cost of arranged lodging and other official expenses. Even adding food, transportation, and other daily costs to that, the German university is an incredible bargain. And to sweeten the offer, the German government offers scholarships to help defray the costs of fees, lodging, and any number of other daily expenses associated with study in Germany.
Engineering students in particular are making a beeline for Germany, choosing to pursue a degree at one of Germany's excellent technical universities, while other students decide to experience the country's rich cultural history while earning a degree in humanities at one of the centuries' old traditional establishments. Many courses of study leading to a wide range of career paths are available to foreign students at more than 300 colleges and trade schools. Some students limit themselves to a single semester or a year in Germany, largely for the experience of living abroad, but more and more students are deciding to stay and earn an undergraduate or advanced post-graduate degree.
Learning the language
While some courses at German universities are taught in English, the vast majority of instruction takes place in German, and the federal government requires foreign students to pass a DSH exam to prove their proficiency in the German language before being accepted for university study. The government licenses a number of private German language schools to provide intensive instruction in German; students live in German towns, sometimes with German families, and shop, travel, and attend movies, concerts and restaurants in a total immersion experience that serves to develop remarkable skill in speaking and reading the language in an amazingly short period of time. Scholarships are also available from the German federal government for these courses.
Program To Study Abroad In Italy
Once again, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, one of Italy's largest provider of in-country Italian courses in Italy, is announcing the new programs for the year 2006 presenting innovative plans to promote the learning of the Italian language. Now, universities, colleges, community colleges, high schools and students worldwide are invited to read about our wide choice of Italian language and cultural courses.
This year following the great success of the inaugural Academic School Year in 2005, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci will feature the Academy School Year course in Italy in all its school centers (Florence, Milan. Rome and Siena).
The "Academic Year" is a 32 week language and culture course for students who wish to experience living and studying in Italy. The course combines not only language courses with Italian culture classes at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci but the syllabus also incorporates the fundamental elements of level C2 of the European Language Portfolio. "All in all, the course offers students the opportunity to see at first hand the various aspects of Italy’s rich history and culture", said Chiara Poggi, the Head of Studies of the Italian School in Florence.
Needless to say, lessons are taught only in Italian from the very start. "At the end of the course, the student is ready to write a final dissertation on a topic related to Italian culture (art, history and business Italian)", said Wolfango Poggi, director of the Italian language school Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.
Created to provide an opportunity for motivated and deserving students to experience the magic of study abroad one year, the Academic Year Program in Italy aims to:
* progress from the Beginner and/or the Elementary level to the Intermediate stages, working on the basics of Italian grammar (articles, prepositions, present and past tenses) to more complex subjects such as the subjunctive.
* develop speaking and listening skills through daily conversation classes
* give an introduction to the everlasting beauty and charm of Italian art
* take you through the world of business and current affairs and the world of fashion: a sector where Italian artists are at the leading edge, where we aim to reveal some of the secrets behind the “Made in Italy” label.
* allow you to understand the mixture of tradition and change which characterizes contemporary Italy.
When asked about her experience, Sanda S., who studied in Milan with Scuola Leonardo da Vinci last year, commented: "I was delighted at the chance to travel to Italy and attend Scuola Leonardo da Vinci for 32 weeks. I believe the programme helped me to improve my Italian in a friendly and supportive environment. I really enjoyed meeting people from around the world. Being able to study in Italy also helped me gain an understanding of the Italian culture. It was certainly an experience I will never forget and intend to repeat in the future."
Program details and supporting information, including students opinions and histories on the Academic Year Experince in Italy, may be found on the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Web site at http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/gap-year-in-italy.php. Next Starting dates, as written on the Web Site, are 02 January, 08 May and 25 September 2006
This year following the great success of the inaugural Academic School Year in 2005, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci will feature the Academy School Year course in Italy in all its school centers (Florence, Milan. Rome and Siena).
The "Academic Year" is a 32 week language and culture course for students who wish to experience living and studying in Italy. The course combines not only language courses with Italian culture classes at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci but the syllabus also incorporates the fundamental elements of level C2 of the European Language Portfolio. "All in all, the course offers students the opportunity to see at first hand the various aspects of Italy’s rich history and culture", said Chiara Poggi, the Head of Studies of the Italian School in Florence.
Needless to say, lessons are taught only in Italian from the very start. "At the end of the course, the student is ready to write a final dissertation on a topic related to Italian culture (art, history and business Italian)", said Wolfango Poggi, director of the Italian language school Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.
