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10 most wired college campuses

Only one public university makes list of most wired college campuses

wired-campus [1]On average, college campuses have just one computer for every seven students, according to U.S. News and World Report [2]. Other sources put that number at more than 10 students per computer.

Either way, many universities still struggle to attain a more equal ratio for students and computers.

An argument can be made, of course, that with so many students bringing their own computers and mobile devices to campus, there is no longer a need for a 1:1 ratio on college campuses. But the bandwidth those devices require can result in a whole slew of other technological challenges.

Earlier this year, the college ranking site Unigo [3] ranked 10 universities that may be the most adept at addressing those issues, as well as being the most “wired” into technology-focused majors.

The good news? Some colleges and universities are closing in on having one computer per student.

The bad news? Only one public university made the list.

(Read on to see what schools Unigo considers to be the most wired in the country.)

10. The University of Richmond
At this private university located in the capital of Virginia, there’s a computer for every three students, and 85 percent of the university’s courses have an online component. Every room on campus is wired for internet access, according to Unigo.

9. Harvey Mudd College
This tiny college in Claremont, Cal., has only 800 students, but it is part of a larger collective of tech-savvy schools called the Claremont Colleges consortium — a group of five colleges that share resources and are within walking distance of each other. Computer science is an important major at Harvey Mudd, and those students participate in a year-long capstone project called the “Clinic,” in which they must create their own software projects.

8. Wake Forest University
Boasting a computer-to-student ratio twice as high as nearly every other college on Unigo’s list, Wake Forest University has 1.09 computers for every student. The university also has its own app called “Wake Forest Campus Life.”

7. Denison University
A private university in Ohio that has its own 550 acre biological reserve, Denison University uses technology to stay green. “All campus printers default to printing double sides, and they have taken the initiative to recycle computer components, printer cartridges, and toner,” Unigo notes.

6. Carnegie Mellon University
This private research university has more start-ups created per research dollar than any other university in the country. And it’s been that way since 2007. Carnegie Mellon also offers a Master of Science in Information Technology entirely through a distance education program, and is famous for being the home of Manuela “Robot Master” Veloso, a professor there and the creator of the Robocup [4].

(Next page: The top 5 most wired campuses)

5. Washington University in St. Louis
Boasting a computer science department with more than 80 courses and a high speed infrastructure that connects all of its campuses to each other, as well as to the Internet2 and National Lambda Rail research networks, Washington University in St. Louis seems like a safe pick for a list of most wired campuses.

At the same time, Unigo reports, students say that fees for internet in student housing are pretty steep.

4. Hamilton College
The only wired college on the list to give Wake Forrest a run for its money, Hamilton has a computer-to-student ratio of one computer for every two students. Graduates are often recruited by tech giants such as IBM, Google, and Apple.

3. Colgate University
Boasting a robust wireless system and a computer-to-student ratio of 30 percent, Colgate also has a surprisingly low-tech way of heating its campus: a boiler that burns wood chips.

2. Georgia Institute of Technology
The only public university to make the list, Georgia Tech requires all students to own or lease a computer. It’s also the home of the Advanced Technology Development Center, which has helped create more than 130 technology companies.

1. Pomona College
Pomona is also a member of the Claremont Colleges Consortium, meaning it gets many of the same benefits as Harvey Mudd. Its placement on the list of most wired campuses, however, seems to be primarily based on the college’s curriculum.

“Through this association Pomona is allowed to participate in the Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Program of the Claremont Colleges,” Unigo writes, “and offer an STS concentration or major which includes courses in science and technology practice, context and theory courses showcasing approaches through the perspective of history, philosophy, and/or the social sciences.”

Did Unigo snub any particularly wired campuses? Do you think any of the universities that made the list were undeserving? Was the list’s definition of “wired” too broad?

Let us know in the comments below.