CampusReel Offers Online Campus Tours

Tech Crunch: "CampusReel quietly went live last year with a plan to deliver a real campus tour experience to applicants right from their computer or phone. The platform lets student ambassadors create their own tour videos, which are then vetted and uploaded to CampusReel for consumption by applicants ... Meanwhile, the startup has developed an API that can be used by other organizations, such as test prep companies, college counseling companies and the colleges themselves."

"Since launch, CampusReel users have generated a library of more than 17,000 searchable videos across 350 colleges and universities. On the applicant side, CampusReel has been used by more than 4,000 high school and college counselors."

UW-Madison: Bike-Friendly Campus

UW-Madison: "The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of only eight institutions honored as a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University. The award is the highest given by the League of American Bicyclists, the oldest advocacy organization for people who bike. The Bicycle Friendly University program includes 208 colleges and universities and is part of the league’s Bicycle Friendly America program, which also awards communities and businesses as part of its mission to create a 'bicycle friendly America for everyone.' Designations are given in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, which is awarded for excellence across the board."

"UW–Madison had previously received a gold designation, given to universities with strong bike cultures but that may still need to offer more accessibility in their bike networks or reach more students and staff with bicycling education and encouragement programs ... Platinum level, according to the league, indicates a strong institutional-level bicycling program as well as active campus and local advocacy groups and student clubs supporting cycling. The Bicycle Friendly University program started in 2011; UW–Madison was recognized in 2011 at the silver level and upgraded to gold in 2015."

"The UW’s renewal application and upgrade to platinum was supported by amenities and improvements such as ... Elm Street Bike Shelter: The soon-to-be-open enclosed bicycle shelter near the Lakeshore residence halls will feature 48 stalls of high-density bike racks, a fix-it station, and free access to those with a Wiscard ... Ten “air and repair” stations located throughout campus ... The University Bicycle Resource Center, for those interested in performing tune-ups to their own bicycles and attending free, monthly events held during the academic year."

College or University: What's The Dif?

Mental Floss: "In America, few people use the phrase 'going off to university,' or “headed to university,” even if they are indeed about to set off for, say, Harvard University. Why did college become the predominant term for postsecondary education? And is there any difference between the two institutions? While university appears to be the older of the two terms, dating as far back as the 13th century, schools and students in North America have embraced college to describe most places of higher learning. There is no rigid definition of the words, but there are some general attributes for each."

"A college is typically a four-year school that offers undergraduate degrees like an associate or a bachelor’s. (Community colleges are often two-year schools.) They don’t typically offer master’s or doctorates, and the size of their student body is typically the smaller of the two. Universities, on the other hand, tend to offer both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to advanced degrees for a larger group of students. They can also be comprised of several schools—referred to as colleges—under their umbrella."

"Some colleges can be bigger than universities, some might offer master’s degrees, and so on. To complicate matters further, an institution that fits the criteria of a university might choose to call itself a college. Both Dartmouth College and Boston College qualify as universities but use the college label owing to tradition. Schools may begin as colleges, grow into universities, but retain the original name ... Keep in mind that some states, like New Jersey, have rules about how institutions label themselves. There, a university has to have at least three fields of graduate study leading to advanced degrees."