Created to provide an opportunity for motivated and deserving students to experience the magic of study abroad one year, the Academic Year Program in Italy aims to:
* progress from the Beginner and/or the Elementary level to the Intermediate stages, working on the basics of Italian grammar (articles, prepositions, present and past tenses) to more complex subjects such as the subjunctive.
* develop speaking and listening skills through daily conversation classes
* give an introduction to the everlasting beauty and charm of Italian art
* take you through the world of business and current affairs and the world of fashion: a sector where Italian artists are at the leading edge, where we aim to reveal some of the secrets behind the “Made in Italy” label.
* allow you to understand the mixture of tradition and change which characterizes contemporary Italy.
When asked about her experience, Sanda S., who studied in Milan with Scuola Leonardo da Vinci last year, commented: "I was delighted at the chance to travel to Italy and attend Scuola Leonardo da Vinci for 32 weeks. I believe the programme helped me to improve my Italian in a friendly and supportive environment. I really enjoyed meeting people from around the world. Being able to study in Italy also helped me gain an understanding of the Italian culture. It was certainly an experience I will never forget and intend to repeat in the future."
Program details and supporting information, including students opinions and histories on the Academic Year Experince in Italy, may be found on the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Web site at http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/gap-year-in-italy.php. Next Starting dates, as written on the Web Site, are 02 January, 08 May and 25 September 2006
Studies Abroad Expands Study Abroad Options in Barcelona
Academic Studies Abroad, a leader in affordable study abroad programs, has signed an agreement with Griffith College Dublin to offer American students the opportunity to take classes directly with Irish students.
“Up until now, there were very few opportunities for American students to take courses with Irish students in Dublin,” said Programs Manager Chelsea Kaloupek, “Only the very best students could get into the two main public universities in Dublin and everyone else was left taking courses with other American students at programs set up by American universities. “
Griffith College Dublin is consistently ranked one of the top private colleges in Ireland and is well regarding for its programs in Business, Communications, Law, Computer Science, Interior Design, Architecture, and Hospitality Management.
As part of their agreement, American students with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher may apply to spend either one semester or a full academic year at Griffith College Dublin.
For information: www.academicstudies.com or
Contact: info@academicstudies.com
Phone: (888) 845-4272
“Up until now, there were very few opportunities for American students to take courses with Irish students in Dublin,” said Programs Manager Chelsea Kaloupek, “Only the very best students could get into the two main public universities in Dublin and everyone else was left taking courses with other American students at programs set up by American universities. “
Griffith College Dublin is consistently ranked one of the top private colleges in Ireland and is well regarding for its programs in Business, Communications, Law, Computer Science, Interior Design, Architecture, and Hospitality Management.
As part of their agreement, American students with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher may apply to spend either one semester or a full academic year at Griffith College Dublin.
For information: www.academicstudies.com or
Contact: info@academicstudies.com
Phone: (888) 845-4272
Studying Abroad in France
If studying abroad is wonderful then studying abroad in France is wondrous.
Here are some treasures on how to best explore one of the most beautiful countries on earth in between all of those pesky tests and papers...
1. Don’t bring anything that might have to be dry cleaned! You will find doing your laundry in a Laundromat quite expensive compared to the States, the prices for dry cleaning are astronomical, as it’s still not a very common practice. Should you discover a red wine stain on your favorite ‘dry clean only’ shirt that made its way into your suitcase against better advise, look for a Pressing or Blachisserie and ask for a “nettoyage à sec” (TIP: Before forking over for a dry cleaning bill, the best way to get a red wine stain out of clothes is by pouring it’s friend white wine all over it, honest!)
2. Because the water in France is a lot “softer” than in the States, your hair and skin may not feel as clean even after washing. For this reason, it’s best not to bring your own products from home, but to buy products here that are specially adapted and produced according to the minerals in the water. You can go to any of the beauty supply stores and talk to a sales lady about it and they can direct you to a product that’s right for you.
3. For a truly interesting movie going experience in Paris, be sure to visit La Pagode. The manager of the store Bon Marché imported a real pagoda from Japan for his wife to use as a ballroom! Unfortunately they soon divorced, and it was turned into a movie theater that makes for a brilliant experience…be sure to ask for the salle japonaise. (57 rue de Babylone 75007)
4. When headed to the cinema, the matinees are always cheapest. But pay attention to the rules of each movie house, because in some this may be any film played before noon, but in others it may just be the first film of the day. Many theaters also have reduced ticket prices on Mondays and Wednesdays. (TIP: Be sure the film is in VO, version originale, played in English with subtitles and not dubbed over in French, VF!)
