At West Virginia University, we've been busy researching, analyzing, and creating content related to the kinds of topics that are valuable to you.

We took a few minutes to research the five most viewed blog posts from The Summit Ahead from 2018. Take a look, and hopefully, you'll find these stories to be as valuable as the rest of our readers!

Did you know that every year colleges and universities, along with the U.S. Department of Education, award an estimated $46 billion in scholarships and grants?

Scholarships vary based on the amount awarded, geographic location, and eligibility requirements. Scholarships are also very diverse. There are graduate scholarship opportunities for everyone, no matter your gender, ethnicity, race, or where you attend school.

While finding scholarships that you're eligible for may take some time, it's...

West Virginia University is proud to be one of the 115 R1 institutions in the nation. Only the best research universities in the country achieve this status, which means that WVU is recognized for its research-based graduate programs and its research achievements.

Let's dig a little deeper and examine several of WVU's 2018 research achievements. 

There are 115 institutions in the U.S. classified as R1 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education, and West Virginia University's research classification is described as fitting into the “highest research activity” classification for doctoral universities.

From creative arts and humanities to social sciences to applied and basic sciences, R1 universities are where cutting-edge research occurs. (And note that much of the research at these universities is funded by...

If you’re a prospective or current graduate student, you’ve probably heard a little bit about graduate assistantships.

But what exactly are they? Why are they valuable? Are they really beneficial to your academic and professional career? How will one supplement the cost of my graduate degree? How can you apply for one?

The Admissions team at West Virginia University is here to educate you on the value of a graduate assistantship — like how securing one can help you infinancing graduate school...

Quincy Hathaway is an innovator, a researcher, and a future leader in STEM. The Admissions Team at West Virginia University talked with him in order to understand his recent research grant from the American Heart Association.

Here's what Quincy had to say about his dedication to excellence and his biomedical discoveries.

The tables are turning for women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

The statistics are changing. Women can, and in fact do, succeed, thrive, and make names for themselves in fields like science, technology, business — and even race car driving!

The reason many fields have become so male-dominated is not because women are incapable of doing the job and doing it well. Several factors play into the gender difference, but at the end of the day, women are just as capable as men of succeeding...

It's an understatement to say that the field of neuroscience is complicated, multifaceted, and not for the faint of heart or mind. And as an aspiring leader in the field of neuroscience or in any other STEM field — there's no better way to establish yourself as an expert than to pursue the highest level of excellence in your field — a doctorate degree.

That's why we talked with Raymond Anderson, a current Ph.D. student in West Virginia University's Neuroscience program. Here's what he had to...

While startup companies are largely attractive to entrepreneurs and technologically-savvy individuals, startup culture is realizing that it has a high demand for those with research capabilities, managerial skills, and decision abilities.

In other words, since startup companies need professionals who can efficiently run their entrepreneurial ventures, they also often need individuals who have been trained to do so in formal, advanced education.

If you see yourself working in startup culture,...

Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories in order to impact social change or evoke emotion. 

Here at West Virginia University, we think that storytelling is important, and that's why we offer a dynamic and multifaceted graduate program in Journalism. We talked with Emily, a WVU student enrolled in the M.S. in Journalism program, and asked some questions about how WVU has allowed her to explore the power of storytelling in her field.