5. If you are studying abroad in Nice, be sure to visit one of the few internet cafés in the city, located at 8 Rue Vincent, just at the corner of Rue Pontin in the Old Town. They have wi-fi and cable TV, great food and snack, and Happy Hour for drinks starting at 5 pm. Plus it’s run by a lovely Englishman who has been living in Nice for over 15 years, and is a great resource on where to go and what to do in the city.
Kevin Browne studied in Strassbourg, France while attending Holy Cross College. Kevin is the founder of TravelGuy! http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/travelguy which shares intricate local French knowledge with students looking to study abroad in France in the hopes that they will fully take advantage of their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Here are some treasures on how to best explore one of the most beautiful countries on earth in between all of those pesky tests and papers...
1. Don’t bring anything that might have to be dry cleaned! You will find doing your laundry in a Laundromat quite expensive compared to the States, the prices for dry cleaning are astronomical, as it’s still not a very common practice. Should you discover a red wine stain on your favorite ‘dry clean only’ shirt that made its way into your suitcase against better advise, look for a Pressing or Blachisserie and ask for a “nettoyage à sec” (TIP: Before forking over for a dry cleaning bill, the best way to get a red wine stain out of clothes is by pouring it’s friend white wine all over it, honest!)
2. Because the water in France is a lot “softer” than in the States, your hair and skin may not feel as clean even after washing. For this reason, it’s best not to bring your own products from home, but to buy products here that are specially adapted and produced according to the minerals in the water. You can go to any of the beauty supply stores and talk to a sales lady about it and they can direct you to a product that’s right for you.
3. For a truly interesting movie going experience in Paris, be sure to visit La Pagode. The manager of the store Bon Marché imported a real pagoda from Japan for his wife to use as a ballroom! Unfortunately they soon divorced, and it was turned into a movie theater that makes for a brilliant experience…be sure to ask for the salle japonaise. (57 rue de Babylone 75007)
4. When headed to the cinema, the matinees are always cheapest. But pay attention to the rules of each movie house, because in some this may be any film played before noon, but in others it may just be the first film of the day. Many theaters also have reduced ticket prices on Mondays and Wednesdays. (TIP: Be sure the film is in VO, version originale, played in English with subtitles and not dubbed over in French, VF!)
5. If you are studying abroad in Nice, be sure to visit one of the few internet cafés in the city, located at 8 Rue Vincent, just at the corner of Rue Pontin in the Old Town. They have wi-fi and cable TV, great food and snack, and Happy Hour for drinks starting at 5 pm. Plus it’s run by a lovely Englishman who has been living in Nice for over 15 years, and is a great resource on where to go and what to do in the city.
Kevin Browne studied in Strassbourg, France while attending Holy Cross College. Kevin is the founder of TravelGuy! http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/travelguy which shares intricate local French knowledge with students looking to study abroad in France in the hopes that they will fully take advantage of their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Summer Study Abroad Programs
Choosing a Summer Study Abroad Program to Apply forWhile most scholastic institutes offer a variety of summer study abroad programs, bear in mind that you can usually apply for a program outside of the school you might currently be attending and still have the option of financial aide covering you. Even if you are not attending any schools, a summer study abroad program is within your reach. Local colleges and universities usually have listings of any study abroad programs they have available and if the requirements for signing up for that program are not listed then you could always check with one of the attending counselors for further information.
Passports, Visas, and Medical Releases - Oh My! Passport rules have changed recently, at least for American citizens. As of January 23, 2007 the long expected new passport rules take effect today. US citizens traveling to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean will need to show valid passports in order to re-enter the country. So when you are busy planning a summer study abroad program, remember to secure one more thing: Your Passport! These new passport rules are required to secure the borders of the United States against terrorist acts. Recent statistics show that just about one quarter of Americans hold valid passports. This is because until now most US citizens could travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean without passports. Showing just a driver's license or a birth certificate was sufficient. But with these new passport regulations all that changes, effective January 23, 2007. So if you are planning to spend a summer studying in any one of those countries, take steps to get your passport now. While a passport isn't usually too hard to get, it can still take a fair amount of time so you should be applying for that before or around the same time as you're applying for the summer study abroad program of your choice. A travel visa should usually be applied for around the same time as you are applying for the study abroad program for the simple fact that they can take quite some time to be processed properly and returned to you in good standing.
AccommodationsA majority of summer study abroad programs will have accommodations already planned out for you, but it's usually wise to make sure beforehand so you know where you'll be staying during the course of your program. If lodging is not provided and you will need to make your own arrangements for a place to stay, the internet can be a great help in locating an affordable hotel room or short term apartment. Language barriers can make for a slightly sticky situation when trying to set up lodging arrangements from a distance, but it's not usually too difficult to get around them long enough to have a place available for when you get there so that you can make some more stable plans.
Passports, Visas, and Medical Releases - Oh My! Passport rules have changed recently, at least for American citizens. As of January 23, 2007 the long expected new passport rules take effect today. US citizens traveling to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean will need to show valid passports in order to re-enter the country. So when you are busy planning a summer study abroad program, remember to secure one more thing: Your Passport! These new passport rules are required to secure the borders of the United States against terrorist acts. Recent statistics show that just about one quarter of Americans hold valid passports. This is because until now most US citizens could travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean without passports. Showing just a driver's license or a birth certificate was sufficient. But with these new passport regulations all that changes, effective January 23, 2007. So if you are planning to spend a summer studying in any one of those countries, take steps to get your passport now. While a passport isn't usually too hard to get, it can still take a fair amount of time so you should be applying for that before or around the same time as you're applying for the summer study abroad program of your choice. A travel visa should usually be applied for around the same time as you are applying for the study abroad program for the simple fact that they can take quite some time to be processed properly and returned to you in good standing.
AccommodationsA majority of summer study abroad programs will have accommodations already planned out for you, but it's usually wise to make sure beforehand so you know where you'll be staying during the course of your program. If lodging is not provided and you will need to make your own arrangements for a place to stay, the internet can be a great help in locating an affordable hotel room or short term apartment. Language barriers can make for a slightly sticky situation when trying to set up lodging arrangements from a distance, but it's not usually too difficult to get around them long enough to have a place available for when you get there so that you can make some more stable plans.
An Overview of Studying Abroad
Reasons for deciding to study abroad may vary, but more often than not the reason involves getting a more hands on approach to the topic being learnt.
A Short HistoryThe concept of studying abroad first came about in 1923 when Professor Raymond W. Kirkbride of the University of Delaware sent 8 of his students to Paris, France. Back then the idea of students studying in a country other than their homeland was highly unheard of and initially it was used as an option mainly for studying and learning foreign languages.
More recently it has become acceptable to study abroad for a variety of reasons and the scope of subjects available for study has increased significantly. For instance, it is now more acceptable for someone studying medicine to attend a Caribbean medical school during a study abroad program in order to immerse themselves in a different culture and get a feel for what it might be like for an aspiring doctor to get started in a developing country.
Another thing to consider is where you will be staying, as accommodations are not always provided. Some schools do maintain dormitories or other forms of residence in foreign areas for students to dwell in for the duration of the program, such as a "host family" that has agreed to provide lodging to one or more students for a time. Oftentimes participants in study abroad programs will have to arrange for their own accommodations ahead of time, whether permanent for the duration of the trip or temporarily until more stable lodging can be found.
A Short HistoryThe concept of studying abroad first came about in 1923 when Professor Raymond W. Kirkbride of the University of Delaware sent 8 of his students to Paris, France. Back then the idea of students studying in a country other than their homeland was highly unheard of and initially it was used as an option mainly for studying and learning foreign languages.
More recently it has become acceptable to study abroad for a variety of reasons and the scope of subjects available for study has increased significantly. For instance, it is now more acceptable for someone studying medicine to attend a Caribbean medical school during a study abroad program in order to immerse themselves in a different culture and get a feel for what it might be like for an aspiring doctor to get started in a developing country.
Another thing to consider is where you will be staying, as accommodations are not always provided. Some schools do maintain dormitories or other forms of residence in foreign areas for students to dwell in for the duration of the program, such as a "host family" that has agreed to provide lodging to one or more students for a time. Oftentimes participants in study abroad programs will have to arrange for their own accommodations ahead of time, whether permanent for the duration of the trip or temporarily until more stable lodging can be found.
Why Students Prefers to go for Study in UK Colleges or Universities?
Students will get a world class Qualification.
Students will get the skills needed for the modern environment with updated skills and technical knowledge.
UK is the only country with 1 year of quality education, which is one of the oldest education systems worldwide.
It has an exciting and fun culture which meets all educational needs.
Postgraduate study (Taught Modules) can be completed in one year.
It’s an affordable option compared to USA.
Lenient and Easy procedures for applying visa.
Students can work Part time while studying (20 hrs legally allowed).
Students can extend their visa for 2 more years on completion of the course under the International Graduate Scheme(IGS).
Students will get a world-class qualification
UK qualification are recognized and respected throughout the world. Study in UK will be a solid foundation for building your future, boosting career and prospects for a higher salary. UK universities, colleges and schools will provide a vibrant, creative and challenging environment in which to develop your potential. Quality standard for UK institutions is among the best in the world. A large portion of study time will spend in supervised laboratory work and practical projects, designed to develop necessary technical skills.
Students will get the skills they need for the modern environment
In an increasingly globalism world economy, people need special skills and qualities to succeed. Employers want employees who can think effectively, creatively and independently. Institutions in UK use a variety of teaching and assessment methods to encourage independence, as well as mastery of the subject.
English is acknowledged as the language of business, science, IT, the Internet and also important for future career prospects around the world. Learning English and study in UK allows you to immerse yourself in the language to live and think in English.
Whatever the student’s educational needs, the UK can meet them:
There are more than 3,000 educational institutions that welcome international students. You can choose from a variety of routes through the education and training system, combining different types of course according to your needs and abilities.
For example, in the UK, you could specialize in anything from computer games programming, ocean engineering, satellite positioning technology or sound engineering to multi-media design, anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, hotel management or dance.
It has an exciting, fun culture
The UK is a cosmopolitan place to live. Many thousands of families from around the world have made the UK their home, creating a richly diverse, open minded, multicultural society. There are also more than a quarter of a million international students in the UK at any given point of time.
Theaters, concerts and art galleries can be found in all large towns and cities; big sports events take place every weekend; pubs and restaurants are everywhere.
It’s an ideal base for their travels
You get four countries in one: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each has its own distinctive history, landscape and modern culture. And, because they’re all within easy reach of one another, they’re easy to explore. The national air, rail coach and bus networks will get you almost anywhere in the UK. Discounts or special rates are generally available for students on most forms of transport. It’s easy to see the rest of Europe.
It’s an affordable option
UK degrees can take only three years and postgraduate Master’s courses only one year- compared with four and two years in most other countries because they are more intensive. This means you will save a great deal on both tuition fees and living costs- and you will be able to start working and earning money sooner. Health care is often free for international students.
UK institutions offer thousands of scholarships and bursaries just for international students, while more than 21,000 international students receive scholarship funding from the UK Government every year.
Students will get a warm welcome
Many institutions arrange for you to be collected from the airport and offer guaranteed accommodation for your first year. They will provide a dedicated international office, international student societies, planned social activities, academic support, counselors and advisers. The system works: the UK has one of the lowest ‘drop-out’ rates (the number of students who leave before the course ends) in the world.
Part-time & Full-Time Employment
International Students who are doing study in UK can look for part time jobs inside and outside the University Campus and no longer required to obtain permission while studying a full time course. There are many opportunities for the International Students to earn their living expenses in the UK, both during and after their studies. Overseas Students can work for full time during the Vacation Period (40 hrs). Full time jobs can be done after the completion of the course under the IGS for duration of 2 years with legal permit in a student visa itself.
Students will get the skills needed for the modern environment with updated skills and technical knowledge.
UK is the only country with 1 year of quality education, which is one of the oldest education systems worldwide.
It has an exciting and fun culture which meets all educational needs.
Postgraduate study (Taught Modules) can be completed in one year.
It’s an affordable option compared to USA.
Lenient and Easy procedures for applying visa.
Students can work Part time while studying (20 hrs legally allowed).
Students can extend their visa for 2 more years on completion of the course under the International Graduate Scheme(IGS).
Students will get a world-class qualification
UK qualification are recognized and respected throughout the world. Study in UK will be a solid foundation for building your future, boosting career and prospects for a higher salary. UK universities, colleges and schools will provide a vibrant, creative and challenging environment in which to develop your potential. Quality standard for UK institutions is among the best in the world. A large portion of study time will spend in supervised laboratory work and practical projects, designed to develop necessary technical skills.
Students will get the skills they need for the modern environment
In an increasingly globalism world economy, people need special skills and qualities to succeed. Employers want employees who can think effectively, creatively and independently. Institutions in UK use a variety of teaching and assessment methods to encourage independence, as well as mastery of the subject.
English is acknowledged as the language of business, science, IT, the Internet and also important for future career prospects around the world. Learning English and study in UK allows you to immerse yourself in the language to live and think in English.
Whatever the student’s educational needs, the UK can meet them:
There are more than 3,000 educational institutions that welcome international students. You can choose from a variety of routes through the education and training system, combining different types of course according to your needs and abilities.
For example, in the UK, you could specialize in anything from computer games programming, ocean engineering, satellite positioning technology or sound engineering to multi-media design, anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, hotel management or dance.
It has an exciting, fun culture
The UK is a cosmopolitan place to live. Many thousands of families from around the world have made the UK their home, creating a richly diverse, open minded, multicultural society. There are also more than a quarter of a million international students in the UK at any given point of time.
Theaters, concerts and art galleries can be found in all large towns and cities; big sports events take place every weekend; pubs and restaurants are everywhere.
It’s an ideal base for their travels
You get four countries in one: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each has its own distinctive history, landscape and modern culture. And, because they’re all within easy reach of one another, they’re easy to explore. The national air, rail coach and bus networks will get you almost anywhere in the UK. Discounts or special rates are generally available for students on most forms of transport. It’s easy to see the rest of Europe.
It’s an affordable option
UK degrees can take only three years and postgraduate Master’s courses only one year- compared with four and two years in most other countries because they are more intensive. This means you will save a great deal on both tuition fees and living costs- and you will be able to start working and earning money sooner. Health care is often free for international students.
UK institutions offer thousands of scholarships and bursaries just for international students, while more than 21,000 international students receive scholarship funding from the UK Government every year.
Students will get a warm welcome
Many institutions arrange for you to be collected from the airport and offer guaranteed accommodation for your first year. They will provide a dedicated international office, international student societies, planned social activities, academic support, counselors and advisers. The system works: the UK has one of the lowest ‘drop-out’ rates (the number of students who leave before the course ends) in the world.
Part-time & Full-Time Employment
International Students who are doing study in UK can look for part time jobs inside and outside the University Campus and no longer required to obtain permission while studying a full time course. There are many opportunities for the International Students to earn their living expenses in the UK, both during and after their studies. Overseas Students can work for full time during the Vacation Period (40 hrs). Full time jobs can be done after the completion of the course under the IGS for duration of 2 years with legal permit in a student visa itself.
6 Common Misconceptions about Study Abroad Programs
With over 100,000 college students studying abroad every year, there’s bound to be all kinds of tall tales, urban legends, and misinformation swirling around. While there may be grains of truth in some of these stories, below are some common misconceptions about study abroad.
Misconception #1: Studying abroad is very expensive.
Truth: In most cases, it is actually cheaper to study abroad. Let’s say the tuition at your school is $5,000 per semester and room and board is another $4,000. Now add in the additional fees you have such as health insurance, books, and laundry. You are now well over $10,000 for the semester. Well, all but one of our programs in Spain is under $10,000 per semester and that includes everything except your airfare and spending money.
Misconception #2: I can’t use my financial aid to study abroad.
Truth: In almost all cases, your federal aid (Stafford loans, Pell grants, etc.) can be used to study abroad and in some states, you can use your state aid as well. It is also not uncommon for your federal aid to increase when you study abroad since some of your school scholarships may not transfer.
Misconception #3: Host families are all poor and just do it for the money.
Truth: The last thing any study abroad company wants to do is have an unhappy student on their program. The goal is for the students to be happy so that they will tell their friends what a great time they had. If we were putting students in bad families, in dangerous neighborhoods, then no one would ever recommend us to their friends. Since the number of universities that endorse our program doubled over the last year, it’s a pretty sure bet that students are happy with our choice of families.
Misconception #4: I’ll be so busy with schoolwork that I won’t get time to see the country I’m in.
Truth: This one is hysterically funny since your average study abroad student comes home with about 400+ photos from a long list of countries. Students have plenty of opportunities to travel and we even take our students on trips to give them a better feel for the country they are in.
Misconception #5: I might not graduate on time if I go abroad.
Truth: If you have already used up all of your elective or general education courses, then it’s true that you might need to bulk up on courses before or after you go abroad. If you plan ahead, however, and leave some electives open to you, then you should be fine. The clear majority of students who study abroad still graduate in four years, despite being away from their home campus for a semester or two.
Misconception #6: Most of the world hates Americans, so I won’t be safe.
Truth: There’s no doubt that there are a lot of people who don’t like the American government, but that has nothing to do with the American people. If you compare the violent crime rate in the United States to that of European, Australian, or Asian countries, you will see that the United States is actually far more dangerous. There are some areas of South America and Africa that are not especially safe, but there are also many countries on those continents that are incredibly safe. Go to the U.S. State Department website and check out the crime statistics on the country you are interested in to see how safe it is.
Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that every college student should take advantage of. Before dismissing it due to the bad experience of one friend or rumors you have had heard, speak with your study abroad advisor and get the facts. I guarantee that once you look at all that studying abroad can offer you, you’ll be hopping the first flight abroad.
One organization that help ensure that you have safest, unforgettable yet affordable study abroad experience is Academic Studies Abroad. Here are some of our very popular study abroad programs in the following countries:
Study Abroad Spain - Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Barcelona, Madrid, Salamanca and Sevilla.
Study Abroad England- Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in London.
Study Abroad Italy - Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Florence. Study Abroad France
Academic Studies offer study abroad programs in Aix-en-Provence and Avignon.
Study Abroad Ireland
Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Dublin.
Misconception #1: Studying abroad is very expensive.
Truth: In most cases, it is actually cheaper to study abroad. Let’s say the tuition at your school is $5,000 per semester and room and board is another $4,000. Now add in the additional fees you have such as health insurance, books, and laundry. You are now well over $10,000 for the semester. Well, all but one of our programs in Spain is under $10,000 per semester and that includes everything except your airfare and spending money.
Misconception #2: I can’t use my financial aid to study abroad.
Truth: In almost all cases, your federal aid (Stafford loans, Pell grants, etc.) can be used to study abroad and in some states, you can use your state aid as well. It is also not uncommon for your federal aid to increase when you study abroad since some of your school scholarships may not transfer.
Misconception #3: Host families are all poor and just do it for the money.
Truth: The last thing any study abroad company wants to do is have an unhappy student on their program. The goal is for the students to be happy so that they will tell their friends what a great time they had. If we were putting students in bad families, in dangerous neighborhoods, then no one would ever recommend us to their friends. Since the number of universities that endorse our program doubled over the last year, it’s a pretty sure bet that students are happy with our choice of families.
Misconception #4: I’ll be so busy with schoolwork that I won’t get time to see the country I’m in.
Truth: This one is hysterically funny since your average study abroad student comes home with about 400+ photos from a long list of countries. Students have plenty of opportunities to travel and we even take our students on trips to give them a better feel for the country they are in.
Misconception #5: I might not graduate on time if I go abroad.
Truth: If you have already used up all of your elective or general education courses, then it’s true that you might need to bulk up on courses before or after you go abroad. If you plan ahead, however, and leave some electives open to you, then you should be fine. The clear majority of students who study abroad still graduate in four years, despite being away from their home campus for a semester or two.
Misconception #6: Most of the world hates Americans, so I won’t be safe.
Truth: There’s no doubt that there are a lot of people who don’t like the American government, but that has nothing to do with the American people. If you compare the violent crime rate in the United States to that of European, Australian, or Asian countries, you will see that the United States is actually far more dangerous. There are some areas of South America and Africa that are not especially safe, but there are also many countries on those continents that are incredibly safe. Go to the U.S. State Department website and check out the crime statistics on the country you are interested in to see how safe it is.
Studying abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that every college student should take advantage of. Before dismissing it due to the bad experience of one friend or rumors you have had heard, speak with your study abroad advisor and get the facts. I guarantee that once you look at all that studying abroad can offer you, you’ll be hopping the first flight abroad.
One organization that help ensure that you have safest, unforgettable yet affordable study abroad experience is Academic Studies Abroad. Here are some of our very popular study abroad programs in the following countries:
Study Abroad Spain - Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Barcelona, Madrid, Salamanca and Sevilla.
Study Abroad England- Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in London.
Study Abroad Italy - Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Florence. Study Abroad France
Academic Studies offer study abroad programs in Aix-en-Provence and Avignon.
Study Abroad Ireland
Academic Studies offers study abroad programs in Dublin.
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